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Gabby Bernstein On Aging: Her Best Protein Tips, Red Light Masks & More

Jamie Schneider
Author:
December 13, 2023
Jamie Schneider
Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor
By Jamie Schneider
Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor
Jamie Schneider is the former Senior Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
Gabby Bernstein On Aging
Image by think! / mbg Creative
December 13, 2023
We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.
Welcome to On Aging, a series that highlights industry icons' approach to beauty through the decades. They'll share what makes them feel most beautiful, their biggest beauty experiments, and, of course, all of their skin and hair care tips. 

The last time I spoke to New York Times bestselling author Gabby Bernstein, I walked away with about five new recommendations for skin care tools. Microcurrent devices, red light panels, lymphatic drainage boots—this girl loves her gadgets! So, of course I had to ask about her favorite high-tech tools in the context of healthy aging. What would she tell her younger self to invest in? What treatments does she use consistently as she grows older? 

This time around, though, her answers were on the much simpler side. Yes, Bernstein still loves her lymphatic drainage boots—but she also sings the praises of a protein-rich diet, positive energy, and a solid snooze. You know, the basics. 

Below, find Bernstein's must-haves for healthy aging, from "baby" laser treatments to a daily skin-supporting smoothie. 

Gabby Bernstein On Aging
Image by Gabby Bernstein / mbg Creative

On her current beauty philosophy

"Beauty comes first from our energy. It's definitely an inside job. The more we work on our inner life, the more we put out an energy that is attractive. When I say attractive—yes, sexy, beautiful, but also magnetic. When you feel good, you emit really good, positive vibes. That energy speaks way louder than a visual cue or an actual appearance. 

"So I start there, and I'm also really conscious of what I put into my body. What I drink, what I eat, and even what I think will affect my longevity… I talk a lot about protein. It's huge for me, particularly as I age. But I also haven't had a drink in 18 years. I am really conscious about the thoughts that I think. I'm conscious about not having sugar and just being really mindful of my intake mentally and physically.

"I think I learned this probably in my mid-30s: The sexiest thing about us is our authentic truth. When we're in our truth, we're the most confident and aligned, and that actually is what's the most attractive about who we are." 

On the connection between diet & skin health 

"I didn't grow up with a lot of external beauty tips. [But] I was brought up really mindful of food. Like, we were the family that went to the health food store and didn't eat processed things. So it's about understanding the value of my diet [for beauty]. 

"In particular—and this is such an important thing to me now, as an adult—having a high-protein, high-fat diet. Just really being mindful of the foods that I was eating for energy but also for having the physique that I wanted throughout my life and being able to maintain that. 

"[I turned] 44 in November. I was one of those people that if I ate well and I worked out, I would always have good muscle tone. Now, since having children and being in my mid-40s, muscle tone is not a given anymore. So protein is my highest priority. I eat a high, high, high-packed protein diet… Years ago, I would kind of be cavalier about it, but I can't anymore." 

The sexiest thing about us is our authentic truth.

Gabby Bernstein

On what she eats in a day 

"On a busy day, I will start the morning with a smoothie—maybe throw some protein powder in there—and a coffee. I do that around 8 in the morning, and then around 11, before lunch, I get a little hangry because I'm usually sitting at my desk writing or on calls. That's when I would pick up a think! bar

"And then around 1, I'll sit down and have a high-protein lunch. I have an early dinner, like 5:30, with my 5-year-old son. I will probably do a hamburger, a piece of salmon, or meat and vegetables. That's really my diet, and I stick to it. I'm really mindful about consciously counting how much protein I'm getting and making protein the main ingredient."

think! Lemon Delight Protein Bars

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On her best makeup hack 

"My makeup artist, Alex [Gilleo], is always really mindful of face prep before she does the makeup. It's not something that people talk about enough, but she'll do ice rolling, red light, facial massage, and lymphatic drainage. She does all of this for 20 to 30 minutes before she even puts my makeup on—and that makes the biggest difference." 

Joovv The Go 2.0

$ 599
Bernstein personally uses Joovv for its premium quality and medical-grade design, and this portable option is perfect for stimulating cellular energy wherever you please. Talk about an on-the-go glow.
Joovv The Go 2.0

On her current beauty routine 

"I am a big believer in baby lasers. I can't really do a hard-core laser, like Fraxel, because I have rosacea. But really light lasers I'll do sometimes—like a baby Fraxel or a light Vbeam, just for brightening.

"I'm really mindful of not overly exfoliating and not taking out too much of the natural oils in my skin. I will use a very gentle cleanser and just hydrate—like overly hydrate. I definitely think water is No. 1 because if you're dehydrated, your face is dehydrated.

"And vitamin C serums are a must for me. I will never start the day without a serum. Then the other thing I would say to my young readers here: Wear a f*cking hat and get SPF 50 in your makeup. I don't go anywhere without SPF on my face.

"[Rosacea] was a postpartum development. With rosacea, it's really about lowering stress and not being in an inflammatory state. My red light really helps with it. I also use very natural, simple ingredients in my products and care about soothing and cooling ingredients. [I'm] pretty mindful about staying out of the sun and the heavy heat as well."

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On what she would tell her younger self

"Wear a hat, wear SPF, and just stay out of the sun." 

Editor's note:

Obviously avoiding the sun entirely isn't possible, and vitamin D is important! Just make sure to protect your skin all the while. 

"I stopped eating [refined] sugar when I was 35, and my skin cleared up. I wish I'd known that sooner because my skin was always cystic. Had I stopped sugar sooner, I would have not had to deal with that [as much]. 

"These days, I'll do a little bit of monk fruit or a tiny, tiny bit of sugar if it's in an ingredient of something, but I don't really have sugar." 

On what makes her feel most beautiful 

"A good night's sleep… I have a whole routine.

"I take a bath, then I will oil up and do lymphatic drainage with a scrub. And then I literally go into my bedroom—my husband thinks I'm a crazy person—and I do the [Normatec] leg boots [for] lymphatic drainage, followed by red light, followed by turning off my phone, just meditating and relaxing until I fall asleep." 

Hyperice Normatec 3 Legs

$ 699
Told you we’d get to those lymphatic drainage boots! These offer leg compression therapy, which helps increase full-body circulation and reduce tension on your calves.
Hyperice Normatec 3 Legs

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