How to help your body and manage healthy weight over 40

By the time we hit our 40’s, we women really start to realize that the body seems to have a mind of it’s own.

We can no longer bake in the sun working for that golden tan without paying the steep price of leathered skin.

Gone are the days of noshing on an entire bag of chips and bouncing to the gym the next day to work it off easy-peasy.

The upside of this slippery slope is that we can begin to realize and REVERE the fact that this body has not only a mind of its own but a wisdom. An intelligence.

With hormones gone awry, metabolism halting with a seeming screech and a growing desire to be deeply connected and respectful of what our bodies are trying to tell us, many middle aged women are seeking holistic weight loss solution.

We don’t want the stimulant diet pills or the plans where we eat only pickles for weeks, lose a lot of weight only to gain it all back later. We don’t want to spend hours daily pumping iron and racing on the treadmill (okay, some of us love that! but many of us don’t, right?).

We are seeking a softer path. One that’s easier on the joints and meanders flexibly within our very full lives. We have teenagers, careers, community projects, meaningful hobbies, relationships to nurture.  We want to FEEL good in our bodies.

We want our eyes to shine and our skin to be clear with a glow from the inside that comes from leading a healthy, well-balanced life.

There are so many lifestyle changes that can be made in order to observe a holistic plan for wellness and weight loss. It all begins, though, with learning to “mind the body.”

Mindfulness is the practice of paying close attention without judging. Try it right now. Sit where you are. Look up from your computer or device and gaze around you. Try to just notice. Pay close attention to the objects and sounds in and around the room you’re in without labeling anything. Without analyzing. Without judging anything as good, bad, pretty, ugly. Just notice it.

Now, if we can apply this same process to our bodies…. with a healthy dose of deep reverence for the wisdom our bodies are just waiting to share with us…

If you eat something… say… a big hunk of bread… and you notice 10 minutes later your belly is really bloated… there might be some information to notice there.

If you notice your lips are cracked and dry no matter how much moisturizer you put on them… there is likely a message there to uncover.

Many times we need a health practitioner to help us figure out what messages our body is sending us. Sometimes we need supplementation of particular vitamins or minerals.  And sometimes if we listen, pay close enough attention without giving way to frustration with the messages (a.k.a. symptoms) we might just feel our way to a new direction.. maybe an answer.

If our bodies feel stiff and tight from sitting all day, some stretching and moving is in order. But how often do we continue to sit and sit and sit because we have a work deadline or we just ignore the body’s signals?

Same thing with weight loss for women.  Weight loss for women over 40, especially.  If we are carrying excess weight the body has some information for us. In order to release that excess weight we have to tune in to what the body needs first and foremost.

Holistic weight loss for women over 40 begins with a profound choice to slow down, tune in, breathe deeply and mind your body. Listen…. really listen. Look for the softer path…