What is the top barrier to women in their midlife feeling as good as they can and as fit as possible?
No question: It’s stress!
Stress is everywhere and unavoidable. Yet we have the power and the tools to practice small habits to help us weather those stress storms and give months, maybe years, back to our lives. Chronic stress is a top cause illness and has reduces our longevity.
When we have stress – particularly unaddressed stress – we can be left with nothing at the end of the day. We can even feel like there is no room for practicing wellness strategies that we intuitively know will help us look and feel better AND live longer lives. But why is it we don’t want to face it?
It is hard!
Listen, we all make choices. Where we live, the jobs we choose, the families we have, the friends we share time with, the cars we drive, the homes we live in…I could go on. These are all choices.
Sometimes, we don’t want to contend with the big decisions. Sometimes, it is much easier to simply give into whatever choices we have made that make us even feel “stuck”.
I encourage you to consider where most of your stress is coming from…Is it something you can possibly address – bit by bit – day by day – understanding you will feel so much freer to take the wellness plunge?
For me, what I have practiced and researched extensively are the same tips I teach in our programs. Below are my top five.
- Get your sleep. Our ability to respond, not react, to stress is strengthened when we get our sleep. Our body has recovered from our day, it has built up the systems and strength to take on the nest. Without those two factors, it is simply not ready to take on stressors that are lingering – or worse yet – those we don’t anticipate.
- Reduce on technology – even a little bit. This is a slow process yet over time we all have the ability to shave some screen time. We can be more efficient with the time we must be connected and budget our time effectively. Screens stress the brain with the light, the content can be stressful and of course because we tend to be seated in a poor posture position.
- Stop comparing. We are a social species. It is 100% normal to compare. Yet, sadly when we compare we tend to determine the worst about ourselves and presume the best for others. Comparison by nature is stressful. We often compare where we feel our weakest to the strengths of others. This can lead to a drop in confidence and even resentment toward others. No good. Best to be aware and shave that part of our emotions to only those comparisons that will fuel us to be our best.
- Social media: #3 leads to #4. Social media can be quite a tool and helpful. It can also take us down a rabbit hole of comparison to others who likely were scripted, made up, dressed for that perfect reel. Social media is also rife with hype about how to feel good in midlife. Watch your sources. Do your own research. Then make decisions about your health,
- Strength train: There is nothing greater for me as a coach than to watch a member of our community perform a lift they haven’t mastered in the past (or accomplish a big new wellness goal). Even better, when they believed they’d “never” lift (fill in the blank). Strength training can make a low mood into a great one in minutes. Exercise boosts moods, immunity and hundreds of other benefits. Yet for purposes of stress relief, strength training brings out beautiful feel good hormones even in just five minutes!
- Fill your plate: Many women tend to undereat. This increases our stresshormone cortisol and can eventually lead to a slower metabolism. Our bodies may bestarved for food and we are depriving or denying it. Shun the societal practice of deprivation. EAT full meals.
The easiest way to see improvement in your health, especially when you are busy, is through small, incremental changes that turn into habits. That means you do not need to tackle all of five of these at once. Start with sleep (really, high-quality sleep is my favorite health hack) and improve your sleep habits there. Then two weeks later, identify a time of the day when you get sucked into your phone and replace it with a healthier habit (jumping jacks, reading a physical book, playing an instrument, learning a dance routine). And just keep going down this list, tackling better habits one at a time.
Get stronger in 2025 with the Adrien Cotton community! Start by scheduling your FREE consultation here.
