Gen X ladies, are you experiencing the quality of life you expected? Is your health preventing you from doing all the exciting things you expected at this time in your life?
After all the years of running after kids, working, and building your future, do you find yourself indulging more frequently in dinner out with your partner, a glass of wine before bed, and lazy weekends spent relaxing reading a good book?
Are you tired, rundown, and lacking energy and motivation?
I thought things were supposed to get better at this age.
Over the past eight years, I have;
- Gained 30 pounds
- Watched my cholesterol climb higher each year
- Lost endurance for physical activity
I met my husband 8 years ago, and as a frugal, single mom, I was not used to traveling and going out to eat much. He taught me it is ok to order the appetizers and have a few drinks with dinner. Due to health issues, he is also not physically active, but vacations by the shore, cruises, and days spent fishing and playing card games thrilled this weary soul.
The child-raising years were a whirlwind of the church, sports, dance, and numerous outdoor activities that kept us all going from morning to night. So when life slowed down, and the focus was on just my husband and me, I became complacent about my health.
Menopause does its part in sabotaging a woman’s health.
As a menopausal woman, these changes to my lifestyle compounded what nature was already hard at work doing. According to UW Medicine, it is common for women to add on extra pounds.
“About two years after your last period, in general, the rate of fat gain doubles and lean mass, or muscle mass, starts to decline. On average, women gain 5–8% of their baseline body weight during this time.”But the truth was, I was allowing my complacency to destroy my health.
I was allowing poor food choices, indulgences, and lack of exercise to rob me of my health. I let my guard down, and it became a way of life.
I began looking at how I was spending my days and the choices I was making. Sure I could blame my husband’s indulgent lifestyle, but that would be a cop-out. I can not control how he eats or what he does to his body, but I do control myself.
It was time to make some hard choices about my life.
It didn’t take me long to acknowledge what I already know about myself. I severely lack discipline and knew that if anything was going to change, I had to change myself.
By applying discipline to the following three areas of my life, I am regaining control over my health.
- What I eat directly correlates to my long-term health and how I feel in the short term. I am mindful of what I eat and make veggies, which provide nutrients and fiber to half of my plate.
- Indulgence is for special occasions, not just because it is the weekend. I limit my treats and question whether a cookie or glass of wine is worth the calories.
- Exercise is vital to my overall health. I feel better, and my stamina is returning. Exercise does not have to be hours at the gym. Walking is free and available anywhere, plus my dogs dig it too.
As a Gen X woman, I know time is of the essence.
The older we get, the more precious our time is, and we recognize our opportunities will end. We don’t know when, but it is much closer now that I am in my 50s.
If I don’t make the changes now, I know my quality of life will diminish. It already has just over the last few years.
But there is still time to reverse it.
Don’t let the passing of time steal anything else from you. You and only you have the power to make the necessary changes to your lifestyle to increase your health and live your best life.
—
This post was previously published on Crow’s Feet.
***
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
Compliments Men Want to Hear More Often 
Relationships Aren’t Easy, But They’re Worth It 
The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex 
..A Man’s Kiss Tells You Everything Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Log in if you wish to renew an existing subscription.
Username
First Name
Last Name
Password
Password Again
Choose your subscription level
- Yearly - $50.00 - 1 Year
- Monthly - $6.99 - 1 Month
Credit / Debit Card PayPal Choose Your Payment Method
Auto Renew
Subscribe to The Good Men Project Daily Newsletter By completing this registration form, you are also agreeing to our Terms of Service which can be found here.Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock
The post How the Mistakes I Made as a Gen X Woman Were Killing My Body appeared first on The Good Men Project.
Original Article
