2018 is fast approaching, and I am sure I am not the only boomer women who says to her self, more often than not - wow, time is going so much faster now than it did when I was 'younger'.
Also, watching my 9 year old son grow so fast before my very eyes constantly reminds me daily of how 'times flies' by us all.
And inevitably, with the coming of a new year, we quite often look to it as a 'fresh start'.
It becomes a time to reflect on years gone by, on how we have been spending our time, and how we would like to improve various things in the new year - and I think that is a good thing - as long as we take some action.
One of the issues that I think strikes most of us at this time in our lives is the whole aging process and our health as we age.
In our 20s and 30s if we have been lucky, we are in good health, and often take it for granted. But as we age, our health can become more precarious, and it is often in midlfe when we start to see those issues coming up - weight gain is a big one, along with slowing down in general and subsequently becoming less physically active, and more sedentary.
And when all these are occurring, the chances of us developing various diseases also goes up dramatically
But does it have to be like that? I say no way!
So how do we avoid these pitfalls - and can they be reversed?
I discovered a book a while back that I really enjoyed - it inspired me to be more conscious of my health and physical activity levels.
It had some really powerful messages for women in mid life and the title itself said it all 'Younger Next Year - For Women'
It was co authored by a physician - Dr Harry Lodge, and his patient Chris Cowley - a retired lawyer in his late 60s who turned his life and health around with the help of Dr Lodge.
They were so excited about their success that they wrote the book to instruct and inspire others to do the same, and to know - it is never to late to make health changes that will really change your life!
Dr Lodge came up came up with Harry's 7 Rules to Live by:
- Exercise 6 days a week for the rest of your life
- Do serious aerobic exercise 4 times a week for the rest of your life
- Do serious strength training with weights 2 days a week for the rest of your life
- Spend less money than you make
- Quit eating garbage!
- Care
- Connect and Commit
I have to say I do agree with Harry, and the emphasis on serious physical activity can not be over stated - it really is crucial to living well and feeling well.
I just celebrated my 55th birthday and in general I still feel pretty darn good at 55. I think my active lifestyle and positive attitude have a lot to do with it, and I want to encourage anyone out there who is suffering with issues such as overweight/obesity, lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle and/or diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression etc to please not give up - invest in your self - and you can turn things around - it is never too late - but you must get up and take action - now!
Some Action Steps:
- hire a life coach
- invest in more self care and 'me' time
- join a gym, and GO every week
- find a hobby that you are passionate about
- volunteer to help others less fortunate that you
- get out, socialize more and make some new friends
- go dancing
- plan a nice trip, something active to look forward to
To quote a soap opera - we only have 'one life to live', lets make it count and make it so that, when we do reach the end of this amazing journey of life, we can feel that we have no regrets, that we have honoured our bodies and minds by treating ourselves well and living a full and happy life.
You really can be younger next year - so what is stopping you? Nothing I hope!
Take back your life, take control of your health, and let 2018 be YOUR year to shine again.
Roberta Scott is 55, a 31+ year veteran advanced care paramedic as well as the Community Director of Fabulous@50 Toronto. She is also mother to her 9 year old son Jesse, who was born when she was 45.
She was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Paramedic Association of Canada in 2012 for distinguished contributions to her community and her profession and the Ontario Paramedic Association Exemplary Service Award in 2016.
She believes that our personal growth and development should never stop, and that our lives should be an exciting journey. That we should always look forward, to the next new opportunity or adventure. A new chapter in our life can always provide the potential to help us to become our best and most authentic self.
Roberta would love to hear from you, so drop her a line at roberta@fabulousat50.com if you have any question or comments or if you would like Roberta to speak at an upcoming event