7 lessons I learned to kick the midlife ‘liver roll’ and ended up looking younger

When some or any of this linkage is out – the rest of it fails.    It’s the tripod!!  For example, the state of our mental health will affect our physical health and vice versa. So too will the state of our self esteem affect our external image and our external image will affect how we feel about ourselves.   And so, my 7 Key Tips are:

I know, I know – sugar ages us faster and creates disease, but man I love it.   My highlight at Sizzlers was always to have a couple of desserts and my long suffering husband would simply smile and roll his eyes!    It’s been written by many a cancer specialist that cancer cells thrive on sugar.   So my belief is – to stay cancer free and age well – don’t eat the stuff.   But let’s not be too radical here.   Cutting it out cold turkey is a tricky thing to do and I’ve no desire to go nuts or spend hours in the supermarket examining every label.   Stick to some basic whole food rules and we’ll be ok.

So that 6 pack of softdrink goes back on the shelf ok?   And that goes for the ‘sugar free’  crap too – don’t touch the stuff.

You know what I used to do???   I started my morning off with 2 jumbo flat white coffees.   Now jumbo size has at least 2 shots, sometimes 3 shots of coffee.   I justified it by saying it had no sugar, no syrup, no cream, sometimes it was on skim milk.    No good – couldn’t get away with it.   What was happening was the caffeine was shooting up my adrenaline, which shot up my blood sugar, which threw my insulin into resistance which laid fat down on my liver.    Hence my livery middle roll.  No matter how hard my PT slammed me.

You think I’m crazy?   I love my coffee.   I’m not going to be one of those do gooders who tell you, ‘ so I dropped the coffee, it was hard, but it was sooooo worth it’ !!   BS!!!

I love my coffee so I became a little more sensible with my consumption of it.    My daily intake no longer looks like 2 buckets, but maybe one or two normal sized cups with a normal sized shot.    It’s one of life’s pleasures.    I don’t need it to wake me up – THAT’S the key.    I love it as a morning ritual.    My husband makes my coffee most days and I love it.

IF you need your coffee to wake up, then we need to talk.

 

I DO know what it’s like to have an untoned middle section lovingly known as muffin top!  Not to mention carrying lots of extra kilos and felt generally unwell while carrying it.    I was an aerobics queen in the 80’s not because I loved the exercise and loved what it did for my body.   It was because we could wear those cutesy outfits.   Today I hate aerobics and anything that makes me puffed, so it took years to find the thing that I love.   It’s YOGA!   I love it.    But not everyone does – some people just can’t get their head around it.    But I found it’s a slow and deliberate mindful way to get the body I want and the calm mind to match.    I throw that yoga mat down on the floor, and an hour later I feel amazing.   But do what works for you!   If your thing is dance, or squash or marathon running – just do it.

3. Stretch –

So you’ve gone walking with a little jog, done some squats and lifted a few weights.  Good for you – be proud of yourself.   Don’t forget to stretch out those muscles that you’ve just worked.  It’s so easily forgotten. Why are you stiff and sore later in the day or even the next day after a workout?  It’s because you’ve not stretched enough or at all. This simple and enjoyable activity after exercising or even if you don’t exercise will help elongate muscles and improve flexibility.   Hours at the computer can be relieved with a good reach up and down to your ankles.    Best stretch???   Nothing beats a downward dog – it’s the body’s alignment tool.   It calibrates brain, body and muscles – feels amazing.   My 62 year old husband and former football player and avid walker has finally allowed me to teach him some gentle yoga like stretches.   OMG, you should see the pain on his face just coming into a forward fold or trying to touch his toes while seated – YOU DON’T WANT TO BE THAT WAY!!!  Make sure you stretch all the time.    The body loves and needs it.

4. Meditate and Visualise –

I can’t stress how incredible the effects of meditation and visualisation are!  What body and what level of health and fitness do you want? What do you want from life?

Meditate on it. Visualise it and believe it.

It’s powerful. It’s an amazing way to destress and change what you want to change in your life.    Here’s a testimonial from a beautiful friend of mine after one of our meditation classes.

“Anne, I’ve had a sore right arm extending from my spine.  After meditation, it was gone.  I really got the relationship between my pain and my thoughts.   Wanted to let you know the class was great.”   Gabrielle.

5. Detoxify –

The main organs of detoxification in the body are the lungs, bowel and skin. It’s well worth detoxing the body a couple of times a year and not with chemicals and tablets you buy over the counter. What’s the point of putting chemicals into the body that promise to send chemicals out?   Crazy thinking.   There is no detoxing program out there that will rid the body of all the lead, mercury and petrochemicals we carry.  It just won’t happen – however go to your organic store and stock up on greens and veges.   Vitamise mostly green with some fruit and get that bowel going.  (As opposed to juicing where you only get the sugar – make sure you vitamise and you get the pulp and the fibre.)  You’ll feel amazing – even if you do it over a weekend.   Otherwise talk to me about our fabulous liver support with the gut and bowel detoxifier.   It works and it’s brilliant.

6. Take Good Quality Vitamins –

I was the biggest skeptic when it came to this subject but the jury is in on vitamins.   When you’re over 50 – you need them.   Even though you’ll hear the debate about whether we need vitamins will forever go on, my personal opinion based on experience and medical facts are – take good quality vitamins. We hold toxins in our body, most of us don’t eat organic, we’re stressed out, we take over the counter drugs like panadol and antibiotics, we breath in car fumes, we work in air conditioning, we’re tired all the time and we absorb chemicals from the air and from food. In order to prevent the ageing affects of premature disease you need a good quality supplement.  There’s no argument!!   Some of the best for an antiageing affect are good quality omega 3 fats, grapeseed extract, coenzyme Q10 for skin and heart, Resveratrol (the fountain of youth in my opinion and no, that doesn’t mean I down a bottle of red every night) and a good quality probiotic for a healthy gut.   Click here  to learn more about the best vitamins on earth!     In my opinion, as I’ve aged, I’ve kept as healthy a diet as possible.   But I can swear to you, without my extra vitamins I’d be a mere shadow of myself.    I could not be without them.

7. Have a massage and a facial from time to time. 

At the very least 3 times a year. Massage is particularly beneficial for the ageing affects of stress. There’s something very therapeutic about the stimulation of the skin, the circulatory system and the lymph system. Whether you massage for reasons of sports injury, pain or deep relaxation, it’s proven to lift spirits, boost endorphin release, deeply moisturise dry skin and destress.   Trouble is, too many times we consider everyone else before ourself.    So just a few times a year – don’t ignore yourself, go do it.   And if a facial or massage is out of the question, go soak in a tub or take yourself off for a walk on the beach.   This time for you is precious and very important for self nurturing.

Remember – whatever is going on inside us is a true reflection of what’s happening on the outside and whatever the image being projected to the outside is a reflection of our health and self esteem on the inside.

Email me about my ‘ Healthy for Life’  8 Week Program.    As you put your health first and move toward an attitude of self care, it’s amazing how weightloss becomes a pleasant side effect.

I’ll post another 7 soon – believe me, there’s many tips I can share.   This subject is like the well with no bottom.   The deeper you go the more curious you become.