Midlife Fitness and Longevity: Caring for the Only Body You Have

Episode 2 - Physical Wellness

[00:00:00] Peggie Kirkland: 

Hi, my beautiful midlife omen and my empty nesters who are rediscovering what it feels like to have time that belongs to you. Again, welcome back to our Women's History Month mini series, seven episodes, seven Pillars with you at the center of it all. Last week, we laid the foundation with mental wellness.

[00:00:26] And I asked you where you've been normalizing suffering from the outside. You present as the competent at-large, and in-charge of women full of self-confidence who could make anything right. Meanwhile, you sit and cry in the car before walking into the house.

[00:00:45] Then you walk in with a smile. Running on empty has started to feel normal because you've learned to normalize suffering. I invited you to think about what it would look like to truly love [00:01:00] yourself the way you love the most important people in your life. 

[00:01:05] I hope you sat with that, and I hope you wrote something down in your journal that can help you to move forward this week. We're moving into the second pillar, physical wellness. The World Health Organization recommends that adults get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening exercises at least two days a week. That sounds like a lot until you break it down. 30 minutes of brisk walking five days a week. That's it. That's the baseline. The truth is that poor health doesn't always show up like an emergency. Sometimes it shows up gradually. You [00:02:00] stop going places because you're too tired.

[00:02:03] You stop doing things because your joints ache. You stop trusting your body because it keeps surprising you in ways that feel like betrayal. And before you know it, you are watching your life happen instead of living it.

[00:02:19] Let me ask you this. Are you participating in your life or are you observing it from the sidelines?

[00:02:26] Imagine every important moment for the rest of your life. Your child's graduation from college, taking spontaneous trips with friends, dancing at your child's wedding,

[00:02:40] chasing your grandchild through the park. 

[00:02:43] Imagine watching all these events from the stands, like a spectator at a championship basketball game, and all because you didn't give your body the maintenance it needed. This is a good time to ask yourself, what is my body [00:03:00] still capable of and how can I maintain and strengthen those capabilities?

[00:03:07] And for midlife women. Specifically women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and the hormonal shifts that come with this time of life, the stakes are even higher because the drop in estrogen during menopause directly accelerates bone density loss, increases cardiovascular risk, and contributes to the muscle loss that makes everyday movement harder over time.

[00:03:35] The gradual loss of muscle mass that begins in our thirties accelerates significantly after 50 if we don't actively work against it.

[00:03:47] But here's some good news for you. You don't need a gym membership or a personal trainer. Or two hours a day of intense physical activity to reverse this [00:04:00] trajectory.

[00:04:01] Even modest consistent movement started at any age significantly improves strength, balance, mood, cognitive function, and longevity.

[00:04:14] Research shows that a brisk 30-minute walk, five days a week, can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and depression. And that's a great starting point. For most of our lives, we've been taught to think of our bodies as machines.

[00:04:34] We drive them hard, we run them on fumes, and when something breaks, we take it in for repairs. And then you get back on the road and do it all over again. What would happen if you reverse that thinking and instead of thinking of your body as a machine, you thought about it as a home, your home, a place to treat with love and [00:05:00] respect.

[00:05:01] You don't wait until the roof is caving in to do maintenance. You paint the walls before they peel. You fix the small leak before it becomes a flood. You tend to it because it deserves care. 

[00:05:16] Your body is the only home you will ever live in, from the first day to the last, and women's history month is the perfect time to ask yourself, have I been maintaining this home, or have I just been making emergency repairs? I heard a story about an older couple. That I think is worth sharing.

[00:05:41] During the COVID Pandemic, this couple, Dennis and Linda, dressed up three times a week and went to the only restaurant they could find that was open. They ordered meals that were brought to their car. They played music from the roof of their vehicle and [00:06:00] danced in a parking lot like life was still worth celebrating.

[00:06:06] The irony of this story is that Linda had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer, and Dennis had a serious heart condition.

[00:06:18] 

[00:06:18] Speaker: Are you going to wait for a terminal diagnosis to start living, or are you going to set an intention for yourself to get physically healthy now

[00:06:28] and you don't have to feel overwhelmed about it? In fact, I'll share some simple, doable things. You can start with

[00:06:38] first. Pick three movement days and put them on your calendar like appointments. Treat them the way you treat everyone else's commitments because your health is a commitment too.

[00:06:54] 

[00:06:55] Speaker: Then choose movement. That feels like something sustainable. [00:07:00] You're not trying to punish yourself. It could be walking, dancing in your kitchen chair, yoga, swimming.

[00:07:10] Start where you are, not where you think you should be.

[00:07:14] Next, add strength training twice a week. Even small doses. Do wall pushups, lift light hand weights, or water bottles. Use resistance bands. Do body weight squats while the coffee brews. 

[00:07:33] Why is this important? Muscle strength protects your bones, improves your balance, and makes every physical task easier. Next, pay attention to what you're eating. You cannot out-exercise a poor diet.

[00:07:52] The Mayo Clinic's guidance here is simple. Eat a variety of wholesome foods, mostly [00:08:00] plants in portions that serve your energy rather than your stress. And if eating a healthy and balanced diet feels intimidating. Hire a registered dietician who can help guide you. Finally, schedule the medical appointment you've been putting off for a physical, a mammogram, a bone density scan, your blood work, whatever your doctor has recommended.

[00:08:31] Remember what we said in episode one. March is not just Women's History Month. March is your personal history month. You have a life to live, people to love, places to go, and things to do that only you can do properly. Your body is the vehicle that will take you there. 

[00:08:57] So grab your journal, electronic or in [00:09:00] book form, or queue up your voice memo app for today's challenge question. I want you to write this down.

[00:09:08] What is one thing my body has been asking for that I have been ignoring? And then complete this sentence in your journal. This month, I'm making myself a priority by giving my body blank because I live here and this home deserves care. Maybe in that blank, you write 30 minutes of walking three times a week, or the doctor's appointment I've been avoiding for two years, or simply more rest without guilt.

[00:09:47] Then I'd like you to reinforce everything we've talked about today with this affirmation, and I want you to say it like you mean it, say it out loud three times [00:10:00] to reinforce the meaning. My body is my home, and I tend to it with love. My body is my home, and I tend to it with love.

[00:10:14] My body is my home, and I tend to it with love. In the next episode, we are moving into social wellness. Let me tell you right now, this one might surprise you. Because connection is not optional for women in midlife. It is not a nice-to-have. In fact, research now shows that loneliness is as damaging to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

[00:10:49] Let me say that again.

[00:10:51] Research now shows that loneliness is as damaging to your health as smoking [00:11:00] 15 cigarettes a day, 15 cigarettes. Let that sit with you. So in our next episode, we'll be talking about who is in your corner and who should be in your corner. And how to build the kind of relationships that actually sustain you in this season.

[00:11:21] That's it for now. My midlifers and empty nesters.

[00:11:25] If this episode moved you literally or figuratively, please share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it.

[00:11:34] Rate and review the show on Apple Podcast or wherever you're listening. Every review helps another woman find her way here.

[00:11:44] Until next time, this is PK sending you much light and a whole lot of love.[00:12:00]