Energize Your Day: Rev Up Your Midlife Energy With This Simple Exercise You Can Do Anywhere!

Episode 39 | (00:00):
Hey there, friend, are you ready to energize your day and rev up your midlife energy? It's about time, don't you think?

(00:07):
On this show, I give you little tips and strategies and ideas for making your life lighter and easier. And when your life is lighter and easier, you're naturally gonna have more energy. Because you cannot answer the big "What Now?" question for the second half of your life if you're lacking energy.

(00:25):
If you're tired, if you can't think straight, if you're upset or you're distracted or distressed or any of that type of stuff, these are the types of things that can drain you. So we have to give our midlife energy levels some attention, and we have to pay attention to what kind of energy drains we're experiencing.

(00:42):
So today I'm gonna talk about a couple of different types of energy, and I'm going to leave you with a two-part exercise to help you start narrowing down and figuring out what's going on, what type of energy is draining you and how you can start addressing it, okay? You know, I am feeling quite energetic just thinking about it. You ready to go? All right, let's do this!

(01:45):
Hey there, Easy Ager. Oh my goodness, I am so excited. I wanted to let you know that I am getting an online course ready for y'all. It's called the Easy Aging® Blueprint, and it's gonna let you go a little bit deeper into some of this work.

(02:02):
It's gonna give you a path to follow so you can start applying these things to your life consistently and effectively, and you're gonna start getting some results. Because if you actually implement these things, you are gonna see results.

(02:17):
Even if you take one of the podcasts and you start doing it for 90 days, you will be seeing results in your life, right? So here's the deal though: In order to get first access to the special deals and discounts I'm going to be offering, you have to be on the Easy Aging® Insiders list.

(02:34):
How do I do that, Michelle? Well, let me tell you. Just go to TheEasyAgingShow.com right after this episode and sign up and you're in. That's it. That's about as simple as it gets, right? So anyway, I'm really excited about this. I'm hoping we're looking at a fall launch, or maybe sooner. Hmm, we shall see.

(02:56):
All right, so today I wanted to talk to you about energy. Better yet, I wanted to talk to you about a lack of energy. It's something that we all seem to be experiencing during midlife. I mean, I know I've had this happen to me so many times. Has this happened to you?

(03:10):
I'd be excited about an event and it'd be Monday or Tuesday and I'd be like, "Yeah, I'm so excited. We're going out on Friday. This will be so much fun. I'm really looking forward to it." I'd be excited all week.

(03:20):
And then when Friday showed up, I was just too tired to go. I would back out at the last minute because I just didn't have the energy to take a shower and get dressed and put on makeup and show up and talk to people or whatever it was. It's like a balloon that just deflated. I just ran out of energy by Friday.

(03:42):
I used to think this was just me. And then I started having these conversations with different friends. And I cannot even begin to tell you how many friends have said the exact same thing. They're really excited about something on their calendars, and then you just back out at the last minute because you're too tired to go.

(03:58):
When we talk about a lack of energy, we generally attribute it to a lack of physical energy, but it may not be that at all.

(04:06):
So today we're gonna look at a couple of different types of energy. And at the end of this episode, I'm going to give you an exercise, a two-part exercise, so you can figure out what kind of energy is draining you and how you can go about addressing it.

(04:20):
So first let's look at physical energy, okay? There's something that we've been told since we were way young, that as we get older, we're supposed to slow down, that this is just part of aging. You're not gonna have the level of energy that you used to have and that all of this aging starts in midlife, and you're gonna lose your midlife energy.

(04:41):
We have been told that for a really long time but here's my question: Who says? Who says we're gonna lose our midlife energy? Is this true? I mean, do we really have to slow down, or is this just a myth that we've been told all of our lives? Because if you believe that myth, clearly you did not know my mother.

(04:59):
She lived to be 90 years old but up until the very, very end of her life, she was moving. She was stretching for 20 minutes a day the minute she woke up. She was doing her water aerobics, which she absolutely adored. She was working out with a trainer a couple of times a week.

(05:18):
She would go down to the park near her house and hit golf balls. I mean, she's a great example of how moving more as you age will keep you young and vibrant. When she was younger, she was a very good athlete. And as she got older, she was still a good athlete. I mean, she was a really strong athlete. She played tennis and golf. She loved walking.

(05:36):
But here was her secret: She knew that moving her body would not only give her physical energy, but would also give her emotional and mental energy too. She loved moving her body, even when her body was hurting. I mean, maybe she would back off a little bit and take a day off or something.

(05:55):
But the reality is, she kept moving. Watching her gives me hope for my own future because as I watched her get older and increase the exercise she was doing, I started upping my own level of exercise, my movement on a daily basis as I've gotten older, and I've noticed I'm experiencing fewer aches and pains.

(06:16):
The bottom line is, when we move our bodies,we can create energy, not just physical energy but mental and emotional energy as well. So now let's talk about the mental and emotional side of midlife energy.

(06:29):
Have you ever met somebody who might have been older than you, maybe they're like 90 years old or something, but they just sparkled? I mean, it was somebody who literally glowed. They had this charisma, and you just naturally gravitated towards them because they were such a beautiful personality.

(06:46):
They had such a lovely spirit about them. They were engaging, and they were alert. They laughed easily, and they were an absolute delight to be around. Have you met those people? The reality is, it had nothing to do with physical.

(06:59):
And even though a lot of these folks were in wheelchairs or using a walker or maybe they had severe arthritis and constantly were in pain, it didn't matter. These youngsters had physical issues, but they were people who knew how to manage their emotional and mental energy. And the way I see it, most of us still have this kind of energy.

(07:19):
Unfortunately, it may be seeping out in ways that we're not quite aware of. It's just kind of moving us away from where we wanna be, right? If we're not paying attention, we can get completely wiped out by this type of energy drain.

(07:33):
And that's what makes it so insidious, we're not even aware it's happening. This midlife energy drain, not being able to manage our emotional and mental energy and our mental stamina, not having that is what is slowly taking us down.

(07:46):
When this happens, it's not just necessarily about a lack of mental and emotional energy. It's also about a lack of energy spiritually. Because if you're fulfilled spiritually, it's a lot easier to manage the other parts of your energy, to manage your thoughts, to manage your ability to focus and be productive, to manage the highs and the lows of your emotions.

(08:10):
By this point, y'all know I'm a practicing Christian so finding that spiritual fulfillment is a priority for me. If I'm not spending my daily time with God right at the beginning of the day, the rest of my day doesn't feel right. Things feel off and yeah, I might get stuff done for the day, but the whole day just feels kind of clunky...like I'm a cart missing a wheel.

(08:34):
Now I'm not telling you anything new because by midlife, you already know this. You've experienced this more than a couple of times in your life, right? When things feel off, when you feel off, it's much harder to get even the smallest, tiniest things done, isn't it? It feels like you're pushing every little thing uphill, even though it may be stuff that you've done a million times before.

(08:57):
It's absolutely exhausting. And that's why you're so tired at the end of the day. So finding your spiritual balance is pivotal in managing your mental state and your emotions. Think about this as you're doing these exercises, all right?

(09:12):
So here's a two-step exercise for you. If you're tired, your first step is to do something physical. If you're lacking energy, just move your body a little bit. It doesn't matter what you do. Stretch. Turn on your favorite tunes, do a quick dance. Walk around the block, do something, do anything to get your blood flowing.

(09:32):
Just take some kind of action physically, because exercise will always give you energy. And here's a secret: When you really don't feel like doing it is when you will benefit most from doing it. Because it's going to give you a little kick of energy that you would not get otherwise.

(09:52):
Do something physical first if you're lacking energy. This is a great first step, and it's a quick way to rev you up.

(09:58):
But sometimes you may need to go deeper. When it feels like your lack of energy may be more than physical, when you notice that you're struggling with your focus or with your emotions or your mental stamina or your stress levels...

(10:12):
It's important to get clarity on exactly what the issue is. So here's what you're going to do: Get your timer. Yeah, we're gonna do a two-minute exercise, all right? A little fun-sized action here for you to try to narrow this in and get some clarity.

(10:25):
You are simply going to sit quietly for two minutes, breathing in and out through your nose. Not through your mouth, through your nose. So at the beginning, you're gonna find your rhythm. An easy way to do it is breathe in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Breathe out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. So you're gonna find your rhythm. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, in.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, out, all right?

(10:47):
Get your rhythm. Once you've got your rhythm of breathing in and out through your nose, start doing this. As you exhale, say to yourself or out loud, whatever you're comfortable with, "I breathe out anxiety" or "I breathe out fatigue" or "I breathe out confusion" or whatever word describes how you're currently feeling. Breathe it out, release it.

(11:08):
And then when you inhale, say to yourself or out loud, "I breathe in peace" or "I breathe in clarity" or "I breathe in lightheartedness" or whatever word describes how you want to be feeling. What is that quality? What is that feeling that you want to be grabbing onto?

(11:26):
So for two minutes, you're going to just slowly breathe in and out through your nose and start putting words to what you're experiencing. Now don't censor yourself. Just go with the first words that come to mind. You can edit them down later. It's gonna happen naturally so don't stress over that.

(11:40):
But just if a word pops in your mind, just use it. Say it, you know, it's there for a reason. And if you get stuck and you can't think of a different word, just keep repeating the one word that you have because you will also find value in that as well.

(11:54):
This midlife exercise is two-fold. Number one, the breathing in and out through your nose slows you down. It slows down your thoughts. It stops your mind from racing, and it puts you into a state where you are very present and very aware of what's going on.

(12:12):
So while you're in this aware state, while you're feeling very present and very available, you're going to start describing how you're feeling.

(12:19):
You're going to be able to start getting clarity on what the issue is, on what exactly is draining you. Because until you slow down and until you acknowledge how you're feeling and what you're going through, everything is still gonna feel muddled and unclear. And you're still going to be tired, and you're still gonna have a lack of energy.

(12:38):
So our goal for this is to get an understanding of what exactly is draining you so you can start addressing it, so you can start making changes to it. Because you cannot change anything if you're not aware of it.

(12:51):
So that's it. Here is your two-part exercise. Number one, when you have a lack of energy, move your body a little, just get your blood flowing. It doesn't matter what you do. You just wanna get that blood pumping a little bit, and you can just have a little burst of energy right then, and it's gonna help your physical state, but also your mental and emotional state.

(13:10):
Number two, when you feel like you need to go a little bit deeper, all you're going to do is breathe in and out through your nose for two minutes. And you're going to be saying, "I breathe out..." whatever it is that's bothering you. And "I breathe in..." the feeling or quality that you want to experience.

(13:28):
The great thing about this is, you can do it anywhere. You can do it at the store. You can do it in your office. You can do it while you're in the car, while you're waiting to pick up your kids or your grandkids. I mean, you can do this pretty much anywhere.

(13:39):
And the more often you do it, the better you're going to get at it. And it's just going to become a natural part of your day.

(13:45):
So that's it for today. I hope that gave you some insight into how you can really start narrowing down, narrowing in on where that energy is seeping out of you. So I'll be talking about midlife energy again in our next episode, so make sure you don't miss that.

(14:00):
And once again, if you are not already an Easy Aging® Insider, go to TheEasyAgingShow.com and sign up right now. Until next time, peace, love and blessings to you and yours. Take care. Bye-bye!