5 Ways To Drastically Transform Your Life After Turning 40!
“If you want to transform your life you need to start with a strong foundation…by building a strong body & a sharp mind”.
Do you find yourself daydreaming about big goals & life changes, but find yourself lacking in the action department?
Well, then this message is for you. You would probably agree that when you were in your twenties or even thirties you seemed to have endless energy, you could run on fumes and you had great ideas streaming out of you all the time.
However, once you hit 40 things changed!
Your body changed from either age or motherhood. You may have fallen out of shape, gained weight or spent more time caring for others than your own self-care.
You took on marriage and parenting responsibilities, that often challenged you and left you tired & overwhelmed.
You may have left the workforce to take care of your children or continued at a job that did not deliver satisfaction, just to pay the bills and keep up the life you created for yourself.
You now find yourself in another life transition (i.e. career change or starting over from scratch now that your kids are grown or are more independent) and you are no longer in peak condition to level up to where you dream your self being.
You want to live your purpose, your passion and find meaning in what you do.
You want to escape the rat race and create something of your own be it your dream life, your dream body or your dream job.
Whatever it is you cannot achieve this if you are feeling defeated in any way. You need to transform yourself and your life but you are too overwhelmed to know where to even start.
How do you expect to achieve great things when you are running on empty or at a reduced pace? If you want to achieve great things then you NEED to be in peak condition. It is as simple as that and it is all common sense that we just seem to have ignored.
We all know that eating healthy and working out will make us feel great. We know that if we get 4 hours of sleep and try to go to work we will crash at some point during day and be less effective. We know that kids in school take breaks to go outdoors for recess and then go back in to study with fresh minds, feeling renewed and with invigorated focus. We know that laughter is the best medicine and we know how much joy it brings us to spend time with loved ones and friends.
So why do we continue to live stuck in our ways?
If you want to level up in life and have real transformation then you need to TAKE ACTION. You can start with small meaningful changes that over time will build up to massive transformation in your life.
These changes will leave you feeling energetic and alive, allowing you to finally achieve the great things you have dreamed of for your life.
If you take care of your body and mind they will perform for you at great lengths.
Aim for building a smooth running, strong and powerful machine that will get you through any challenges you may face.
In the beginning stages of your life transformation journey there will be some key areas to focus on first to get yourself in optimum condition to be able to commit to and achieve your larger goals.
**Look at the list below and rank where you need the most work and the areas that you may already have under control. *
Start working on the areas that are negatively affecting you the most now, that will give you the biggest reward down the road (i.e. if you have low energy, then work on getting enough quality sleep first so you have the energy to continue working on your goals every day).
Here is the list of the five simplest and I believe most effective ways to get you on track for huge transformation:
1. Sleep
Do not underestimate the impact that a lack of sleep has on you. You may have spent the last 5-10 years sleep deprived taking care of kids or babies, or were able to work with only 5 hours of sleep in your twenties, but the lack of sleep and your age have or will catch up with you.
Getting better sleep is probably the easiest improvement you can make when it comes to improving your energy and focus levels.
Just get 8 hours of sleep! It is as simple as that.
To cement this routine it helps to create a sleep ritual such as going to bed by 10pm and getting up at 6 am. On the weekends try not to stray too far off your schedule, but allow yourself some slack to stay awake a little later or sleep in an hour or so, just don’t overdo it and throw yourself off for Monday.
Tip: If you struggle with being able to fall asleep at a decent time then just wake up earlier consistently until your body adapts to the wake up time and you start to get tired earlier in the evening. It may be a process for some of you. Just remember that it is easier to set an alarm to wake up than it is to force yourself to try and fall asleep when your mind is running.
If you do struggle, you can also try the usual suggestions like creating a dark cool room, kicking the kids out of your bed, have some intimate time with your spouse, add white noise, have a no tech in the bedroom rule or try reading before bed. Do whatever works for you.
2. Fitness
If your body is sore, tired and out of shape how do you expect it to keep up with your dreams?
Do you want to live your dream life feeling out of shape, over weight or unhealthy?
Fix it now by building endurance, strength and by gaining mental clarity. It will give you power back that you can then transfer to achieving other goals.
If you experience body pain, chronic illness or fatigue improve your fitness to improve your quality of life. I know it sounds simple and too good to be true, but it works.
If you commit to daily workouts that fit your life you will start to see improvement within a week or two, you really will.
It doesn’t have to be anything crazy just 30 minutes of a low impact routine, weight training, swimming laps, or an online cardio class.
Commit to whatever works for you and don’t be afraid to try out a few different things until you find what you enjoy and gives you the best results. Once you have found what works…stick with it. Miss a day? That’s fine, jump back in tomorrow. Not wearing workout gear? So what…work out in your jeans or jammies. Kids running around you in circles? Get them to join you, they will love it and you will get your time in.
Just do your best in that moment. It is an accumulation of your work that will make a difference here and it is also a great skill building tool for habits and commitment as well.
Read this article to learn how I began to transform my fitness & health in my 40’s. My Fitness & Health Journey: From Chronic Pain To A Strong Body
Tip: Programs such as the 21 Day Fix make the process so much easier for you. If you have easy access to a t.v. or laptop you just log in and GO. The program is already set up for you, just hit play. 21 days is also a great period of time to build a new habit, which is a key skill to work on to transform your life. When you are done the program you will have a new confidence in your abilities to commit and succeed, as well as physically feeling terrific.
3. Nutrition
When you were in your younger years, not that long ago, you could eat what you wanted, when you wanted and in ridiculous quantities. Chocolate bar for breakfast anyone? Ok, maybe it was just me, but what we ate didn’t seem to have that much affect on our bodies at all.
Then we woke up one day in our mid to late thirties and started to feel bloating after meals, heart burn, brain fog and chronic fatigue. You may have become aware that certain foods caused you gut pain, were loaded with harmful ingredients and made you pack on unwanted weight.
Some of you made some changes and some of us were slow to get things right with our nutrition.
We live in a world full of convenience food, tasty but unhealthy additives and marketing to draw us to the not so healthy, even toxic food options out there. We need to learn to eat to fuel our body, while enjoying the luxury of the flavours and cuisines available to us.
Make an effort to learn what your food does for your body, the good and the bad.
Try keeping a journal of what you eat and how you feel afterwards. Look for patterns, and remember not all healthy foods may work for you; some may have an intolerable effect on you (i.e. wheat/garlic).
A great book to read is Eat to Beat Disease by Dr. William Li. There is a list of over 200 foods to add to your diet for optimum health. Here is a related article to learn more about the book. Book Review: Eat to Beat Disease.
Once you determine what changes you need to make start small at each meal.
Add more veggies to your plate at dinner, or a veggie & fruit smoothie during the day.
Also be realistic and allow for treats, but be mindful of quantity and frequency and make the decision knowing the mental and physical effects it may have on you later that day or the next.
If you want to allow for dessert read the book Glucose Revolution. It’s about glucose spikes and if you can balance them you can still eat the cake!
Always be mindful of how your food makes you feel. If you feel bad avoid it and if you feel good eat more of it.
Tip: Try new foods to spice things up, grow your own garden to pick fresh from, pick your own fruits & veggies at a local farm, go to local farmers markets and explore, take a cooking class or even try online recipes that look appealing to you.
Remember the old saying…you are what you eat! So in a world full of Big Mac’s be a broccoli! Ha! Ha!
4. Mental health
You will spend a lot of time working on your physical health during your life transformation with your sleep routine, fitness goals and healthy eating, but PLEASE do not forget about your mental health!
All the discipline in the world can be halted with a defeated state of mind.
This area may also be one of the most enjoyable aspects of transforming yourself.
It allows you to take time for yourself and the things you enjoy. It gives you a break in the day that may be needed to finish strong.
Keep in mind that building strong mental health can look different for each of us, but here are a few of the most common ways:
Reading
There are so many great benefits that come with reading that I cannot list them all, so here are just a few: it allows for quite time, a moment to be alone in your own thoughts, an escape to a new world, increased self-development & knowledge and it just keeps your mind sharp. Read daily and read what you enjoy!
Journaling
Along with reading there is something magical that happens when you write your thoughts down. You get to: unload all that is pent up inside you, experience creative bursts, practice articulating your thoughts to convey to others and have a moment alone to think, write & reflect on your inner thoughts. It really is a helpful tool that can be used in so many ways during your journey.
Have a Reset Day
Reflect on your goals, what is working so far, what needs more of your attention and what you are grateful for. You can journal it or just sit & ponder. Take a break from your hectic schedule and get back to being productive and not overwhelmed. Read: The Power of a RESET DAY to help you eliminate distractions and Achieve Your Goals!.
Meditation & Prayer
There is nothing more calming than sitting and truly being thankful for what you have, how far you have come and the journey that you are on. Pay thanks in prayer and be quite & still for more direction.
Socializing
We are all social creatures by nature. Some of us enjoy large gatherings of people to help boost our energy and some of us enjoy a more intimate environment with a few close relatives or friends. Whatever brings you a sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself be sure to participate in it every now and then. We are no longer in our twenties and spending every waking moment with our girlfriends bouncing energy off of each other, but we can gain the same sense of enjoyment with our children, spouse or neighbors. So don’t be a stranger!
Hobbies
Here is your creative outlet. Do something that is hands-on like: creating a craft, building a model or expressing yourself through art or music. Your hobby can be gardening, dancing or photography. Let your hobbies be reminders that life isn’t all work, but also full of play.
The takeaway here is to do stuff that makes you happy, allow your mind to have a rest and renew your zest for life.
Just pick one or all if that is what works for you and make sure to fit mental health breaks into your day. Make the time! You have it!
Tip: Try meditation in the morning before the day starts to have a clear fresh beginning or journaling in the evening to reset & dump all your thoughts before bed.
5. The Great Outdoors
Vitamin D, warm sunshine and fresh air are all ingredients to transform the way you are feeling and thinking.
Absorb the therapeutic benefits of nature and recharge yourself.
There are so many activities outdoors that you can engage in such as: exploring & learning about your community, going to the beach, playing at the park, going for a bike ride and even going camping.
Break the cycle of boredom & monotony in your day and go for a walk with your family. Get inspired & motivated by the beauty and sounds on a nature hike or just sit on your front porch & soak it all in.
Tip: Just get outside. Once out there you will feel better, stay out longer and enjoy it. You will feel invigorated. You will be ready to take on your next challenge.
Now that you have prepared a strong foundation by taking care of yourself first, you are ready to run fully at your dream life and accomplish great things.
Make a promise today to the future you that you will achieve your goals and live a life that allows you to enjoy your success.
You can do it!
Start today.
I believe in you…
Thanks for reading and please comment below on any success or tips you may have.