Living
Healthy Through the Decades of Life
Women's Health & Body Image Issues
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Women often
have a way of putting themselves last in the priorities
of life, especially when it comes to health and fitness. But,
if you think about it…it’s almost impossible to live, love and
nurture fully when YOU feel lousy. So, with that in mind, let’s
stop making excuses and let’s start making our health a top
priority. Romans 12:1 says to “Present
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
This is your spiritual act of worship.”
Can you imagine that
taking good care of your “temple” is actually a way to worship
God? Now, if you felt guilty before when you chose to take time
out of your busy schedule to get a little exercise or sleep
until you were fully rested, the Apostle Paul just kicked the
legs out from under that excuse!
Nevertheless, it’s tough
to do all the things we know are good for us on a regular basis.
Therefore, it makes sense to set some realistic priorities based
on your current season of life. While some of these “seasonal”
recommendations may not fit you to a “T”, I’m confident you
will find some good suggestions if you browse “forward or back”
in time. And, at the end of this article, there are some good
tips for all women from 18 to 80!
Tips
for 20's:
Health:
Now that you
are out of college or perhaps a full-time mom or career woman,
the twenty-something woman must figure out how to get consistent
activity into her life. You need to realize that no matter
what your weight or body size, you need daily activity
to stay lean, energetic and healthy for life. Now
is the perfect time to develop this habit since it may be in
this season that you decide to get pregnant for the first time.
Being your healthiest beforehand will create the best start
for your baby and ensure that your body bounces back
quickly!
Yes,
your life is busy. But, take the time to shop for lots of fruits,
veggies and quality snacks. Stop eating out of bags or boxes
so much. As with fitness, this is a great time to get the nutrition
“basics” down and learn early the frustration and dangers of
fad diets. Realize that nourishing your body well will pay off
in a big way later! And, make sure you take a good multi vitamin
with folic acid just in case a "planned" or "unplanned"
pregnancy occurs.
Body
Image: Learn
to block out the media hype early and seek relationships with
both girlfriends and boyfriends who don't have a
unrealistic expectations or attraction to the world's view of
beauty/looks. Spend as much time developing your gifts and talents
as you do fixing your hair, shopping and putting on make up.
Look for the qualities in others that you appreciate far above
their outward appearance.
Tips
for 30's:
Health: For many women
in their thirties, this may be the decade of sleep deprivation.
From multiple children to juggling home and work; life in this
season can be busier than ever. While you are still relatively
young and seem to be able to handle the stress and strain of
multiple demands, this is a good time of life to learn how to
say “No”, develop healthy lifestyle habits and learn the value
of taking good care of yourself in addition to everyone else
around you!
We
think our physical body is like a rubber ball that will just
keep bouncing back. But, if you keep neglecting it in this decade
you will realize prematurely that it is more like a glass ball
that may get nicked, cracked or even shatter if you “drop it”
from your priority list for too long.
Here
are a couple health tips for your decade:
1.
Try to get at least 20 minutes of daily aerobic exercise to
increase your energy and decrease your stress.
2.
Make your best effort to get 8 hours of sleep each night when
you can. Take short naps and relaxation breaks when you can’t
get sufficient sleep.
3.
Learn to eat for maximum energy and teach your family the same.
Even when life is crazy, a high energy, healthy body can help
you deal with the stress and strain of living on every level.
4.
Realize that hormonal challenges like PMS may intensify in this
decade. It’s not too early to learn how to balance your hormones.
Get a quality book on the subject or visit a local naturopathic
physician.
Body
Image: Stretch
marks, fine lines, a little extra “baby fat” may have you thinking…
“It’s all over for me physically, why even try?” While many
of our “battle scars” are something we must learn to live with,
we need to find a balance between obsessing over our flaws and
totally neglecting our outward appearance. This is the decade
to realize that we need to “do the right things for the right
reason” and trust God with the results! Spend time reading in
Psalm 139 and come to believe how “fearfully and wonderfully
made” you really are!
Tips
for 40's:
Health: This is not the “Age of Aquarius”, but rather the
age of “peri-menopause”. Don’t allow yourself to become a “hormone
hostage”. Re-evaluate your nutrition and fitness habits and
if you’ve “fallen off the wagon” or never established a healthy
lifestyle…NOW is the time. It is essential to realize that small
steps add up in a huge way over time and doing one little improvement
consistently can truly make an impact. If your energy is sagging,
follow my “Energy Tips for Women 18 -80” at the bottom of this
article.
Body
Image: Yes, what
was up is now starting down and what was firm is now starting
to sag. But, taking good care of yourself can slow the aging process dramatically. Nevertheless,
you will never look twenty again! Accept it and change your
perspective about beauty and embrace this “mature” season of
life.
Tips
for 50+ (the new 30):
Health:
This is the
“menopause” season and some of you will have more challenges
than others. Remember that YOU are the CEO of your health care
team so choose wisely. Don’t become a victim. Get educated,
take action and base your plan and accurate hormone testing.
I recommend saliva testing over blood for more accurate results.
If ever you needed to take care of yourself, it is in this decade.
You need sleep for excellent cellular regeneration, you need
lots of nutrient dense food and you need daily exercise
to stay energized, lean and to prevent osteoporosis. Supplementation
at this time of life is absolutely essential. And, make sure
you are getting daily doses of Omega 3 fatty acids. It will
impact many areas of your health including your brain and skin!
(See my “Brain/Beauty Connection” article on my website).
Body
Image: Hopefully by now you’ve begun to surrender to the
reality that God has put us in “perishing tents” and that life
truly is “more than the body” as Jesus tells us in the gospel
of Matthew. Those “character” lines stand for something and
you finally realize (or should) that you would never want to
be twenty or thirty again. The best years really are yet to
come!
FOR WOMEN FROM
18 to 80:
Lifestyle
Tips to Increase Your Energy
The
higher your energy, the less likely you will be to overeat and
the better you will feel. There are several important factors
that will energize you to the max. Each is important in its
own right, so make sure you don’t neglect any of these critical
factors:
1.
Eat to stabilize your blood sugar: Include a good source
of protein and fiber in most meals and snacks, especially at
breakfast and lunch. Shoot for at least 30 grams of fiber everyday.
Try to avoid highly processed or sugary foods until after lunch.
This will help you maintain a more stable blood sugar and that
will significantly diminish cravings.
2.
De-stress your life: Stress releases hormones
and sugar into your blood stream creating a vicious cycle of
fat storage and adrenaline rushes. When the excess sugar released
during stress goes unused, (since most of us aren’t being chased
by a wild animal) it ends up getting stored as fat. The answer:
Decrease your stress.
3.
Sleep until you are rested: Well-rested
people have higher mental, emotional and physical reserves.
The body regenerates at the cellular level only during deep,
quality sleep. Most people need a minimum of 71/2 hours per
night. Try it…you’ll be amazed at how well you’ll perform in
many areas of your life…including your lifestyle.
4.
Exercise for maximum energy: Don’t
wait to get up and get moving until you have enough energy to
exercise. Get moving purposely every day and you will
have more energy. You’ll feel better, more focused and have
better self-control. Get at least 10 minutes of purposeful activity
every morning before you jump in the shower. In seven
days, you will definitely feel a difference. The ideal is to
work toward at least 30 minutes of purposeful activity (a.k.a.
“exercise”) most days of the week.
STAY
LEAN FOR LIFE BY CHANGING YOUR THINKING!
Wouldn’t it be incredible if every pound
you lost stayed off forever? It’s easier than you think if you
make consistent lifestyle changes. (A lifestyle change is something
that you can truly do most days of your life without too much
effort or deprivation. Everything
else is just another diet! )
Do you really
believe you can get and stay lean for life? If you don’t…you
won’t! Get in tune with your self-talk. Discover your lies…and
replace them with truth! You believe what you tell yourself
most often. So, what do you believe? In the human mind, the
most dominant thought wins. If you tell yourself a new truth
long enough, your behavior will change. Make an audio tape with
the new messages you truly want to believe and play it a two
to three times each day. You’ll be amazed at what can and will
happen over time. Within a few months, your new self-talk could
reset your “automatic pilot” and lead you down a leaner lifestyle
path!
Get rid of your old diet mentality and
legalize all foods. If you can have any food you want,
any time you want it…then you
don’t need to have it all right now. Give yourself permission
to enjoy your favorite foods without feeling guilty. Chances
are your cravings will diminish and your will power will increase.
And, while you’re at it, get rid of your “all or nothing” attitude
as well. It’s not either a “diet day” or a “blow out day”. Every
time you think you’ve gone a little too far off the path…start
fresh right then and there. Don’t wait until the first day of
the week, the first day of the month or the first day of the
year. Restart again and again…right now…even if it is Wednesday
afternoon!
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