Life throws balls at you. Some you catch, some you ignore, and some hit you in the face. 

You may wonder what it has to do with your health, diet and lifestyle. In fact, everything. At the heart of health and life lies flexibility.

Rigidity is the opposite of flexibility

Rigidity is the opposite of flexibility. While rigidity refers to the inability to be changed or adapted, flexibility is, by definition, the ability to be easily modified or the willingness to change or compromise when life throw balls at you.

Flexibility and the 4 pillars of the Vitality-After-40 system

Flexibility applies in life as it applies to health and wellness.

If this is not the flexibility you are thinking about straight away, it is an essential concept for staying on top of your health and energy after 40. 

Food Flexibility

You need to be flexible with your food because your needs change over time.

If you keep eating at 45 as you were eating at 30, you may wonder why you struggle to keep your energy high, your weight low and your mood stable. 

Food flexibility relates to your capacity or willingness to change or compromise with your food. Adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle for you to thrive starts there. I hear often “I can’t give up on coffee”, “I need my cereals to have energy at work”, or “my glass of wine helps me relax at night”, and yet.

The ageing process combined with big hormonal changes will shift your body composition and your body needs. With food flexibility, you become adaptable to those changes as quickly as possible for the best results.

If you wonder what and how to change your diet and lifestyle to answer your evolving needs, find a coach to unfold your roadblocks and elaborate a plan to achieve your goals.

Fasting Flexibility

From an evolutionary point of view, the human body is designed to handle times without food, while staying focused, alert and fit to hunt for the next meal.

Until recently in human evolution, food has been in constant supply. Consequently, most of us have lost our metabolic flexibility, our capacity to function well without food for a while.

Metabolic flexibility refers to your body’s ability to toggle between feeding and fasting states.  It is related to the quality of your diet and food timing. You are metabolically flexible when your body can switch smoothly from burning glucose to burning fat for energy production. 

Ageing affects metabolic flexibility. Between 45 and 55, women have a “window of opportunity” to bring this flexibility to the forefront and manage their energy, weight and mood optimally. 

Many studies show the benefits of intermittent fasting to restore metabolic flexibility. Fasting is one of the core components of the Vitality-After-40 system.

Mind Flexibility 

A flexible mind is less likely to become stuck and more inclined to switch gears in response to life’s changing demands. Mindfulness and movement, such as yoga, help you cultivate both physical and mental flexibility. 

Science is on board with this. Mindfulness is a predictor of individual well-being outcomes. A flexible and mindful attitude toward difficult events aids respond to changes and increase your health and well-being.

During the “second puberty” – between 45 and 55 – the female body goes through major shifts which require many adaptations and turnaround to stay healthy and happy. A flexible mind brings the quality you need to go through those shifts with ease. And it mostly starts with a connection to your breath.

Flexibility in Movement

When you cannot bend you break. Movement and fluidity are life.

As a yoga teacher and massage therapist, I recognize and fully experience the value of physical flexibility. As you age, the fascial tissue around your body thickens and your ability to bend diminishes. The key to maintaining your fascia flexible and youthful is movement, varied movement alternate with rest. Yoga is a practice that deeply and gently works on your facial network. 

At the heart of health and life lies flexibility.