Many fear aging and societal perceptions on aging amplify those fears. But getting older can
liberate you in unexpected and exciting ways. For women, this liberation can be unique as hormones tend to be an instigator for change. With the right guidance and understanding, turning 40 and beyond can become the most empowering time of your life. Here’s some of what to expect in your 40s.
Hormones
As women, when we hit 40, our hormones can undergo changes. Cortisol, the stress hormone,
tends to go awry and stress resilience decreases. All the pressures you happily put up with or all
the emotions you suppressed can come surfacing like a crocodile to attack.
While this can feel terrible, it’s a gateway to coming home to yourself. For women over 40 doing things that we don’t like, that aren’t important, or even draining becomes an absolute no, no. The emotional issues that were buried in the dark also need care, healing, and attention. Therapy can be a great help with this.
Balance
Cortisol affects thyroid function, estrogen and progesterone balance and insulin levels. It’s
critical to get stressors under control. Sleep is also essential for hormone balance.
While exercise is great, it is better to do exercise that reduces cortisol levels like walking, swimming, yoga, and Pilates. The need for a high fiber diet, rich in fruits and vegetables is also essential to health. Other examples as getting therapy, doing meditation, and other self-care activities becomes profoundly important as well.
It is hormone imbalance, especially in cortisol levels as an instigator for the rest of the disharmony that can lead to sleep problems, menstruation issues, low libido, and weight gain.
Reading a good book like The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried can help you manage the balances so you come out stronger and healthier than ever before.
Skin and Bones
As we age, we need to take care of ourselves in new and deep ways. Skin care is another facet of health that we may want to invest in. Collagen and silica levels decline with age. These are responsible for the health and elasticity of our skin, hair, nails, and bones. Getting a good, hydrolyzed collagen supplement, made from grass fed bovine can help to increase collagen in the skin.
We recommend NativePath collagen. Silica and vitamin C play a big part in collagen production. These can be found in any good multivitamin supplement or in a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
My mother always says: life begins at 40. It can really mark a time when it becomes essential to care for yourself, nurture yourself, have good boundaries and make the most of your time.
Women are conditioned to care for others and please people. Our self-esteem often rests on how others perceive us and the needs of those around often end up ranking above our own needs. When we turn 40, however, this tends to shift.
We realize that the only way forward into the future comes from taking care of ourselves. A whole host of problems can come when we don’t heed this. Life after 40 for women means taking care of ourselves first.
