1. Excess Sun Exposure
Apart from being potentially life-threatening (i.e., skin cancer), the sun also fast-tracks the aging process.
"Scientific studies have shown that repeated UV exposure breaks down collagen and impairs the synthesis of new collagen."
- The Huffington Post
Collagen is often referred to as the "glue that holds your entire body together". But that’s not just an expression... this protein powerhouse literally forms the connective tissue for almost all of the structures in your body, from your bones to your skin.
2. Poor Sleep
Researchers found that those who don't sleep well exhibit more signs of skin aging including fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced skin elasticity. Poor sleep inhibits your body to rebuild the proper way.
3. High Cortisol From Emotional Stress
“When we’re under ongoing stress, it creates that fight-or-flight reaction in an unrelenting way, and as a result, stress chemicals are released into the body. What we know so far is that the release of those stress chemicals creates biological changes. It’s very possible that if you have a life filled with that constant stress, little by little the body is breaking down.” Dr. Vivian Diller, PhD
4. Consuming too much sugar
Excess processed sugar in your diet, even in small amounts can cause dark circles, wrinkles, dehydrated skin and can fast track the aging process. How this happens, is: "When sugar enters your bloodstream, it binds to your proteins," Sydney endocrinologist Sophie Chan explains.
Elastin and Collagen are both proteins and building blocks of your body. And when sugar binds to them it causes them to break down resulting in complications to your organs, premature aging, and fast-track to diabetes.
5. Lack of physical movement
There are 2 types of aging. Eugeric aging, which you can think of as "true" aging. The stuff you simply cannot avoid as you get older (e.g. hearing loss, or reduced eyesight).
But there is also "pathogeric" aging, which refers to pathological aging (e.g. aging that's unnecessary/unhealthy). Almost all the really scary things that we attribute to aging (weak bones, bones, heart, lungs, etc) falls into this category, and are much more likely to be caused by too little exercise/too much sitting, rather than aging itself.