Pre-pandemic, the New York Times wrote about wellness for all of us midlifers and offers some interesting advice.  For example, they recommend creating a midlife mission statement which I think is brilliant.  In order to get started, they recommend asking yourself the following questions: 

• How do you want to be remembered?
• How do you want people to describe you?
• Who do you want to be?
• Who or what matters most to you?
• What are your deepest values?
• How would you define success in your life?
• What makes your life really worth living?

They also included a “7-Minute Workout for Real People” complete with a chart on what to do and how many reps.  It’s already pinned to my wall in my she-shed - now let’s hope I don’t just stare at it. 

Here are additional resources we found for midlifers:

Losing COVID Weight Gain

We’ve all heard of “covid cush” or “the quarantine fifteen” referring to a few too many visits to the fridge.  When it becomes a rare occasion when you choose to wear real pants with a zipper (not stretch fabric), no wonder we’re feeling a bit off our game.

As the New York Times covered recently, there are some excellent tools to get yourself back on a more normal routine.  Whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up if a bit of weight gain has happened in the last five months.  It’s normal but keep in mind that focusing on it does not help. As Christy Harrison, a nutritionist said, “Fearing weight gain and feeling bad about your body takes you away from what really matters and being able to participate in this cultural moment,” Ms. Harrison said.  And right now, many of us in midlife are looking more closely at what really matters.  So a few more LBs have shown up?  Meh.

Meditation

Meditation in midlife can be an effective way to release a ton of anxiety. Some believe it’s too “woo woo” but science backs up it’s benefits - especially during uncertain times. Some people recommend saying exactly what you want out loud. Having a meditation or calming routine in the morning has changed so many people’s lives.  One friend said it has made such a huge difference in her personality that her daughters can tell if she has not meditated that day. So here is A list of meditations and affirmations from Us Anderson, a well-known mystic to get started.

Research says there should be no screen time before bed because of the blue light that delays the release of sleep-inducing melatonin, increases alertness, and resets the body's internal clock (or circadian rhythm) to a later schedule.  However, watch this meditation an hour or two before you go to bed and you’ll never be the same. The scenery and music are lovely.

If you only want to listen to the music, here is their sleep playlist that I highly recommend before dozing off.  

Yoga + HIIT 

Yoga with Adriene is excellent and she’s had her YouTube channel since 2012.  Her goal is to connect as many people as possible through high quality free yoga videos.  All levels, bodies, genders are welcome.  If you happen to be new to yoga, check out her “Yoga for Beginners” and “Foundations of Yoga” series. If yoga is not your thing, you can find a variety of work out classes on the PopSugar Fitness channel on YouTube.  If I can try hip hop dancing, so can you.

Overall Midlife Advice

James & Claire are a husband and wife team from England and started a podcast in 2019 called “Midlife Mentors” and in addition to their lovely accents, they are humorous and tackle many of the things that concern midlifers and offer advice and solutions.  The first one is about health and happiness and it’s a great conversation about getting uncomfortable in order to gain confidence and move forward.  They encourage people to try new things - especially if boredom sets in.  They believe that is a sign that you’re not stretching yourself and taking risks.  

Another good resource is the Midlife Mentors collection called “Surviving Fear” from March 19th.  For the male midlifers and overall podcast advice, “Midlife Conversations with Jeff and Carlos” is funny.  They have some serious topics but most of the time it’s great to hear them laugh at each other.  Podcast #51 called, “Spring Cleaning for the Soul” talks about the mental health benefits of tidying up.

We hope you find these wellness resources helpful. Have an amazing weekend!

-Emily & Nick