If you’re laughing, it’s because you haven’t hit 40 yet. 🙂
I’m still active, eating well and maneuvering around the house without a walker, but things have changed. Aches and pains don’t just go away. I’m appreciating an extra hour of rest some days. And some foods that I loved (and they loved me) just aren’t working for me anymore.
If I was freakishly alone in these changes I’d keep them to myself, but I’m not. As we get older we change. Our abilities, likes and tendencies will evolve as long as we’re alive and that’s OK…as long as we don’t stubbornly hang on to the ‘old’ ways instead of being a student of our own bodies.
As I was noticing this happening in my own body I happened to come across a great article by a former athlete who’s a few years ahead of me in this journey. She, like many of us, believed that we ‘lost’ our health as we grew older…until she became older and found that wasn’t necessary. She focuses on ways to not gain weight as we age, but the premise behind all of it is that we just keep learning and adapting (which can be used in many areas of life). I’ll summarize what she said for those in a hurry, but if you have the time the full article is great!
- As we learn better, we do better. Our understanding of how to take care of our bodies changes with time and that’s normal. As learn what unprocessed, real food looks like and how to eat it, our diet slowly changes.
- Every body is different. There are no ‘perfect’ healthy super foods because we all metabolize foods differently. If you neighbor loves spinach, but it makes you gassy, that’s OK. Find something that works for you.
- The word ‘Snack’ does not mean ‘junk food.’ A snack is simply something to eat between meals. It is not permission to eat from a vending machine and can actually just be a little bit left over from a previous meal. Snacks are frequently the most processed foods we eat all day and that’s a cultural norm, but it doesn’t have to be our norm.
- Many times all we’re craving is water. It may feel like a craving for something else, but if we commit to drinking plain water first we’ll frequently realize the craving disappears or diminishes.
- Be aware of the Bright Spots! It’s incredibly common for women to come to me with weight loss as one of their top goals. Weight loss is great, but so are better sleep, clearer skin, decreased medications, increased confidence, the realization that taking care of themselves makes them better wives/moms/workers/etc, fewer body aches and family members who start experiencing the same benefits. At Thrive we call these our Bright Spots. Paying attention to how healthy choices impacts every area of our lives makes these habits much more desirable!
- Have a plan for your hardest time of the day. This author calls hers ‘The 3 Ts’ and it’s how she tackles the end of the day when many of us have used all our willpower and want to snack. Her T’s are: Teeth (brush them…it will deter you from eating again), Tea (keep a cup of decaf tea around so you have something to sip) and Talk (she announces that the kitchen is closed after dinner…it signals a shift in the day and she physically gets out of the kitchen).
Feeling a little more inspired to make healthy choices and not give into the American idea of losing your health as you age? Me too! Let’s go!
