Making Midlife Magical - My Journey to TheOptimal.me

I’ve been thinking about writing a blog for the past few months, and finally made the decision to dive in just over a month ago, little knowing when creating the schedule that in but a few short weeks, our world and our focus would have been turned on its head.

I’ve given quite some thought as to whether my first blog might seem frivolous in these times of self-distancing, self-isolation and sheltering in place; when our stress and anxiety levels are off the charts as we try to navigate our way through the current “new normal”. Every day we’re bombarded with confusing news, bad news, uncertainty. We all need to make time to self-nurture – to move, to cook, to read & be inspired, and to be kind, to our loved ones, colleagues, neighbours and community.  Great health in mid-life and beyond is now more important than ever.

So here goes!

We’re all living longer, and maintaining our independence is paramount – not only to be healthier and able to take care of ourselves in old age, but also to love our lives and truly thrive! I am an entrepreneur and single mother, fiercely independent, determined and curious. For the past twelve years, in order to cope with the load of raising my daughter, actively participating and being present in her life and keeping my clients happy, I’ve had to work towards being healthier and more energised – and that meant making a number of changes to my daily routine.

My search for wellness led me to simple, long-term solutions that for me made perfect sense – plus in hindsight, so logical! I’ve been able to incorporate them into my life and the result is not only better physical health, but a positive outlook on what lies ahead. I believe my story isn’t unique and my results are worth sharing with as many people as possible. TheOptimal.me is the result.

Like most of us, I was trying to do it all;  running my own business with endless deadlines and demanding clients while being a single parent trying to stay present, mindful and connected. I still wanted to find time to travel, spend quality time with my family and have fun with my friends. But the levels of stress I was dealing with on a daily basis, coupled with the hours sitting behind my computer and on the phone had a serious impact on my health. If that wasn’t bad enough, as I turned 40, I hit perimenopause and had to deal with those debilitating symptoms. It was almost the perfect storm. My body was screaming at me to make a change but I always found a hundred excuses not to listen and I just didn’t feel I had the time.

Things became quite overwhelming, and I realised the only way through it was to take things one step at a time.

I wanted a holistic approach to my wellness journey. As so often in life, in a moment of synchronicity, a functional practitioner helped me find alternate ways to deal with menopause and the associated health issues. Finding a doctor who, for the first time, explained things about my diet and health in a way that made sense to me was the perfect, positive combination. When I asked questions, the answers always made sense. When I put into practice the suggestions offered to me, I began to feel a change in my body and wellbeing.

Although a competitive swimmer in high school, for most of my adulthood I loathed exercise even though I knew it was essential. I tried everything to try and harness that addictive dopamine “high” that everyone talked about. Nothing worked. But I knew fitness had to be part of my plan, to help unknot the stress in my body, alleviate my insomnia, to help me focus and perk up my energy levels. Finally I found something akin to my holy grail.

A single functional movement class changed everything. As I followed the repetitive, gentle movements I started to feel a difference. By the end of the class I felt energised and even surprisingly happy and motivated to return. Integrated functional movement was my game-changer.

As mid-lifers, we don’t all need to be perfectly muscled and 100% fitness focused, but we can be healthy and feel well enough to continue to do the things we love – to participate in life and with our families, travel, work, feel energised and be mentally and physically independent for the many years ahead.  Finding solutions that don’t cost a fortune and aren’t only treating the symptoms has been a fascinating and enlightening journey. My own path and years of research, experimentation and collaboration with experts has allowed me to create a program uniquely suited to us in midlife and beyond. I hope that you can benefit from what I’ve learnt, so I created TheOptimal.me. I so look forward to sharing it with you.

Yours in great health,