Why you need to focus on HEALTH

Most often, my workout's just for the fun of it!

I’m probably not telling you anything new here, but here goes:

What you did ten years ago doesn’t work as well today.

The exercise plan you may have followed then just doesn’t do the trick. And the diet that used to knock off pounds without a great deal of pain or frustration no longer works—as well, anyway.

 But this is not really new phenomenon. With each passing decade, diets and exercise programs take longer to bear fruit.

Think about it. What you did at 25 probably didn’t work so well, or so quickly, at age 35. And what you did at 35 didn’t work so well, or so quickly, at age 45. And so on.

As you contemplate about the New Year ahead, keep in mind the need for change—and perhaps a new focus.

Go ahead and try what you did before, if it worked—made you feel better, fitter, more hopeful.

But if progress seems painfully slow, be prepared to make changes, or to investigate your current status.

Here’s what I recommend:

1.  Focus on improving your health.

Don’t be in a race to shed fat.

Focus first on adding health-promoting foods to your diet. They will not only boost your health in very specific ways (like helping to make your bones stronger and more flexible), but their presence on your plate will displace nutritionally-empty foods (like, for example, donuts, which may taste good but won’t do a darn positive thing for your bones or any other part of you).

Plus, by skimping on foods that can help build muscle and bone, you may just lose both! (Studies show that women in menopause who diet can lose bone faster than non-dieting menopausal women. So be careful about what you cut out of your diet!)

 2. Be accepting.

You may decide to explore what’s going on with your body now. Hormonal changes may explain, for instance, your energy dips and weight gain.

Roughly every six months, I get blood tests to see where I’m. I get my thyroid medication tweaked regularly. Tried natural hydrocortisone to boost my low-performing adrenal hormones. And I take bioidentical hormones to help boost my energy, mood and concentration.  

With all that, I have gone through months of regular, intense exercise and a sensible, healthy diet to see only very, very slow progress in terms of bodily improvements!

But there’s no point in going crazy. I have opted to relax into my new “me” and can only suggest you do the same! Try making friends with your new “you.”  

3.  Be patient.

Things (like getting in shape) just take longer now. But, good news, getting healthier and fitter starts happening right away!

You can celebrate every meal or snack where you eat something that benefits your mind and body. And you can feel good about every activity that enriches you, strengthens you and gives you greater endurance, power and optimism.

So, my advice? Focus on health and forget about the scale.

Focus on making yourself feel better. Eat well, sleep enough, be active and take care of your mind, heart and spirit.

The face you see in the mirror will be happier, and all the while, you’ll be getting healthier, too!