Are Your Thoughts Making You Age Faster?
Aging is inevitable.
There is biological age vs chronological age.
How old are you on a cellular level vs. how many years you’ve lived?
When I built the Midlife Blueprint I created it with the three pillars I believe are important to thrive in midlife and beyond:
Meals - the food you eat is what your cells, tissues, and organs are made out of
Movement - your body is meant to move and be in motion
Mindset - your thoughts and beliefs around aging
The Dunedin study followed people from birth to 40 looking at their biological age vs their chronological age.
The study found that the first domino to fall is your mindset around aging. Your thoughts change your chemistry down to your cells.
If you have a negative perception of how you’re aging then you age biologically faster.
What I find is that throughout our lives women are not empowered to understand how to take care of their bodies. We’re told things like it’s normal not to feel well, your body is out of control and that decline is inevitable. We’re given a pill for every ill.
It’s no wonder that by midlife and menopause, women are left feeling hopeless and believing that it’s normal to not feel well. Our negative thoughts are aging us faster.
When I went through Hashimoto’s 10 years ago I was told there was nothing I could do, I would only get sicker, likely develop another autoimmune disorder like lupus, and require more medication as I aged.
I chose not to believe it. I chose to believe I could heal myself. I actively looked for answers and resources. I never gave up even when it felt like I’d never feel normal again. I no longer have Hashimoto’s and I feel the best I’ve felt in 20 years through meals, movement, and mindset.
I’d love to know what your thoughts are about aging. Are they causing you to age faster?
If you want to question your thoughts here are some questions I share in the Midlife Blueprint to check in with your thoughts on aging:
- Do you believe that as you age you can be in good health?
- Who have been your positive role models for aging? Parents? Grandparents? Aunts and uncles? Friends? What do you admire about their aging process?
- Who are women that you believe are living their best life in midlife and beyond? What qualities do you admire about them?
- What do you believe about menopause? If you’ve already finished menopause then what do you believe about your body as you age?
- Question the cultural narrative around beauty, aging, and menopause as a woman. Notice how women in midlife and beyond are portrayed in our culture. What are you consciously or unconsciously buying into? What can you filter out so that you choose the message you are receiving day to day?
