By Sandy Smith, Kick It Up Coaching, LLC

When we are young, we count the days and months to mark the passing of our time, hoping to show “how grown up we are”’.  In our adolescence and teens, we look forward to the validation of hitting 16 (getting a license!), then 18, and finally 21 and having all of the “rights” of an adult.  Perhaps even into our twenties we long to be taken seriously and look forward to our early 30’s, thinking we will have LIFE figured out.

But then something funny starts to happen (usually somewhere in our 30s or 40s).  Suddenly we don’t want to announce our age, and worry that we are getting “old”.  Often, clients will say they feel like they did in their teen years—filled with anxiety, uncertain how to deal with their changing bodies—and feeling like they somehow missed the boat and are running out of time.  Vacationing in Florida over Spring Break has highlighted for me the Truth that, as is the case with most of life, our ability to be happy lies not in the facts of the situation, but rather in the way we handle the situation.

“I wish the time hadn’t gone so fast, though.

And sometimes I wish I’d enjoyed it more on the way,

and worried about it less.”

― Neil Gaiman

So, if this sounds familiar to you, here are

10 ways to embrace your age.

1.  Get rid of emotional baggage.  Your life’s journey has involved a myriad of choices that have shaped who you are today.  Let go of second guessing those choices, believing that you made the best choice you could at that time in your life.  Be brave enough to ask for the help of friends or professionals if you need to work through some of this baggage before throwing it overboard and letting it continue to weigh you down.

2.  Stay Curious.  If life throws you a curveball, instead of focusing on the “can’t”, look for the “can”.   This concept of mental flexibility can be an important part of shifting our focus and allowing us to see the possibilities available.

3.  Eat a plant-based diet with healthy fat substitutions (Eat your vitamins).  You probably don’t need to give up meat, but it is a helpful to look for opportunities to add vegetables and fruit to our diet.  Additionally, cooking at home and using healthy fat substitutions will encourage better health without “dieting”.

4.  Exercise Regularly.  According to CNN, in a study on older adults, those who exercised functioned physiologically similar to younger people.  This can provide a wide variety of benefits, from lowering blood pressure, relieving stress, maintaining muscle mass, and decreased depression.

5.  Sleep!  An additional benefit to regular exercise is generally better sleep quality.  Studies vary on how much we actually need, but it is generally agreed that less than 6 ½ hours per night or more than 9 hours per night is less than ideal.  If you’re not sure, keep track of how long and how well you slept noting how rested you feel upon rising as well as the rest of the day.  Journaling a short time will enable you to notice patterns that will help you zero in on your personal target.

6.  Volunteer.  Stepping outside of ourselves as a volunteer can reap numerous benefits, including:

*Feeling better physically, mentally and emotionally.

*Managing and lowering stress levels.

*Feeling a deeper connection to others and their community.

*Additionally, a 2013 study found that volunteers were more informed health care consumers and take better care of their health.

7.  Enjoy your evolving style and stay abreast of trends (but be choosy).    By now you’ve developed a sense of your own style, and know that you don’t have to adopt the latest fads.  Pick and choose the trends that will accentuate your style, make you feel amazing, and let go of the rest.

8.  Challenge Yourself—(continue learning and growing).  Success in one area of life often translates to the ability to move forward in other areas.

9.  Promote your doctor to a member of your team.  Having a doctor you trust and who has known you over the years can be invaluable.  Building this relationship can create an atmosphere that fosters early diagnosis of any potential problems—which can make all the difference in treatment and outcome.  I can attest to this from personal experience, when my doctor of 20 years diagnosed an early-stage cancer.  This early diagnosis led to a surgical treatment with no chemotherapy or radiation needed.  Additionally, many doctors’ offices now focus on wellness, providing information on everything from weight loss, sports training, and supplementation needs.

10.  Cultivate friendships.  A strong social network is not only fun, but it provides a type of safety net and a reality check all in one.  Strong social networks have shown benefits tied to increased health and wellbeing as well as better recovery from illness or loss.

Would you like to expand your support network with other like-minded individuals?

Group coaching is affordable, convenient, and results-oriented, and allows you to do just that from the comfort of your own home with:

  • Weekly 45 minute phone calls,
  • A private Facebook page for the group,
  • And one-on-one coaching with either myself or Coach Stacey Portugal.

Do you have questions and want to speak with Sandy or Stacey?  No problem! We are here to help. Feel free to contact us with questions (or just say I’m in!!) at LifestyleMasterClass@gmail.com.

Be a Part of the Group with the LifeStyle MasterClass; Embrace Your Age!

To Your Good Health,

Sandy