The cult of the youth industry

We’re in it together, even if we don’t realize it because it’s insidious. It’s the cult of the youth industry. That’s how they work – sneaky.

“Health and wellness” for women is code for the futile quest for the fountain of youth and weight loss. Like any industry, someone is cashing in on sleep, skin, diet, menopause, nutrition, all intended to get us to believe that we’ll look and feel younger if we buy, buy, buy.

No sleep tracker for me. I wake up numerous times every night (since I had kids. I slept great when I was young) – sudden wakefulness thinking of things I forgot to do or need to do, and I don’t need a tracker to tell me how badly I slept, which will only make me feel crappy. I function pretty well under the circumstances. I try teas, lotions, breathing exercises, which sometimes help, or sometimes don’t. I try to sneak a nap when I can.

I’m waaay past perimenopause so it’s not that, but whatever your age maybe you can relate.

Your age is just a number that shows how long you’ve been alive.

At this age (71) I’m not ancient, and you could accurately say that’s old, but I’m happy to tell people my age. I’m pretty sure I have at least 20 years of fun and some good living ahead, and I plan on staying strong to enjoy it. I’m so fortunate to be healthy, and despite a catalog of orthopedic issues, I feel good, and I think I look pretty ok “for my age”. I think of people in their 50s as young. (I got pissed when a woman recently said she’s “as old as dirt” and she’s only 55).

At my age I’m still learning how to say no and advocate for myself. This is important for ALL of us, going back to the subject of prioritizing. The Power of “no” is the topic of the last episode of my favorite podcast. Treat yourself to We Can Do Hard Things podcast.

Prioritize you. Ha.

It’s completely unrealistic to prioritize sleep 7-9 hours every night, exercise daily, meditate, journal, walk 30 minutes a day, exercise every day, do high intensity, long slow distance, go for hikes, prepare healthy meals for your family, focus on macros, count them but don’t obsess about calories, get more protein but not too much, eat more, eat less, do intermittent fasting, do breath work and mind-body…prioritize you. Ha.

Check out the topic of the challenge of prioritizing on a favorite Instagram (maybe yours too) Big Time Adulting. Keeping it real right there. Here’s her blog: Soul Snacks.

If you have a job, kids, relationships… every day, every hour, and every damn minute feels like a juggling act (it was the whole circus while I was raising 6 kids), so priorities have to keep shifting around. The ability to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving can be a tightrope act in itself.

Here’s what I do:

  • I don’t “exercise” every day, but I do something. I do what fits into my life and schedule but yours may be different.
  • I want to make sure that I get some heavy lifting in a couple or more times each week. Heavy means heavy, doing reps that are super hard. Maintaining muscle as we age is critical, which you know if you’ve read my other newsletters.
  • I like speedy walks that get me a bit breathless, and how I feel when I use my muscles to an effort level that feels challenging – when that one more rep or last few meters is very hard.
  • I feel great after rowing workouts, and bike rides with hills and intervals.
  • I don’t journal, I suck at meditating in the conventional way, but I get good thinking done when I’m walking.
  • I do some type of mobilization a few minutes here and there most days, slotted in when I feel like it.
  • I go to bed early because I know I’ll wake up during the night, and I like to get up early.
  • I like good food. I drink wine (and sometimes other alcoholic beverages), and I try to be conscious of how much.
Polli Thoughtbox jump
I do like to get up for sunrise!

 

Let me know if you’re good at prioritizing and saying no.

x

Polli

 

 

 

 

 

 

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