Gwyneth Paltrow’s Unconventional Views About Aging Will Make You Rethink Your Own

Women are taught to fear aging from a very young age. They’re taught that youth is equal to beauty and that must go to great lengths in order to preserve their looks.

But actress and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow has different views on the matter.

Embracing Her 40s

The 46-year-old recently opened up about her rather unconventional thoughts about aging during an SXSW event. And to make the long short, she loves it.

The Goop founder said she believes that being in her 40s gives her more freedom and a better understanding of herself than her 20s or 30s did. Knowing and being comfortable with who she is, the blonde beauty has also learned to stop worrying so much about what other people think of her.

What more, she’s grown to accept and even love the physical manifestations that come with growing older. Wrinkles? Grey hair? Paltrow loves them. For her, embracing these changes means embracing everything she’s been through in life because they tell these stories.

Caring For Herself

However, her acceptance of aging as a natural process doesn’t mean that she’s letting herself go.

If you Paltrow’s lifestyle guru career, she’s all about maintaining balance in her life. The actress turned businesswoman said that she usually does a ‘big detox’ at least once a year so she can go back to a state of clear-headedness and feel completely rested. According to Paltrow, she can tell it’s time for the detox whenever she starts getting tired and having to take four naps a day.

The actress follows this same balance mindset when it comes to her diet as well. She says that eating your favorite things on holidays like Christmas and New Years isn’t a crime but the rest of the year’s diet should balance out these bad eating days still.

Of course, Paltrow has also established a workout regimen that has been working well for her for over 13 years. She’s a big fan of the Tracy Anderson Method an exercise technique which mixes elements of aerobic dance and weight training in its program.

While the routines themselves are challenging, Paltrow is known to take things to a whole new level as she usually works out two hours a day, six times a week.

Confidence With Aging

According to clinical psychologist, Dr. John Mayer, Paltrow’s positivity about aging is the ideal mindset to have for people who are turning 40. By this time, he says, some people have gained more confidence and a sort of ‘mastery over life’ than younger people are only getting acquainted with.

As he explains, people in their 20s are typically less self-assured as they’re still grappling with choices about their career, self-identity and personal relationships. Having gone through all these hardships, older people are less scared of what negative things people think about them.