Why Connection Matters for Women's Health in Midlife
When we talk about taking care of ourselves in midlife, we tend to focus on nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, hormones and supplements.
All important. I’ve been reminded of that a lot lately.
Over the past month, I’ve had several opportunities to connect with women I work with—walking together, working out together, encouraging each other through our STEPtember walking challenge, and even trying a yoga class that one of my VIP clients loves.
And I keep coming back to how much those connections give back to me.
That yoga class is a perfect example. We had just gotten back from a trip to Boston, there were lots of things on my list, and I probably wouldn’t have gone on my own. But I knew how highly she spoke of it, so I went. And it ended up being exactly what I needed.
A few days before, I worked out alongside some of my VIP clients, other coaches, and a whole room full of women. My legs were definitely challenged 😂, but there was something about being surrounded by other people working hard that pushed me to try harder than I probably would have on my own.
That’s one of the things I think we underestimate about the people around us.
They stretch us. They introduce us to things we might not otherwise try. They encourage us to lift a little heavier, walk a little farther, or simply show up on a day when we might not have.
But connection itself matters too.
High-quality social connections are important to our physical and mental health and well-being, while social isolation and loneliness have been associated with poorer health outcomes. It deserves a place in the conversation about healthy aging alongside the things we hear much more about, like exercise, nutrition and sleep.
And for many of us, connection can require a little more intention in midlife.
Kids get older. Careers and relationships change. People move. Life gets busy. Sometimes we look around and realize we don’t have as many of those people in our lives as we’d like.
Maybe that’s a reason to say yes to the class. Ask someone to go for a walk. Join the group. Reach out to someone you haven’t seen in a while.
It’s also one of the reasons I came up with the idea of hosting Strong & Social meet-ups. I wanted to create opportunities for women to move, learn more about their health, meet other women, laugh and have some fun together.
Because taking care of ourselves in midlife isn’t just about what we eat, how we exercise or what our blood work says.
The people we surround ourselves with matter too.
And I think we could all use a few more people in our corner.