LLN Episode #52: Lynne Wadsworth -- How to Actually Ditch the Vanity of Aging in the Midlife Years

About Lynne Wadsworth: Lynne Wadsworth is the owner and founder of Holistic Health & Wellness, LLC and curator of the Energized Healthy Women's Club. She is an AADP Certified Holistic Health and Wellness Practitioner and Certified Wellness Cooking Instructor. She earned her certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York. Lynne's area of expertise involves working with women who are in midlife who are tired of the changes they see and experience on a daily basis. She helps them achieve a higher level of health, allowing them to experience more energy, less belly bloat, fewer mood swings, headaches, sugar cravings, and weight loss. She believes that living in health and wellness takes in many areas of our lives, not just with diet and healthy eating. She helps her clients make permanent changes Her passion and desire are to help women their mojo back again, lose weight, and feel healthy, energized, and rejuvenated. Life is not over just because you have reached midlife. In fact, it can be fun, joyful, and fulfilling. She firmly believes life CAN BEGIN at 40. What We Discuss In This Episode: Do you find yourself picking on that poor woman you see time and again in the mirror? Do you look at yourself and think, oh, if I only I didn't have these wrinkles, and if only my stomach wasn't so big. You know the drill. We often don't have a kind word to say about ourselves. So why are we so hard on ourselves? True beauty emanates from the inside out, yet, when you look in the mirror, you see grey hair, dropping or baggy eyes, thin lip lines, and drooping jowls. You see every wrinkle, every dark spot, and every scar. You only see your looks. You don't see your beauty. I'd love to help you change that. It's truly a privilege to age. Many years ago, people didn't live to the ripe old age we do now. The new 60 is the old 40 you know. So now, with a longer life span, our focus really has to be focusing on the inside out. I'm definitely blessed with good skin though – and actually, until I was in my 30s I didn't even use moisturizer. As I've aged, I make sure I treat my face well and wash it, tone it, use eye cream and moisturizer. Now I do like to use one that is natural with none of those harmful, toxic ingredients. … but that's a conversation for another day – or a chat in my group – the Energized Healthy Women's Group on Facebook. The best advice I have for you though when it comes to makeup is that it's not supposed to be used to change the contour of your nose, the shape of your face, the size of your lips – oh! And have you noticed that your lips seem to shrink in size as you age? It's really designed to accentuate the beauty that's already there and it is there – that's for sure. For now, I want to talk about lifestyle and mindset. Here are some quick Anti-aging Health Hacks to help with your beauty from the inside out. It's so important. Drink more water and stay hydrated Eat more whole, nutrient-dense foods rich in vitamins, minerals & Omega 3's Drink less alcohol - or none at all :) Move your body, and break a sweat daily. Rest more, and get adequate restorative sleep. Manage your stress. Avoid excessive sun exposure Do NOT smoke. Ever. Laugh more. Get outside and take in nature. So back to the vanity portion and aging. We are so messed up by what we watch and choose to look at. Intellectually, we know that photos of celebrities, models, and other so-called famous people -- are photoshopped or they have had work done on themselves constantly. We don't have a lot of reasonable standards for aging from seeing all these beautiful well-known people who just don't look their age (hello facelifts, photoshop, and injections). Because of this, when you look in the mirror and your image doesn't match the manufactured faces you're constantly bombarded with, it messes with you. Comparison is an act of violence against the self. Iyanla Vanzant There's the whole comparison thing -- you go around comparing yourself to people in magazines and wonder why on earth you don't look like that. But in the real world, not the false world of beauty, tiny bodies, and photoshopped pictures, we can all find people we look up to, want to aspirate to – having the right people to look up to is a wonderful way to grow. So for the most part, we've been talking about the neck up, but for a few minutes let's talk about something equally, if not more important. Body positive images. 90% of your body type is DNA dictated. You have to wonder how much our body image has been programmed into us by our mothers. Let's dive deeper into that. We all have a tendency to analyze yourselves. But stop! Love yourself! Love your body! Be grateful for what it can do. If you're not taking full advantage of the wonderfully oiled machine you are living in, start now. Exercise because you can - and because it's good for your mood. Don't be driven by the wrong reasons or motives but be motivated for the right reasons – for me, it's my health. Ask yourself, what your driving motivation is. Let's think for a moment about just who it is that you are trying to look good for. I hope that you want to look good for YOU. When you feel good about YOU and you're wanting to look and feel good for yourself, it shows on you. You don't need to catch the eye of someone else to validate your beauty. It's an inside job. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. It's YOUR own user experience. Beauty is an energy of light and self-love – this gives the confidence in yourself that people around you feel that and appreciate you more. As we find ourselves not just in midlife, but also in the midst of a seemingly never-ending pandemic – it's important to have a routine - it pulls you together each and every day. Get up and shower, if that's what you do normally in the mornings. Put on a little makeup, do your hair – whatever it takes for YOU to feel your best. And then fuel your body on the inside too. Hydrate, eat right. Many of us have found it hard to find our sweet spot with all the remote working and lockdown, but here's my pro tip on that - carry on your normal routine, just as if things are normal. Do some meditation, journaling, things to take care of your mental health. Then add in some exercise and healthy eating to take care of your physical wellbeing. Then be sure to have a beauty routine so you're looking and feeling good about yourself from the inside out. There's just something magical about putting on decent clothes, and a swipe of lipstick, or mascara – whichever makes you feel good about yourself. It makes you feel put together. What is most important to remember is that the aging process is normal and natural. You need to shift from a standard that's unobtainable – filled with advertisements and unreal expectations - to working on your true beauty – and that comes from good health, kindness, purposefulness, and gratitude. The next time you look in the mirror, I hope you see your true beauty and not just your looks. I hope you see someone who is confident and is beautiful from the inside out. With aging comes wisdom and grace. It's a time to celebrate life and the person we have become and even better, we still have lots of room left to grow and mature – gracefully. If any of the things we've talked about today resonate with you or if you find yourself with questions or are challenged by some of these areas in your own life, then I'd love to chat. Email me to schedule a free HEALTHY YOU Clarity Call or to be put on my waitlist for my next LIVING HEALTH in MIDLIFE group program. Email me at lynne@holistic-healthandwellness.com Free Resource from Lynne: Hot flashes? Low Energy? Difficulty with weight management? If MID-LIFE & MENOPAUSE are taking their toll then I've got a solution for you! I've taken all my very best strategies and solutions to help you feel energized, vibrant, lighter & healthy, and compiled them into this FREE resource! Thrive in midlife and beyond - download my guide here: https://holistic-healthandwellness.com/thrive-through-menopause/ Connect with Lynne: If you are looking for a community of like-minded women on a journey - just like you are - to improved health and wellness, overall balance, and increased confidence, check out Lynne's private community in The Energized & Healthy Women's Club. It's a supportive and collaborative community where the women in this group share tips and solutions for a healthy and holistic lifestyle. (Discussions include things like weight management, eliminating belly bloat, wrangling sugar gremlins, and overcoming fatigue, recipes, strategies, and much more so women can feel energized, healthy, confident, and joyful each day. Website: https://holistic-healthandwellness.com Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/energized.healthy.women/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holistichealthandwellnessllc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnewadsworth Did You Enjoy The Podcast? If you enjoyed this episode please let us know! 5-star reviews for the Living Life Naturally podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or Stitcher are greatly appreciated. This helps us reach more women struggling to live through midlife and beyond. Thank you. Together, we make a difference!