Rochelle Elijah MD

In the morning, I focus on hydration, antioxidants and sunscreen. At night, I double cleanse and rotate my active ingredients rather than using everything at once.

One lesson I learned the hard way: stronger and more frequent aren’t always better. I can only tolerate tretinoin 2–3 nights a week. Using it more often makes me dry—and honestly, makes my skin look older. Alternating it with retinal works better for me.

I also didn’t initially realize that retinal comes in multiple strengths, so I started too low with Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3. I’m now moving up to 10.

Every week or two, I use a glycolic peel, and I also use Celluma red-light therapy. Microneedling deserves a separate post.

This is simply my personal routine—not a prescription for everyone. Introduce active ingredients gradually, protect your skin barrier and wear sunscreen every day.

This post is not sponsored. Some links in my bio are affiliate or referral links, which means I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Products are linked under My Skincare Routine in my bio.

You track your protein. But do you track your fiber?

Products I use:

Thorne
Creatine, Collagen, Magnesium & Ashwagandha
https://www.thorne.com/u/PR575614

Pendulum
Metabolic Daily
https://pendulumlife.com/?referral_code=ROC4ZPKD1

BioTE
Omega 3 + CoQ10, ADK 5 & Methyl Factors+
https://patients.shopbiote.com/customer/account/create/?cid=1943&utm_campaign=0002QR&utm_medium=QRCode&utm_source=d2

Affiliate disclosure: Some of these are affiliate or referral links. I may receive a commission or product credit if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you.

I’m not trying to stay young. I’m trying to stay capable.

Capable of getting on the bike.
Skiing another season.
Traveling somewhere I've never been.
Trying new things.
And enjoying a great meal and a glass of w**e along the way.

As I get older, I'm less interested in the idea of “anti-aging.” Aging is happening whether we approve of it or not.

What interests me is how well we age.

For me, exercise, strength, nutrition and taking care of my health aren't the end goal. They're the tools that help me keep living the life I want.

The goal isn't younger. The goal is more years of feeling strong, capable and fully engaged in life.

I used to think cardio was enough.

But as we get older, maintaining muscle and strength becomes increasingly important, not just for how we look, but for how we live.

Resistance training helps support strength, bone health, balance, metabolic health and our ability to stay active and independent.

For me, that means Lagree Pilates 3 days a week. I’m not training to lift the heaviest weight in the room. I’m training so I can keep hiking, biking, skiing, traveling and saying yes to adventures for as long as possible.

The goal isn’t just a longer life. It’s being strong enough to enjoy it.

What are you doing to stay strong as you age?

Are you actually getting enough protein?

One of the things I pay much more attention to as I've gotten older is my protein intake. It's surprisingly easy to think you're eating plenty until you actually track it for a few days.

1️⃣ Total protein matters.
For many healthy, active adults over 50, a reasonable target is around 1.2–1.6 g/kg/day, particularly when we're resistance training.

2️⃣ How you spread it out matters too.
Rather than getting most of our protein at dinner, I like aiming for a meaningful amount at each meal.

3️⃣ Try tracking it.
You don't necessarily need to count protein forever. But tracking for a few days can be eye-opening and helps you learn which foods actually get you to your goal.

For me, protein isn't about chasing a number. It's part of maintaining muscle, strength and function so I can keep doing the things I enjoy as I get older.

Protein needs are individual and may need to be adjusted for certain medical conditions, including kidney disease.