1. Sleep with an extra pillow.

When you sleep, gravity pools fluid around your lower eyelids, where the skin is soft and elastic, causing under-eye puffiness. To avoid the bags and maintain a more youthful appearance, slip an extra pillow under your head. This will encourage gravity to drain the eye area.

Chilled spoons also work. They fit perfectly over your eyes, and the metal remains cold just long enough to be effective for about 10 minutes.

2. Put on an act.

“People don’t remember facts and figures, they remember impressions,” says Karen Friedman, president of Karen Friedman Enterprises, which helps CEOs and celebrities become more effective communicators. To leave an impression of strength, youth, and vitality, be more animated. It’ll make you come across as commanding, credible, authoritative, and confident. Practice your delivery in front of a friend or a mirror, keeping these tips in mind:

Project your voice. A booming voice sounds more youthful than a whisper. Imagine you are talking directly to the person in the back of the room.
Speak slower. Quick talkers appear anxious. Pace your words at around 130 per minute.
Straighten up. “The way you carry yourself sets the tone for how people will respond,” says celebrity voice coach Renee Grant-Williams. A hunched-over posture will make you look old before your time. In Voice Power, Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention, Grant-Williams recommends “the position of power,” a stance that radiates power and control:
Stand and balance on the balls of your feet. Tuck under slightly for support. Keep your shoulders down. Arch up with the back of your neck. Keep your chin low. Look up from below.

3. Run and feed your brain.

“Physical activity can make people more mentally alert,” says Judy Cameron, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In her previous studies at the Oregon Health and Science University, she found that monkeys who ran on treadmills grew more blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygen and sugar-rich blood, the fuel that powers the brain. Even a single bout of aerobic exercise helps increase blood flow to flood the body with endorphins that will improve clarity of thought. Beyond that, regular exercise can help us maintain the muscle mass we may otherwise lose with age.

4. Strike a slimmer profile.

Research has shown an anti-fat bias in every realm of society, particularly in the workplace, where fit, youthful people are more apt to receive promotions, earn larger salaries, and snag higher-profile projects. You can’t slim down in 24 hours, but you can look thinner by making a few strategic clothing choices.

Firstly: never, ever, wear pleats. “Pleated pants add five to 10 pounds to your frame because they balloon out and make your hips appear bigger,” says Barbara Seymour, a communications coach who has represented Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and RoC.

You can also try going monochromatic. Wearing one color from head to toe elongates your look, according to Seymour. Dark tones enhance the effect. If you’re drawn towards brighter colors, that’s OK too. A bold necktie evokes youthfulness, then you can add a pocket square for flair. Make sure it’s in the same color family as the tie but in a different pattern.

Finally, wear what fits. “Tight clothes make you look heavier because you bulge everywhere, and loose ones make you look like you’re hiding something,” says Seymour. “If everything fits just right, you can give the illusion of thinness.”

5. Chew gum, react quicker.

Avoid caffeine when you need to be at your sharpest—its effects don’t last. Instead, chew peppermint or cinnamon gum or suck on peppermint hard candy. Research at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia found a strong link between the smell of peppermint and improvements in mood, motivation, and athletic performance. That study complements previous research tying the scent of peppermint to enhanced energy levels and cognitive functioning. Another study at Wheeling found that the smell of cinnamon boosts brainpower and improves mental dexterity.

6. Adopt better posture.

When we age, our spines compound, and our posture tends to take on a natural, reflexive hunch. This development goes hand-in-hand with aging, so counteract that by staying flexible and keeping your spine straight.

7. Hide thinning hair with a haircut.

It will instantly make you look younger. And if you are balding or have fine hair, remember that less is more. Gravity causes longer hair strands to lie closer to the scalp, which exposes more skin on the top of your head. By getting your hair cut shorter and more layered, you won’t see as much scalp, which is the whole point. It’s an optical illusion.

RELATED: These Easy Face Exercises Could Make You Look Three Years Younger.

8. Add beer for fuller hair.

There are any number of volumizing shampoos on the market that will give body to your hair. But a light lager also works—seriously. “The yeast clings to each strand, making hair look fuller,” says hair and skin-care expert Riquette Hofstein.

9. Iron out wrinkles with a trout.

The best foods to keep skin looking young are fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like trout, salmon, and tuna, as well as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and beans. These foods stem the formation of advanced glycation end-productions, which causes the skin to wrinkle prematurely.

10. Have sex, wake up younger.

“Sex brings blood to the surface of the skin, dilates your pupils, and gives you a youthful air,” says sex therapist Sandor Gardos, Ph.D. The post-coital glow is undeniably real.