Some of these lessons we may quickly forget and therefore need to repeat. Others rock our worlds for as long as we can sustain the enthusiasm they generated. And others change life as we know it. There is simply no going back to the time when we didn't know what we now know.
This has been a year of big change for me. It started off with the blogging blitz that forced me to be accountable as a writer and prompted me to attend the Blogher conference that allowed me to run with the big blogs. This shifted my priorities to making time to write, which matters a great deal to me.
Then came the marriage proposal. At this point in life, many people have been married as long as they've been single. I've been single half a century. You understand how this requires a slight adjustment in my thinking? Sort of like teaching an old dog a new trick. But it can be done!
Next came B-school and the immersion into all things related to launching and sustaining an online presence and business. At the same time I attended a workshop at a neighboring college that helped me set up my physical office so I could be more physically active and engaged with students.
But probably the most life altering adventure I have undertaken this year began with an innocent inquiry into how I might feel better and have the energy to evolve at an ever increasing rate.
Surprisingly the answer lead me to something I had not really given a lot of consideration. I had to start with food.
I had spent a great deal of time, energy, and resources carefully selecting what I fed my mind on a regular basis but I had essentially ignored how I was feeding my body.
Having a career in the fitness/nutrition business, I was aware of the rules, I was just not interested in how they applied to me. If I could exercise my way out of of cupcake craze, I was fine. Besides, I had neither the time nor the incentive to plan meals for one.
But midlife had a way of making me realize I could no longer exercise my way out of carb or sugar induced brain fog followed by a hot flash followed by something else I couldn't remember or didn't want to experience. Having a partner to share meals with also required some forethought.
So I found a functional medicine practitioner who said the words that changed life as I knew it. No sugar. No wheat. No pasta. No kidding.
It's been three months since I've attempted this new way of eating. It's been one of the most difficult changes I've attempted to make. Every day, at least three times a day I have to choose the foods that fuel and nourish my body instead of satisfy my sugar or carb cravings. And let me just tell you, they can be very insistent.
It takes a great deal of planning and many trips to a grocery store to get it right. Like any adventure, there are as many mishaps as successes.
The good news is I feel better than I have in a long time. My system is running cleaner, my energy is consistent, my brain is working better, and I finally feel like I'm eating like an adult with all kinds of new colorful foods in my house.
This way of eating has revolutionized the way I approach life. Consequently, I will be writing extensively about it on this site because I believe midlife can be the best time of our lives if we feel good enough to make the most of it.
That means hormones, weight, emotions, relationships, finances, spiritual practices, life work, and creative pursuits have to be examined and aligned (note I did not say mastered!) in order to really get our groove back.
The types of stories I've normally posted here will now be moved to www.pennyplautz.com. If you'd rather read those, hop on over to www.pennyplautz.com and sign up now.
Midlife MacGyver will become more of an educational site where I'll post resources as well as personal experiences. I hope you'll be a part of both communities.
Thanks so much for reading. As always, share if you dare below. I'd love to know your tips and tricks for making the most of midlife.
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