No one will keep you healthy but you. You have to prioritize and habitualize what serves your long term interest. Every habit you uplevel is a gift to your future self. Love Her. Give Her a healthy and beautiful body to live in.
4 Keys to being your best in 2024
Hello Beautiful,
I am often asked which habits make the biggest difference in aging well. While there is no magic lever (it’s more of a large dashboard of levers to adjust skillfully over time), several habits have exponential value in increasing your vitality over the long run. Here are a few of the most essential habits:
#1 Getting a Lot of Greens
I aim for 36oz of green liquid per day. It’s usually 12oz of water/greens superfood powder first thing in the morning, then a midmorning ceremonial grade (ultra high anti-oxidant) matcha tea (Nekohama brand), and a mid afternoon green juice. I also average a small salad at lunch and a mixed vegetable soup or stir-fry at dinner.
Eating a lot of greens is key to aging slowly for several reasons.The Chlorophyll in green foods is a blood purifier. The minerals in the vegetables aid in optimal function of all organs and tissues. The alkalinity of the greens helps balance the body’s chemistry to reduce inflammation.
The fiber improves gut health and elimination. And the high water content of the vegetables gets hydration into the cells efficiently, which helps you *glow*.
#2 Quieting the Mind
Our thoughts are the main source of stress in our life. Not our circumstances, but our thoughts. Our mind is always telling us a story about our experience. Research shows that for the average person 80% of our thoughts are negative!
If we have 80% negative (frustrated, powerless, critical, and angry thoughts) thoughts, we are flooding our body with cortisol and other inflammatory chemicals. We are seeing the world through a lens that isn’t constructive. We may need to set boundaries, change circumstances, or alter relationship patterns to improve our life.
In order to do that, we need to see clearly what our options are and what changes we are responsible to make. If we are stuck in the same thought patterns, we will not be able to see our options. Learning to quiet the mind allows us to get out of our habituated perceptions and reactions.
We can then see more clearly, hear Divine guidance, and begin to reprogram our mind towards constructive thoughts, rather than a negativity bias. The fountain of youth is likely situated between your ears….it’s where change begins.
#3 Jumping and Agility Training
Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) is the first sign of aging. We especially tend to loose more Type 2 muscle fibers with each year in midlife and beyond. These fibers are responsible for acceleration and deceleration. When we jump, we access this explosive power and preserve these muscle fibers.
I do jump squats, lateral jumping exercises, and use my rebounder often. When we add a co-ordination component (aka Agility training) we engage our proprioception (knowing and controlling where we are in space), our co-ordination, and our ability to recover from being off balance and regain stability.
In combination, these skills will give us a solid foundation to reduce the risk of falls (and the associated risk of injury/hospitalization) as we age. They also build bone density and help us move with more assurance and grace.
#4 Jade Egg Pelvic Floor Training
Few people experience notable improvement to their pelvic floor with Kegel exercises. There are several reasons for this.
Firstly, it’s common for people to do them incorrectly, bearing down rather than drawing up with the contractions. Secondly, squeezing and releasing a muscle set is a very limited way to build strength anywhere in your body. Lastly, without adding weight and a tool to build proprioception (your accurate sense of muscle use and co-ordination), you won’t change any muscles in your body very much.
The use of the Jade Egg at first, is to build co-ordination of the muscles in the pelvic floor and build a baseline of strength. And then, we use the jade egg with weights added (to increase strength, build muscle, increase blood flow, and regenerate tissue).
If you want to do jumping and agility training, you may need to do this step first! All women should be able to run and jump without leaking urine, lubricate well from within (even at midlife and beyond), and avoid or rehabilitate pelvic organ prolapse. If you want instruction on this practice, please look into my course Sensuous Strength.
No one will keep you healthy but you. You have to prioritize and habitualize what serves your long term interest. Every habit you up level is a gift to your future self. Love Her. Give Her a healthy and beautiful body to live in.
Invest in your future body like you do in your retirement investment account. Creating wonderful habits builds “health capital” for your future. There is no time like the present to begin again or to take your health to the next level.
If you want support in your journey, try one of my courses or work with me personally. I would love to help you break through to the next level of awesome!
Cheering You On!
Rachel
ps. If you would like to work with me to help you reach your goals, get more information here: Click here for details