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Middle aged?...Ummm Me?
When did I become a middle age women?
Oh my goodness it’s happened!!!
I have officially been called middle aged!!!! With a body that is hiding no secrets from that fact!!!
What the f*#*!!!
Let me give you a bit of a back story!
For the last while (around a year if I am honest), I started getting back pain!
Now you might be thinking hang on, aren’t you a personal trainer, shouldn’t you be able to fix it, or avoid this pain in the first place!
Well the truth is, I am a person too and I am certainly not invincible!
Plus my children seem to be the most amazing gift that keeps on giving when it comes to the effect they have had on my body!!! Let’s see… both were big babies, – prolapse cervix, hysterectomy to repair – left with grade 1 prolapse, varicose veins on legs plus ovarian vein reflux. Massive abdominal separation – diastasis recti!!
Anywhoo…back to the back – so I started off thinking it was my old bed – “husband we need a new bed”!!!!! Husband, not so keen on this idea or parting with money!!!! Bugger!!!
Right, so put up with it, try stretching, exercising, ignoring it! Not really working – hurts to cough, sneeze, lift kids up – tuck kids into bed, get up and down, bend over, play touch – it just hurts!!!
Go to Osteo eventually!!!! 2 sessions later, no improvement, x-ray….you have a bulging disk – that explains a lot and goes with my own diagnosis after a lot of Dr Google!!!!!
Wait two months to see a specialist – yip issues – MIR needs to be done and go from there!!
Ok, this part is all ok – but remember what I said at the start, I am apparently middle aged!!
So the specialist is looking at my xray – “your lumbar spine looks great, but there’s just some degeneration in your back, which can be expected in middle age!!!!!” Again what the f#^*!!
In my head I am soooo not this person, I DO NOT identify as a middle aged women!!!! Ok on paper my age is 44!
But surely that is just a number, it’s how you feel that makes the difference right,and how you look after your body??!!!
What a full on reality check for me that I am actually aging, I am getting older – I have become “that” older person!
Teenagers must look at me now and see an “older” lady, not a young women in the prime of her life!! I am a Mum, I have wrinkles, grey hairs – stuff that goes with being mature!!!!!
It is like a life discovery being told this, absolutely mind blowing!!!
So, what can I do next, how can I work with this new knowledge??
Let me tell you my thoughts….
No matter who you are, you can’t stop or slow down the natural aging process!
But, what you can do, is try to be in control of what you can control.
My secret discovery is collagen – At the moment I am enjoying Go Beautiful Skin Collagen Support and Go Extra-C1200+ High Potency Vitamin C – take them together to enhance the collagen synthesis.
Check out this article from Healthpost explaining why!
I have seen a huge change in my skin, my hair and my nails – I think every woman over 40 should take this!!!
Exercise – keep yourself strong & fit – both physically and mentally – find something that you LOVE, find something that helps you stay strong, but is also able to be adapted to how you are feeling on the day! While HIIT (high intensity interval training) is great, as we start to age, it is not ideal for us everyday – we need to sometimes reduce the impact on our body. Strength training circuits are great too, we need to keep lifting weights, to help us stay strong and toned! Walking is awesome!!!! Stretching and flexibility is also a must – but watch out for some of those Pilates moves that aren’t so awesome for the pelvic floor!!!!
The key to a successful exercise plan is really to find something that excites you and you look forward to doing! It should be able to be modified to allow you to still move and enjoy even on the days where you are feeling less balanced, a bit sore (for what seems like no reason), for when your mood is either up or down! As we age we need to listen to our bodies and respect it and not ask it to do a session of jumping, burpees and sweating till we can’t walk anymore!
The goals that you had in your 20’s (think bikini body!!!) will be so different to the goals and expectations of what you want and need now (think strength, fitness, health, ability to keep up with kids/grandchildren, role models for them, energy, stress management, reducing pain) now you are in your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s & beyond!!
Sleep – get as much of it as you possibly can – it is vital to get at least 7-8 hours each night!
Make it your top priority!! You will know this, I am sure, but stop scrolling on your phone at night on Facebook, turn off the TV. Try not to drink too late at night or eat too late either. Enjoy a relaxing shower or bath before bed! Try to unwind and get yourself in a relaxed state before bed! Don’t keep yourself busy!!! When you get enough sleep, you can look at the world from a different perspective. You will be more in control and more productive and of course you will feel so much better!
Nutrition – this is not a diet, but a way of eating that is sustainable, balanced and makes us feel awesome! We have moved past the starvation diets, fad diets of old and are far smarter now!
So stop worrying about “good” and “bad” foods and eat in a way that serves you well!
I know that you know what to do – so stop procrastinating and making excuses and make good choices!
Plan your meals, have all the food in the house you need to make awesome, delicious, healthy meals!
Make your own lunch – don’t buy whatever is around and is convenient – to keep yourself healthy requires effort! Make the effort to choose the right foods each and every day!
Stop eating the “kids” food!!!
Stop overindulging in alcohol and caffeine – notice I said stop overindulging – not give up totally!!! Just know that as we get older these stimulants will not help us in our journey to maintaining our health – especially as we go into perimenopause and menopause.
Increase your water intake – keep your skin hydrated as well as your body – you will notice a difference!!! Try sipping on herbal teas – my favourite is peppermint! You can drink it cold too!
Hormones – this needs a whole blog post on it’s own!!!!
As we enter the “next” phase of our hormonal journal as a woman – perimenopause, menopause – we need to understand what changes are happening in our body and accept that we can’t stop it!!!!
Every woman’s journey will be different! Some of us will gain weight, especially around the middle, others will not, some of us will experience hot flushes, mood swings, balance issues, sore bodies, skin changes, sleep issues the list goes on!
If you prepare yourself with knowledge and an understanding of what is going on with your own body, you will have more power. You will be able to make decisions based on what is right for you!
One last thing – lets embrace our aging bodies and grow old with grace & style!
Age is just a number at the end of the day!
Live life to its fullest, take care of the one body you have and you will enjoy a life that is full of joy!