I turn 40 in 4 days.
And while milestone birthdays seem to bring up a lot of 'shtuff' for a lot of people, I'm not bothered by it at all! I mean, maybe ask me next week? Haha.
But for real ... I think the reason is I don't see aging as a linear thing. I don't think we all put 365 days of mileage on our bodies every year. Some years its 1000 days-worth (IVF and new mama years come to mind there), but other years it might be negative 50 days' of mileage because we're taking great care of ourselves.
So yeah, I'm entering a new decade and it's kinda weird to think I'll never be 30-something again, but I get to be 40-something for the first time and that's pretty cool too -- like a new level is being unlocked for me.
So here are some random aging thoughts and things I figured I'd share with you in case you, too, are getting older. :-P
I recently went to a G.P. It's been a while(!) but I have been seeing other specialists at least in the meantime ... gyno, dermatologist for full body scans, naturopath and lab testing, and I check my own blood sugar and blood pressure often at home. I wanted to establish care and request a bunch of new lab work, so that was the main reason for the visit. He was going to order some labs, but not nearly as complete of a picture as I wanted so here is most of what I asked for (all I can think of off the top of my head):
CBC
CMP
Fasting insulin
Full thyroid panel (FULL ... I want the whole story and most thyroid testing doesn't cut it)
Inflammatory markers (like homocysteine, CRP, uric acid)
Full lipid panel (FULL ... same deal. I want the important stuff and most lipid testing doesn't include the most important stuff. I want particle information, ApoB, lp(a))
Vitamin D
Fasting insulin is the only result that's back so far and it was 4.2. The reference range says 2.2 to 24.9 is "normal" but that's BOGUS as I'd be all over a fasting insulin level above 8 or 10 and would even make some tweaks if it was above 6. An elevated fasting insulin level is an earlier sign of insulin resistance while blood sugar changes (like glucose tolerance test, fasting glucose, or HgBA1c) are late signs. I like early signs! Especially because this is an achilles heel of mine. I used to have PCOS, prediabetes and insulin resistance. It takes EFFORT to have a low fasting insulin level but it's that important to me because of the way it impacts body composition, mood, energy levels, sleep, all chronic disease, cognitive decline, hormones, aging, and pretty much ev-er-y-thing.
I'll be ordering some others like cortisol and complete hormone testing through InsideTracker. Stay tuned. I will be sharing a discount code you can use if I'm happy with my experience with them.
I will be getting a breast sonogram in the coming months. It'll be my second. I have a very significant history of breast cancer in my family (and still believe lifestyle matters most, but genes do play a roll of course). I have dense breasts and like the greater visibility of sonograms. Thermography will likely be in my future too, but only in conjunction with something else like a sono. Thermography results in many false positives so I like a multifaceted approach. You do you. I'm just sharing what I'm doing. ;-)
I have no real risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but it's something I'm still mindful of. I plan on getting a Cleerly Scan by age 45 to check for soft plaques. Calcium scores can be 0 even as soft plaques are building, so I'd like to get a baseline within a handful of years. If my ApoB or lp(a) are elevated, I'll likely bump that up. It's not covered by insurance and is pretty pricey. Important aside: I'm also always thinking about radiation exposure across a year's time or so and keep that in mind when I make decisions, understanding that sometimes emergencies and urgent situations arise which may require radiation-emitting diagnostics.
Besides uber-medical things ...
For skin health, I'm dry brushing, sweating often, utilizing cold exposure, facial cupping, moisturizing and purchased Frownies but have still not used them. Maybe it'll be a nice way to ease into my 40s in a few days ... by scaring my husband as I climb into bed with those things on my face. HAHA. I'm getting some unblocked sun each day, but avoiding burns with mid-day shade, hats, clothes, or mineral-based sunscreen. And recently I started adding glycine (an amino acid) supplements into my routine. As a vegetarian, I'm not getting nearly enough of it and it's needed for so many important things like glutathione (our master anti-oxidant) production. Collagen is pretty late on its list of importance so if I'm not taking in enough, collagen will breakdown even faster than it does just from getting older. Hence, the new supplement for me. If you're an omnivore, there's a pretty good chance you don't need this.
I have not done anything cosmetic like fillers or Botox and while I always reserve the right to change my mind, it's not something I see myself doing anytime soon. Again, personal preference. No judgment. We're all out here just trying to keep curating our lives and priorities.
When it comes to aging, I believe strongly that it's an inside-out situation. I prefer to focus on doing as little damage as I reasonably can to my cells (through nutrition, exercise, lifestyle choices), then reversing damage when possible (through sleep, sweating, having a 12+ hour overnight fast, etc.).
And I tend to believe any kind of "graceful aging" we look up to is 90% mindset. If we think it's normal to be unhealthy, cranky, and lackluster at a certain age, we might miss those as being red flags and think there's nothing that can be done. Am I "middle-aged" or am I just getting started? No one can determine that for me except for me!
I like to be playful, to learn, to laugh, travel, help others, hang with people I love, to try new hobbies and revisit old ones. Yet, those are the first things to get crossed off my list when I'm "too busy" and always have been. This decade, I plan to be more calculated about keeping those things on the list. If I have many, many more decades to go, it'll probably be because of THAT ... plus I'll appreciate the memories and my loved ones benefit from my vibe. If I'm not so lucky with time, that's how I want to live anyway. Win win.
If you're still reading, why? This was such a ramble! Haha. J/k j/k. I appreciate you sharing in my thoughts here today.
Coming to you next week from my 5th decade ;-) ...
XO,
Tara
P.S. All the things we work on in TRANSFORM: Body + Mind and in TRANSFORM: 1:1 coaching are the things I do for myself when I talk about "nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle choices". Boosting our metabolism, achieving body composition goals, optimizing health, and aging healthfully aren't separate things. They are the same and require the same kind of protocols. It's what I help guide you through and it's exactly the same as I do and work on for myself. ;-)