Simplify your Beyond 40

Over the last few months, I seem to have bumped into several conversations with people over the age of 40 (call it the Universe conspiring or it’s just a revelation of my own age. Go figure)

People seem to be at the extremes of the mental and physical health spectrum.

On the one side, there are those who are in that frenzy due to FOMO– keto diets, contorted forms of yoga (yes, there is beer, dog, horse, bunny yoga), transcendental meditation, psychedelics, ultra-marathons because my neighbor is doing it, intermittent fasting, HIIT, large group classes with no focus on form or function, you name it…trying almost anything that can keep them feeling they are still on the better side of 40.

Better said here, fitness for some is the new mid-life crisis.

This lot also has a sub-set of those who are just not ready to accept ageing, playing the same sports they played when they were teenagers and worse still, in the same manner– inadequate warm ups, subsequent injuries, buying time with scotch on the rocks, before they can throw themselves in, yet again, to make the same mistakes.

And then on the other side, there are those who have slowly started to give up on themselves with each grey hair – blaming it on hormonal changes, hectic work schedules, high school children, ageing parents, genetics and more.

My sympathies are still with the first lot for at least trying.

To those who are over 40 – here is the first “land with the thud” moment – Look into the mirror and tell yourself “Baby, this ain’t gonna last forever”

Now with questions on immortality out of the way, lets land a second time with a thud. “It is not easy to simply drop dead”. There I said it.

You are most likely going to slowly progress into old age and eventual oblivion. Operative word being “slowly progress”

Worse still, (yes, this is hard reading) age is the most crafty animal of all, appearing unannounced and seamlessly weaving into your life, even before you found the time to blink your eyes- your blood tests, reading glasses, driving in the dark, tying your shoelaces, your choice on moving to Uber (you say it is to save the planet, but deep down you and I know), more sprains when you exercise incorrectly- your body is unforgiving, more aches when you wake up, inability to party late into the night,  insomnia otherwise, gastric/digestion issues, memory issues (yes, I always have been bad with names but am beginning to forget a few more things such as…never mind)

Hopefully I have your attention. This begets the question – How can I make it easier, so that I am not a pain and a nuisance for myself or others as I grow old.

First things first, YOU must PRIORITIZE your MENTAL and PHYSICAL health. There is no knight in shining armor that can save you and this includes your spouses and your immediate family and friends.

Being BUSY is a PRIORITY so if you haven’t found time for YOURSELF, it is YOUR choice so QUIT complaining.

Beyond 40 can be simplified.

Alertness: Maintain your alertness through simple day to day activities

– Take a couple of tennis balls to work and juggle them as you think through your next big strategy presentation.

– Play ball as often as you can with children

– Sudoku, Crossword Puzzles and yes, take part in that Trivia Quiz at the local pub. Curiosity is a simple way to stay alert.

– Work on projects at home

– Work with art, creative stuff

– Work with your hands

– Take time out to meditate or go into whatever you call your spiritual zone – a place where you can anchor yourself so that when life throws its curves at you, you are ready to catch it.

– Keep your phone away for at least an hour every day. Enough said.

Balance: Introduce yin and yang into your physical and mental way of living. Sarah Powers,  in her book Insight Yoga, puts it very beautifully. I quote “Creating a practice that encourages the opposite side of our nature is a direct way to increase our overall well-being as well as to help to expand our psychological maturity. We can still include the parts of the practice that we easily gravitate towards, but we do it with a renewed recognition that balance will elude us if we only address one side of our nature while excluding its complement”

In other words, if you are someone who loves fast-paced hectic strength workouts, introduce Qi Gong, Yin Yoga and if you are someone who loves Yoga Nidra and slow Tai Chi, time to introduce an action-packed ping pong game to liven it up.

The easiest way to find these activities is to simply observe things you seem to be avoiding. Yes, those maybe the ones.

All along, recognize that your body needs ample warning, before any changes are introduced. Warm ups and Cool downs are key beyond 40.

Alignment: Introduce exercises that allow you to consciously slow down and watch/further correct your body’s alignment.  We have a left and a right. We have two of most things. Most. I am personally a big proponent of Yoga (with bias) for this. It assists with the several mis-alignments we create over time whether it is our genetic history, physical activity history or injury history. Are you someone who cannot sit without support? Do you lift your left shoulder more than your right during strength training? Do you open a can with your right hand more easily than your left?

Remember, as we age, it is not just about losing weight or maintaining our dimensions. The bigger questions are – Should an injury/fall/accident occur, could the extent of the impact be reduced? And this in turn talks to our alertness, balance and alignment.

Agility/Mobility: Never stop doing. In some countries, it is easy to outsource and those pose the biggest dangers and risks to the beyond 40s. Keep walking, Johnny Walker.

Take any day of the week. Make a note of all the physical activities taking place at your home during the day. And then make a note of who does it. If it isn’t you, time for some serious re-think. And take my advice – move gender out of the way as you think through this. Mowing the lawn, cooking, cleaning, simply helping at your local community- never stop doing.

Orientation: This is a strange one but nevertheless important. Find ways to stay connected with the world and with nature in two dimensions and three dimensions. You would be surprised that with all that hype on automation, one of the first things we are beginning to lose is our instinct/gut and in many ways our orientation. Sedentary lifestyles, phones/PCs at short distances, indoor temperature-controlled environments affects our vision, our sense of balance and orientation.

-Use Waze/Googlemaps, but sparingly.

-Observe the sun rise

-Know your North

– Know your geography

– Feel your climate outside before you reach out for Accuweather to tell you whether it is cold or hot.

– Walk barefoot to ground yourself

Relationships: Last but not the least, ease into and out of your relationships. Don’t fret, don’t fuss. Don’t take them too seriously. Build, nurture and have loads of fun.

Laugh at yourself. After all, we are all mortal and have a finite time here together.

So keep it simple, stupid.

I’d love to hear more from you in terms of other ideas. Do leave your comments/inputs behind.