Cameron Diaz comes back after the success of her first book to help answer the question of every woman - how to wear your age with power and pride.
Cameron Diaz comes back after the success of her first book to help answer the question of every woman - how to wear your age with power and pride.
She’s been a Charlie’s Angel, an ogre Princess and a lovable girl-next- door on the big screen. But unlike the glamorous world of Botox, face-lifts and Hollywood perfection she was heralded from, the bronzed beauty marches to the beat of a different drum. Instead of desperately trying to hold on to the grains of sand in the hourglass called life and trying to preserve every bit of youth she can, Cameron believes that ageing is a natural phenomenon that shows you’ve lived.
Cameron remembers her 20s with disdain. And now entering her 40s, with the information she amassed over the years about nutrition and fitness, the actress is proud to proclaim that she is 43 years young and going through, a “mid-life celebration”. Believing in the power of attitude more than anything else, Cameron strives to share her philosophy on the ageing body and hopes to reverse the adverse connotations associated with it.
With change, comes uncertainty and a fear for the unknown. Cameron notes that this is the fear of ageing which she hopes to shed light on and eradicate in her new book, The Longevity Book, which debuted at number two on the nY Times Bestsellers List in the Advice category.
Coming back from the success of her first book, The Body Book, the actress is back with a second book. She hopes to usher in a new generation of women not just proud of their bodies but in full understanding of how they work and how to stay young in spirit.
How does The Longevity Book differ from The Body Book?
“Well The Body Book was more of a science book about the body and this time the book is about biogerontology which is the science of ageing. It’s about what happens on a cellular level to your body as we get older, stuff like that.”
Why did you want to write this book?
“Really so we can all age better internally – not just externally. It’s not just about the face, the wrinkles and the sagging that happens but what is happening to all our cells on a health level. It’s really just the basic science of how it works.”
How did you go about putting the book together?
“I spoke to a lot of experts to compile this information. The book is not an instructional book, it’s an informative book about the actual well-being of your body.”
Why is now the right time for you to write books like this?
“I just felt like, ‘Why don’t we have this information?’ This is important information about our bodies. We are in our bodies and yet we know nothing about them. We don’t learn about it in school at all. We learn how to read and write and to do arithmetic to get a job and buy food (laughs), but what is food? How does it work in our body?”
How has your personal journey influenced this book?
“I am 43 years old and I feel better now than I did when I was 25 or 26 years old. I am more capable and more vital than I was at the age that everybody tries to get back to. I have had so many moments with women who were my age just standing there, just baffled and looking at their bodies going, ‘How does this work? I don’t understand it. What am I doing wrong? Why can’t I be like that person?’ I just thought, ‘Well it’s just crazy that you can live in your body for that long and have no idea how it works.’ That’s not okay. It really isn't okay."
So you’re not worried about ageing?
“No, because I’m just doing it all. I’m taking advantage of it while I’m still here! That’s my philosophy on life. Don’t sit around waiting. Get up and do it!”
Why do you feel it is so important for us to learn about our bodies?
“It is so vital. not just existing because we can all exist, people live all of the time in a body that is just barely hanging on, but to have the most exceptional experience of living in a body that is healthy, capable and thriving and that will carry them through their life. not just looking back at their 20s, but looking ahead going, ‘I can’t wait to see what more I can do. How much further can I go? How much stronger I can become’, because that’s what happens when you take care of your body.”
How have you managed to keep your feet on the ground despite your fame and success?
“I don’t have any expectations. When you don’t have expectations you’re not worried about whether or not you’re going to reach them or if you fall short of them or if something is better than it could be or worse than it could be. You just kind of have what it is and for me that works best.”
How would you sum up your outlook on life?
“I think that I just live my life. I’m a very simple person.”
Finally, what is the ultimate message you are trying to achieve by releasing this book?
“This book is about ageing and how to have longevity, as you live your life. It’s about how to be stronger better and more capable than you ever thought that you could be.”
SECRETS TO GETTING THAT DIAZ GLOW
1 Maximise Your Makeup
Cameron prefers a more natural glow and finds many uses for one product. Her favourite trick? Using her lipstick as a light blusher. using the same colour on your lips and cheeks really accentuates your other more prominent features! For cameron, it’s her big blue eyes.
2 Embrace Sweat
Cameron doesn’t believe in using antiperspirants! she believes that they make you smell, as the body is being prevented from releasing the toxins anywhere. Her advice? Go without it and trim the hair under your arms so it won’t cling to the scent.
3 Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Would you have ever dreamed that the secret to beauty is as accessible and affordable as water? Well cameron diaz thinks so. She drinks a big jug of water right after she brushes her teeth before bed and then another bottle right after she brushes her teeth in the morning. Her reason? Water leaves your body at an alarming rate when you’re asleep and it’s important to quickly replenish the water your body lost during the night.
4 Keeping Fit
The actress is a firm believer in exercise – as her toned arms and legs show. exercise also boosts circulation, supplying skin with oxygenated blood which gives you that healthy post-workout glow. Cameron trains five times a week with her trainer Teddy bass, for that super-toned body by doing a combination of Pilates, cardio and weight training.