The rhythms within us
There is a rhythm to everything in nature. The seasons, sunrise and sunset, hours of the day, and the different stages of our lives. Nowhere are rhythms more vital and influential however, than within women. Throughout our entire lives, the rhythmic pulse of hormones, menstrual cycles, our age, and external factors like moon phases and sleep rhythms, all have a huge impact on our physical and mental health. Whilst male hormones work closely alongside the circadian rhythms of day and night, female hormones are governed by the times of day, times of the month, times of the year, and stages of life.
Despite the years of advertising campaigns telling us how to look younger, how to cover up wrinkles and blemishes, hide greying hairs or prevent ageing, none of these ‘magic’ solutions seems to get to the very core of what we truly need; to simply feel content, happy, empowered and at peace with our bodies and minds. What we needed in our teens and twenties is entirely different to what we need in our 30s, 40s and 50s, and when we accept this, we’re able to tune into how we really feel, and recognise what we really need at each stage of life.
What happens in our 40s
Our forties are often the time we begin to recognise how important it is to be true to ourselves, to listen to our bodies, cultivate boundaries when needed, and tear down the artificial boundaries, rules and restrictions we may have been holding on to for years.
If you’re a woman in your 40s or you know someone who is, there are a few things to consider when we enter this decade. Our brains and bodies are changing, and what we do in this stage of life can have a huge impact on how we feel for the next several decades, helping us prevent illness, promote longevity, and perhaps feel even better than we did at age 25. Read on for what women in their 40s can start doing today to care for their wellbeing – because how we choose to live now could be the key to a longer, healthier life overall.
1. Get Strong
There are so many benefits to strength training, yet it’s something many women overlook as one of the keys to greater wellbeing. Building strength protects joints and bones, enhances metabolism, improves cognitive function, improves blood sugar balance, prevents chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as promoting a better mood. Focusing on strength in your yoga practice, gym routine or home workouts can go a long way to helping you feel strong, fit and physically ‘in shape’, especially at a time when we can begin to lose muscle mass if we don’t work on building strength. This doesn’t mean you have to lift heavy weights in the gym; a strength-focused yoga class with postures like plank, side planks, downward facing dog, Navasana, and chair pose can all help increase muscle strength and bone density, so you’re much less likely to suffer from issues like osteoporosis later in life.
2. Care for your brain
As we age, levels of oestrogen begin to decline, and this is not only linked to increased risk of lower bone density, but significant changes within the brain too. As oestrogen levels decline, our mood can be disrupted, as well as our memory and ability to handle stress. Women are also more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s and dementia, and what we do around age 40 can make a big difference to preventing these illnesses.
Many women experience brain fog in their 40s, which can be caused by dehydration, improper sleep, poor nutrition, excess alcohol consumption and many other factors. The hypothalamus in the brain controls whether we feel thirsty or not, and as we age, the signals telling us we’re thirsty tend to decline. Care for your brain by drinking mineral water, or water with extra electrolytes to hydrate the brain even more, particularly if you experience a lot of brain fog or you sweat easily. Warm water is especially hydrating, much more so than cold water.
For brain health, foods like salmon, mackerel, flax, almonds and eggs are high in beneficial fats that when eaten daily provide a 70% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia later in life. Antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries, cocoa, strawberries, artichokes, gogi berries, raspberries, kale, red cabbage, beetroot, beans, and spinach are also highly beneficial for brain health and easy to include in meals, snacks and smoothies.
3. Reduce stress and create boundaries
Reducing unnecessary stress is important at every age, but at age 40, stress can have a powerfully detrimental effect upon oestrogen levels and brain function. Research shows that stress can literally speed up shrinking of different parts of the brain, which is why it’s more important than ever to be true to what you need and what you don’t. At age 40, we’ve had enough life experience to help us understand what gives us joy, and what brings us down. We know who we love spending time with and who drains us, what we want to spend our time on, and what we want to do less of. General everyday stressors like traffic, work deadlines and bills are inevitable, but how we react to them, and the amount of extra stress we take on is somewhat in our own control.
Take a little time out for yourself to reassess what matters to you and what doesn’t; what lights you up? What makes you feel fatigued and drained? Begin creating some boundaries around your work-life balance, the amount of time you spend scrolling through social media, who you give your time to, and what you choose to say ‘yes’ to. Higher levels of oestrogen are linked to more agreeable, people-pleasing tendencies, so as those hormone levels lower naturally around age 40, it become a little easier to say and do what we want without worrying too much about what others think!
Happy hormone booster practice with Sandra Carson!
Something we all need; a little encouragement for our bodies to produce happy, feel-good hormones! A feel-good class that you can do any time of the day, it includes some nice, gentle poses and ends with a dynamic meditation to boost your day.
4. Boost your energy production
Throughout life, our mitochondrial function can begin to slow down. Mitochondria are like little ‘engines’ within our cells, and when the engines get tired or don’t function well, neither do we. Mitochondria produce ATP which the body uses as fuel for energy, and when this ATP production declines, we can start to experience common symptoms like fatigue, lethargy, poor brain health, muscle weakness, and gradual weight gain. Improving mitochondrial function in our 40s can help slow down the ageing process and help us feel more vibrant for years to come.
To improve mitochondrial health, decrease your exposure to toxins (pollution, alcohol, toxic skincare products and heavy metals), consume foods high in antioxidants such as the foods listed above. Include foods that support mitochondria-protecting amino acids, such as eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, organic meats and sources of good quality protein. Building muscle mass is also a highly effective way of improving mitochondrial health. Supplements like CoQ10 can aid in supporting health of the mitochondria, as well as nutrients like vitamin E (found in sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, pumpkin, beetroot, and red peppers), and resveratrol (found in grapes, cocoa, blueberries, cranberries, and red wine in moderation).
5. Care for your blood sugar and metabolism
Metabolism slows down about 2% every decade, which plays a role in age-related weight gain. It’s important to know however, that metabolism isn’t just related to weight or waistline, but how we actually metabolise or use nutrients. Our metabolism is responsible for providing us with the energy we need for basic functions like breathing and digesting, as well as healing, detoxifying, moving, thinking and the trillions of processes happening within the body all the time. The problem with caring for our metabolism, is that some of the things we think are going to help with weight management or health actually do the very opposite, especially when it comes to breakfast.
Eating breakfast helps manage stress levels, supports balanced hormones, stable blood sugar, and a stronger metabolism, especially with enough fat and proteins. Eating enough and ensuring you’re not skipping meals are also simple yet effective ways to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and a strong metabolism, as well and ensuring you’re not falling into the trap of cutting out healthy carbohydrates like root veg, potatoes, fruits and honey, because the long-term effects of cutting out these mineral-rich foods can be lethargy, fatigue, weight gain and brain fog. Let this be an invitation to enjoy carbs!
At age 40, these are some of the key areas to focus on to improve health and wellbeing now, and for years to come. Let us know which areas you’re going to focus on first, and what you learned from reading!
Image courtesy of Roberto Nickson on Unsplash
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