Recently attended a Summit called the Shero Summit.  It was extremely inspiring.

I met a woman who did her first marathon at 61 and did her second at 63.  I am hoping to score an interview with her to find out her routine. (BTW I thought she was in her late 40’s or early 50’s.)

There were also more mature women who were entrepreneurs and building thriving businesses.

Self care  is an area that many women neglect either because we are taking care of everyone else or because we have taken ourselves off of the list.

We had a wonderful speaker named Laura Gisborne who shared strategies for self care with us.

I am pro aging and the only way people are going to thrive as they get older is to practice SELF CARE DAILY.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it.  This is why I teach LIFESTYLE transformation and not meal plans and exercise.

If your lifestyle isn’t right, then nothing will be right and it won’t last.

Here were her strategies for SELF CARE

Sleep

This is where it starts.  Sleep is critical for repair.  Too many Americans are not sleeping enough and wearing it as a badge of honor.  Not sleeping enough can lead to overeating, dependence on sugar, alcohol, and hormonal imbalances.

Aim for 7 hours per night

Exercise

This doesn’t mean a gym.  Get outside and walk for 30 minutes. The point is to Get up and MOVE.  You know all of the reasons to move and the oldest people I know who are thriving all credit exercise for their longevity.

Let Go

Be free to let go of people, places, and things that are distractions, not serving you, and taking you to the bottom of the basement.

You can’t save everyone and sometimes you’ve got to just Let Go.  There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to change someone else’s life for them so you’ve got to let it go.

Fuel

Garbage In = Garbage Out.  Eat REAL FOOD y’all.  Fuel your body with real food and high quality items. Don’t fill your tank with sugar…long term you will have the same results as a car with sugar in the gas tank.

Community

Nobody can do it alone.  Everyone needs a community to support them and to encourage them to do more with their lives.  Sometimes we need community to just know we aren’t alone.  I once watched a show with people who were in a senior community and lived to 90 plus.  They all credited the community with their longevity.

Ask for what you Need

If you need help, then ask for it.  If you need to say NO to certain projects or people, then do it.  If you need time away, then ask for it.  Ask for what you need in life.

Receive

Be willing to receive the help when you ask for it.

Ease and Grace

Some people are addicted to struggle and torture.  They want to be martyrs for pointless causes.  Learn to say no to the drama. Some people are stupid.  That’s just how it is and arguing with them isn’t going to make you feel any better…so give them grace and hopefully they learn to do better.

Give YOURSELF grace if you make a mistake.  It’s okay.  You’re not the first and certainly not the last.  Just think of it as: “Well I learned what NOT to do”.