Personal Growth Planet Blog

I’ve been reading an informative book called Outsmarting the Midlife Fat Cell by dietitian Debra Waterhouse. As I’ve hit my 40s, I’m starting to notice some signs of change in my body. This book has been a great resource to help me understand these changes, as well as ones to come.

What I appreciate about Waterhouse’s book is that she explains that, for women, meeting midlife weight gain with a food restriction-diet approach is only going to make things more difficult. It turns out that the ever-expanding fat cells in a woman’s body during the 10 or 20 years of perimenopause* actually help to ease women through this transitional time.

Lately, my shoulders have been very, very tight. My husband massages them and I hear the icky crunch of the tight muscle. I stretch them, use counter-pressure and remind myself to breathe.

And still my shoulders get tight. This affects my neck, arms and entire back– in unpleasant ways.

I am able to relax on the weekends and experience some loosening up, but especially after an extended period of time at work writing at my computer, the tightness ratchets back up leaving me uncomfortable and sometimes in pain.

Do you look at your life and wonder how you got to where you are today?

Maybe you are pretty much where you always believed you’d be– this might be mostly pleasing to you and it might not.

Or, perhaps you can’t quite figure out how you’ve come to this place which seems lacking in so many ways.

Your checkbook may be low or empty much of the time.
Your relationships might be contentious and/or lackluster.
Your health might be fragile and weak.
Your body size and shape might be unacceptable to you.
Moments of fun, enjoyment and leisure may occur rarely, if ever.

As Lou Reed sang, does it ever seem that in order to just get through the days of your life, you need an immense– busload– amount of faith?

Life sometimes knocks us around. We can become worried, afraid and despairing about the conditions of our bodies, our lives and those close to us.

In times like these, just about everyone wants assurance that it’s all going to work out for the best.

Who doesn’t want to believe that everything will be fine?

This sense of hopefulness and wishing it will all work out is where faith comes in.

Welcome to the new location for the Personal Growth Planet blog. Come here for weekly posts filled with helpful, informative and inspiring ideas for your self improvement, wellness and expansion.

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