“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel”– Eleanor Brown
Last week, a friend called me saying, “I’m done!”
I asked her what she meant, and she said, “I have to get out of this rat race. I just left the doctor, and he said I’ve been operating on adrenaline and cortisol for years, and it’s taken a toll on my body and now I need surgery and six months of rehab!”
Women today are under so much pressure and are so busy caring for everyone around them that they often end up not making time for themselves. As a result, they get burned-out, stressed-out, and often find themselves with a health crisis.
I have experienced burn-out and health issues myself. What about you?
Take a moment to look at your life. Are you burning the candle at both ends?
What are you doing about self-care?
Self-care is so much more than simply taking a break. Self-care also includes diet, exercise, relaxation techniques, and rediscovering what makes you happy. When I think of self-care, I think of the safety speech the flight attendant gives prior to take-off. The attendant tells you that in case of an emergency, put your oxygen mask on first before helping others. THAT is self-care. You can’t be expected to care for others until you are healthy.
One of the first steps to self-care is eating well. Food is what fuels us, so it is very important to put healthy fuel in our bodies. However, many of our foods today are literally poisoning us, and as a result, more and more people are being diagnosed with autoimmune diseases like psoriasis, Hashimoto’s disease, arthritis, Chron’s disease, Leaky Gut, and more.
This is not your fault. According to the CDC, approximately 21 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into our environment by industries each year, and the average person is exposed to more than 700,000 toxic chemicals a day. Later in the year, we will address this topic in more detail. But we are not helpless. We can educate and protect ourselves to make smart choices for ourselves and our families.
Another part of self-care is exercise. I remember working out with my personal trainer several years ago before I had both of my knees replaced. He told me the most important thing we could do was to exercise and get strong before we are 70. By doing this, and continuing to exercise daily, we can take that good health into our 80s. This was supported by my interview with author, Chris Crowley, in his book, A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond.
Last year, I had foot surgery that left me unable to walk for two months, I lost 20 pounds, I had physical therapy, and for the first time in decades, I am actually able to run! It was rather startling to even try it. But now, I am planning to run in the Edinburgh Marathon in 2023 with my sister-in-law, Lynn, who has been running since her double-knee replacements almost 8 years ago!
Lynn’s 60th birthday is this fall, and she is actually excited, because she will be entering a new age group, which means the chances of winning an age group award are much higher than when competing with the younger runners. She ran the London Marathon in 2019 and will run the Chicago Marathon days after her 60th birthday, and we will both be headed to Scotland together in 2023!
The key is to just start where you are. I remember, signing up to walk my first 5K in Detroit. I had just recovered from my 2nd knee replacement, and the night before the race, I fell and broke my wrist in two places (I ended up getting surgery and a plate). Thank God Lynn was visiting, because I showed up and did the race — broken arm, bloody knees and all.
So regardless of where you are starting, you can have huge improvement not only in your life today, but after entering your 3rd act of 60 plus! This is why I am so thrilled to be interviewing our two amazing health and aging experts this month, Dr. Anna Cabeca and Ronnie Newman.
Dr. Anna is the bestselling author of The Hormone Fix and Keto-Green 16, and is triple-board certified and a fellow of gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She holds special certifications in functional medicine, sexual health, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
Professor Ronnie Newman is an award-winning Harvard-trained researcher and published author in mind/body medicine and peak performance. Her team’s pioneering research in the 1970s shattered the existing paradigm of inevitable mental decline with aging, demonstrating that lifestyle choices like meditation could reverse mental decline and increase length and quality of life. Ronnie has spoken at the UN, World Bank, NIH, and to companies including Visa and Facebook.
Honestly, these are two very Smart Women, so you do not want to miss the wisdom they will be sharing. I’ve taken Ronnie Newman’s Ageless Living course last year which was life-changing, and I have already ordered both of Dr. Anna’s books and have pre-ordered her new book, MenuPause, that will be released on April 12th!
Just like fine wine, I plan on getting better EVERY year! What about you? Yes?!!! Then come and join us on Smart Women Talk, available on-demand wherever you get your favorite podcasts, and at Smart Women TV!
Katana Abbott, CFP®, is a Midlife Millionaire® Coach, founder of the Smart Women Companies, and the host Smart Women Talk with over a million subscribers. For over 30 years, Katana has shown women how to take charge of their life and finances and believes it’s never too early to plan for expected and unexpected events like retirement, encore careers, moving abroad, or preparing for long-term care. She has written several books, created a financial literacy course, and is a popular speaker. Katana has been honored by NAWBO as one of Detroit’s Top 10 Business Women, receiving the Breakthrough Award. To download her new retirement guide, Three Smart Strategies for a Midlife Millionaire® Lifestyle. visit www.katanaabbott.com