Midlife Makeover

There’s No Louder Wake-Up Call Than Entering Middle Age But It’s A Great Time To Take Stock, Discovers Sophia Auld. Turns Out A Few Health And Lifestyle Changes Could Add Extra Years To Your Life

- Sophia Auld

Midlife gets a bad rap – it’s associated with words like ‘crisis’ and ‘spread’. There’s no doubt that middle age can bring challenges, such as a tendency to gain weight and more aches and pains. But what if the negative stereotype was turned upside-down, and midlife was seen as an opportunity to focus on improving your health?

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the average woman lives to age 83, so at 50, you have around 30 years left. This makes midlife an ideal time for a health makeover. “It’s a unique opportunity [to spend] 12 or 18 months working on building back up the reserves that you’ve left depleted for a long time,” says specialist sports physiotherapist Trish Wisbey-Roth.

Many women have put their health on hold while raising families and establishing careers, which often continues until they become physically or emotionally unwell, the Australian Physiotherapy Association member explains, and they often come to this crossroads in their forties or early fifties.

She adds that one of the biggest hurdles women face is menopause. Women’s bodies respond differently to menopause, but typical challenges include mood swings, decreased bone density, and a higher prevalence of pain in muscles and tendons.

“You can make a choice of living with those things and then gradually decreasing how much you do,” says Trish, or “make changes that support healthy ageing.

“A lot of women, including myself, don’t really want to admit that they’re getting older. The reality is that time moves on, but how time influences you is really up to you.”

Adding life to your years