A ‘big clean’ of my Midlife Health; time to work on me
How is your Midlife Health going? Is it time you took it in hand?
Cast your mind back to 2020. That was when the pad published a post introducing the concept of ‘Osoji’ – the big clean.
In that post, I mentioned 5 areas of my life that were going to get a ‘big clean’. They were: my house, my finances, my health, my paperwork, and my social media.
The posts for spring cleaning the house and my finances have already gone up, and it is now the turn of my health.
Let’s take a look at exercise, diet and generally improving our midlife health.
Bit of disclaimer
This post is about diet and exercise and some people are not about that life, and that is fine. If this is a subject that may potentially upset or trigger you, please feel free to skip it, there is plenty more to see on the rest of the site.
Making a start
Diet, movement, fitness, flexibility and general wellbeing all impact each other.
Are you finding that you are getting tired a lot quicker than you used to? Is it because we are getting older, or could we put it down to our diets and a general lack of energy?
There is a video on Youtube of an 82-year-old lady in china flexing in a way I will never achieve!
Now I am not suggesting giving over 2 hours of your morning to practising handstands. (Maybe when you’re retired and have more time for that kind of thing!). Perhaps a ‘little and often’ approach to exercise, just to get us started, may set us off on the right path.
Keeping it simple
It has taken a combination of factors and over forty years to get as unhealthy as I currently am, so I know there are no magic fixes.
I often used to joke that my tummy was a result of baby weight – but once your kids are teens, that doesn’t really fly anymore!
In fact, studies out of Bristol University have found that a decrease in muscle mass begins around the mid-40s. This, coupled with the laying down of more fat deposits, means we don’t have to blame childbirth anymore.
Although, with the potential for diabetes, heart problems, strokes, high blood pressure and obesity, perhaps we shouldn’t start cheering just yet.
Fitness does not equal weight
I recently signed up for the NHS app. This allowed me access to some of my medical records. Just 2 months after giving birth to my third (and heaviest!) child I weighed 55Kg. (I had to look it up too, apparently, it is 8.6 stone). I am now, 18 years later, closer to 75kg (11.8 stone).
Joke all you want about baby weight, but there comes a point where it clearly falls on your own shoulders …and hips…and tummy.
Fitness is not all about weight. But if your weight is a result of a bad diet and lack of exercise, then there are going to be aspects of your life that are not as healthy as they could be.
One small step
When it comes to our own well-being, it is far easier to not do something than it is to do something.
I mean, I could go for a walk, but it’s raining, I have things to do in the house, there is a good programme on the telly… This inactivity can become ingrained and result in a general lack of energy or motivation to do anything.
However, it is possible to use this to your advantage.
Do not buy biscuits, Do not get in the car if you’re only going down the road, … you get the idea.
The best bit about this strategy is that you only need to be strong for 5 minutes – once you get home it doesn’t matter how much you fancy a biscuit, you didn’t buy them, so you haven’t got any. in the house
Once you have walked part of the way to where you are going, you may as well continue on rather than go back for the car.
These are small daily choices to improve your midlife health that you have total control over.
When is a diet not a diet
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the word ‘diet’. There are those who centre their entire lives around what they can and cannot eat.
This could be because of allergies or other medical issues, or because they are desperate to maintain a certain weight.
On the other end of the scale (no pun intended) are those that feel they should be able to eat what they want. Even if their weight becomes a potential issue, any comment is countered with body positivity messages and suggestions that the commenter is being fatphobic.
When it comes down to it, many of us have a weight we want to be that we know we will feel comfortable at. I am certainly in no way qualified to discuss eating disorders or the issues behind them, so these tips are offered with a spirit of “take what works for you”.
3 tips for your midlife diet
1) Reflect on your current relationship with food
Deciding to begin a healthier diet does not have to be about losing or gaining weight. It is about establishing an achievable and consistent change to the way you look at food.
As we age our metabolic rate decreases, making it harder to burn calories. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat less, just better.
Make a note of what you eat and when. Were you actually hungry or just bored? Consider your relationship with food and decide what changes you are able and willing to make.
Small changes are better than no changes.
2) Make small changes
Refined foods:, such as cakes, biscuits, sweets and white bread, should be treats rather than go-to snacks. The easiest way to make small changes is not to go into full deprivation mode, but to make sensible swaps.
I love crisps and could easily munch my way through a six-pack without so much as a second thought. To combat this, I have stopped buying them; if they aren’t in the house I can’t eat them.
There are a number of alternatives (Lidl do some lovely lentil-based crisps, for example) and it is worth experimenting to find alternatives that you will enjoy eating.
This isn’t about torturing yourself, why eat something you don’t like! Try swapping out some of your unhealthier snacks for fruit-based, or lower-fat alternatives. You may even discover a new favourite.
3) Eat more protein
Protein is a key component to one of the cycles of middle age.
The more muscle our body has, the more calories we are able to burn, but we actually lose muscle mass as we age, so it is harder to lose weight…
One solution is to increase the protein in our diets. One study suggests that middle-aged people require about 10% more. Another suggestion is resistance training, to help keep the muscle you do have strong.
Protein can be found in eggs, dairy produce, chicken, and fish, while soya, nuts and seeds can provide protein if you are vegetarian or vegan.
Keep exercise fun and simple
Many people look upon exercise as a chore rather than an exciting way to make us feel good. What we need to do is find the right exercise. Even though exercise should be part of your midlife health regime, it shouldn’t be one you hate doing.
I have previously mentioned the walks I have been doing that award cool medals like the one below. (There was even a link to get you a discount off of your first medal too).
Recently I have taken up swimming (perhaps I will need to do the ‘swim the channel’ medal next), but if that is not for you why not yoga? A bit of gentle stretching is a great idea to keep yourself flexible.
Whatever you chose, do it for the enjoyment, and you will get more out of it than if you look at it as a ‘health transaction’.
It’s all in your head…
The early image in this post was of a contrived scribble on a beach, with “Body, Mind, Spirit ” on it. It’s true that health is more than just the physical, but I have far too many ideas about mind and spirit for this post. That’s a subject for another day (which will require me to finish the book I am reading too).
Rest assured I am working on a piece or two about mental health in middle age. ..it may, or may not, contain a list.
However you look at it, middle-age is not the time to rest on your laurels and give up. You can still achieve all of your health and diet goals if that is what you want to do. Start slow and look upon it as a life-enhancing change, rather than a chore you are begrudgingly taking on, and you will soon be out there living in the fast lane (or the slow lane, if my painful doggy paddle is anything to go by).