If you are a woman in Midlife, it is fair to say that you are either currently dealing with or have dealt with caring for aging parents. For me, I am in the midst of it. Aside from the normal signs of aging, like graying hair, wrinkled skin, bit of confusion and slowing down, the most shocking part of it all is the massive amount of medication that is being subscribed. Like most aging people, every time I speak to my parents its always about their most recent ailment and/or visit to the doctor, which in turn often ends up with a new prescription. Never do I hear any discussion around, lifestyle changes, such as diet, exercise and sleep habits. Which is shocking to me. Particularly after listening to a recent Master Class by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee.
This masterclass focused on four key areas, called the 4 Pillars of Health. The basic premise of the class was the importance of lifestyle over medication. Something that I am extremely passionate about, particularly, now that I am in Midlife and in the throes of caring for aging parents. Knowing full well the traditional medical field does not have my back.
Let’s chat about the 4 Pillars,
Relaxation - Dr. Chatterjee shared that 90% of patients’ ailments were most likely caused by stress. Which in turn accelerates aging. That’s why the first pillar was addressing the importance of relaxation. If you take a moment to pause right here and reflect on how often you carve out time for yourself to relax, what would that look like? If you are like most, it would be non-existent, am I right? Merely adding 15 minutes a day of “me” time, which excludes any social media, to focus solely on you and relaxing your body, whether that be meditating, going for a walk, sitting in nature or soaking in a tub, will have a profound positive effect on your overall health.
Food – In this Pillar Dr. Chatterjee shared that a poor diet is more consistently responsible for disease and death then physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined. Wow, crazy right? Particularly, when this is one thing we can control. Aside from the obvious issues a poor diet causes, such as type ll diabetes and obesity, there are other issues that arise from a poor diet such as migraines, gut issues and mental health issues. The question then becomes, what is a proper diet, well that varies from person to person, but a few guidelines would be, reduce or eliminate processed foods, eat locally sourced and in season foods and limit refined and added sugars.
Movement – In are modern society, there is really no real motivation for daily activity, unlike our predecessors who had to forage for food and fight off life-threatening situations on a daily basis. Today, the way we have our lives set up, we have no real need to move our bodies. As a result, many are living a sedentary lifestyle. Can you relate? A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of many major health issues particularly related to our heart and shortens our life span. Again, adding movement into your life doesn’t have to be intense or time consuming, it could be as simple as walking for 15 minutes a day, doing yoga, riding a bike, dancing or any other activity that you might enjoy.
Sleep – Now this a really important one too, but one that is often times overlooked. Our society tends to reward those of us who are sleep deprived. It seems to be a badge of honor for being overworked and stressed out and making sleep our last priority, when in fact is should be our first priority. In the short term, lack of sleep impacts our relationships, as we tend to be less patient, as well as our diet, because lack of sleep can cause unhealthy cravings. Dr. Chatterjee shared that every single chronic disease we have can be connected to long term sleep deprivation. Sleep is when our body heals, resetting our immune system, clearing away neurotoxins and regenerating our cells. It’s no wonder our body starts to age and breakdown when we are sleep deprived for an extended time. The amount of sleep a person requires to be at peak performance varies from person to person and age group, but one thing is certain it is crucial for our overall health and well-being.
Now that you see the four key areas to support your health and well-being, how do you rate in each of these areas? If you find yourself lacking in any or all areas, I am here to help. Join our next coaching group, which starts on June 5, 2023, and gain the support you need to get top grades in all four pillars and start preparing your body for a healthy midlife journey. You can find out more about what the coaching group entails by clicking here https://pb-site.com/p/MCdfhGmBjjn or complete the contact me form so we can connect and chat!
Feel free to share your takeaways in the comment section below. And if you know someone in your life who could benefit from this information, please feel free to share.
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