When you hit the big 4-0, you know that there are some things that will be downhill from there while some will be hard as an upward climb. Things that should be the least of your concerns when you are over 40 are your kid’s future, your job, and retirement (provided that you have planned for it earlier). On the other hand, women over 40 are starting to feel the health effects of everything they have done on their 20s. Life’s a cycle: You have enjoyed the best of health when you were young; it seemed only okay to feel pain here and there. After all, we all know that old people are bound to get sick.
Stay On The Defense Line
But we feel this time should be different – and that you should too because it is you who is in the frontline. This generation of women who are in their 40s and over 40 is focused on a whole new dimension of healthcare: Prevention. Gone are the days when women only take action when they are already limited and paralyzed by their condition. Today, women are more proactive; they are staying in the defense line against age-related diseases and condition. Women over 40 take their health, and because of that they face and look at aging well and positively. They are saying, “Okay, now we can live longer and better than are mothers and grandmothers.”
Antioxidants and plant chemicals. We all know that a balanced diet and staying on our fitness routine are the keys to living healthy. But what women have today that our mothers didn’t have the privilege of knowing is the tons of research pointing to the role of plant chemicals and antioxidants in vegetables and fruits in our fight against aging. Antioxidants are powerful neutralizer that functions to stabilize free radicals in order to stop it from its track before it leads to premature aging and illness.
Items like milk, tofu, and soy top our lists of items when preparing a healthy dish. These so-called health foods are rich in phytoestrogens, a substance that shows so much promise in preventing menopausal hot flashes, osteoporosis, and the big C.
Lifelong exercise plan. Now there’s more reason why you just need to hit the gym, says epidemiology professor Andrea LaCroix, Ph.D. Research shows that people who commit themselves with lifelong exercise can add up as much as seven years to their lives, notes LaCroix. What’s more is that regular trips to the gym increase a person’s level of antioxidants in their body, which makes you stronger in your fight against free-radical damage.
See The Big M In A Whole New Light
Many women dread the big M. And I mean who wouldn’t? After all, isn’t all about the things that you’re going to hate when you reach the peak of womanhood: Hot flashes, dryness, irritation, among others. Today, women see menopause as a stage worth looking forward to, notes Dr. Vivian Pinn of National Institutes of Health. Today, women see it as a time of fulfillment, a period when they can celebrate their essence as a woman, and their worth as a person.
The liberation and freedom to discuss about the changes they experience with their bodies during menopause are gifts of the present. Back then, it’s a taboo, something they talk about behind closed doors. Today, women visit their doctors and ask for information about their body and what it is that they are going through, according to Dr. Ruth Fretts. So step forward and play an active role when discussing about your body and health. Own your body and take charge of it.
About Your Sex Life
One thing that women can look forward to when they reach the big 4-0 is sex. You may feel that you may not have the same level of energy, stamina, or gusto, if you will, but there is definitely more to sex than just speed and appetite. Aging well means having a holistic approach to life and all the things that make it worth living for you and the people you love.
And this includes a more satisfying and leisurely time you spend with your partner in bed. Gone are the days when you will go for more. Satisfaction doesn’t rely on the numbers and rounds that you can complete; sex is not a marathon. Women over 40 need not to dread about having less sex, instead, they are more focused on lingering and taking time, notes Sue Patton Thoele, author of The Courage to Be Yourself: A Woman’s Guide to Emotional Strength and Self-Esteem and Freedoms After 50 (see the complete list of her wonderful books in Sue Patton Theole’s website). And because women have a clear and better understanding of how our body works, it is easier for us to commit our bodies to things that give us pleasure.
It’s Your Turn To Be Happy
There are so many things to just look forward to as you age. You become less worried about what people say about you, you know have time for yourself and the things that make you happy, and most importantly you no longer struggle to know who you really are. In my years of research, I do believe that women over 40 believe that the future will be the best time of their lives, notes Mary Guindon, Ph.D. of Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey.
After years of looking after their kids, tending their homes, and being a mother, women over 40 find boundless opportunities to finally find happiness, development, and fulfillment for themselves. This is why most women go back to school, see their selves finally picking up that hobby they always look forward to doing, and step towards the process of rediscovering their talents. So bust that door of self doubt and go out. Do what you have been meaning to do for a long time because you know you are going to be enjoying a longer, healthier, and happier life.
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