You know that completely fresh and clean feeling? Maybe it’s the moment you’ve stepped out of a long shower. You’ve washed and conditioned your hair and maybe even as a last-step used a hair mask. You’ve exfoliated your body and shaved, giving that desirable, smooth-to-the-touch skin. For many women, it’s a small luxury to feel this fresh and rejuvenated, and it can lead to a boost in confidence.
But of course, confidence is much more than just having the time (and energy) to take a longer time in the bathroom to get ready for the day. It’s about showing up in your best light and putting your best foot forward. When you make the time to do all the extra pampering steps, you’re telling your body that it’s worth taking care of. You’re putting your needs first, which sends a positive signal to your brain about your self-worth. You’ll look in the mirror after your routine and speak positively about your appearance instead of nagging and nitpicking over individual body parts.
When you speak kindly to your body, you’re also setting yourself up for better connections with your partner or significant other. Knowing your self-worth, you’ll want to engage in intimate, sexual acts of love. You’ll feel more in control of your desires and actions, and may even pry on your partner to do something outside of the norm together. These desires are all part of looking good and feeling fresh every day.
Daily Rituals for Mid-Life Women
Women in this life phase who are looking to amp up their self-care routine in hopes of gaining that sense of confidence should focus on three main aspects: hydration, movement, and supplements.
Hydration
The trick to feeling your best starts with how often you’re reaching for your filled water bottle. During this period of your life, your hormones are fluctuating regularly. Estrogen is decreasing as it prepares for or enters menopause. Estrogen plays a role in the body’s fluid regulation, so you may find yourself thirsty. While this is a good sign, being thirsty signals that you are already dehydrated.
To avoid this, start your day with a large glass of water first thing — even before your morning cup of coffee! After a night’s rest, your body is dehydrated and craving water. By giving it what it needs first thing, you’re kick-starting your metabolism and aiding digestion too. You can add mint, cucumber, or fruit to your water to make it more pleasurable.
Also, electrolytes can be beneficial, especially before or after a harder workout or a long walk outside. If you’re traveling, electrolytes can help fight fatigue and jet lag and prevent muscle cramps and soreness from sitting for longer durations.
Movement
Starting in midlife, you may notice that your muscle mass is decreasing. This is a natural part of aging, but it can be combatted with regular daily movement, including strength training. For women in their 40s and beyond, strength training can help increase muscle mass and improve bone density as well. It can also help regulate blood sugar levels, preventing spikes after eating certain foods.
Now, that doesn’t mean you have to train like an Olympian at the gym. Rather, stick with a movement that brings you joy and that you will want to do consistently. A session incorporating light to medium weights is all that you need to get started. Speak with a trainer or physical therapist if you want specific strength training recommendations.
Other forms of movement, such as Pilates and yoga, can also be great since they leverage body weight and can help with coordination and balance. If you love other activities like golf, tennis, or pickleball, go at it! This is a time to experiment and find what you love to do. Moving consistently is the most important, so a brisk walk around the neighborhood with a friend counts too.
Supplements
While you should try to focus on eating a nutrient-dense diet, there may be a need to supplement with vitamins and minerals for this life phase too. Vitamin D and calcium, for example, are known to help support bone health. Bone density is likely to decrease during these ages as women’s hormones change, which is why supplementing may be necessary.
Speaking of hormone fluctuations, if you’re experiencing more regular vaginal health or urinary health issues, then you may want to look at additional supplements. Adding in a daily probiotic can help if you’re experiencing gut microbiome upset — yet another common occurrence due to hormone fluctuations. If you’re dealing with night sweats and insomnia, magnesium supplements or spray can help calm the nervous system and support a more restful night of sleep. A UTI supplement can help prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder, causing irritation and infection. This is all part of feeling fresh and clean, while also supporting your vaginal and bladder health.
Other Tips for Supporting Urinary Balance
Urinary balance is worthy of its own section for a few reasons. First, it’s an often overlooked part of the body. Women may think that an irritated bladder, frequent urination, or incontinence is just part of aging. This couldn’t be further from the truth!
While you may have more symptoms than before, that doesn’t mean you have to live with them. Drinking enough water, eating a nutrient-rich diet full of fiber, and doing some pelvic floor exercises can make a world of difference. Also, avoiding an excess of caffeine, carbonated drinks, spicy or acidic foods, and alcohol can be beneficial. These foods and drinks are known to irritate the bladder and may worsen your symptoms.
Second, a healthy bladder can help you live a more fun, energetic life. You won’t enjoy a girls’ night if you’re stressed or anxious about needing to get up multiple times to use the bathroom.
Traveling can also be more burdensome if you’re constantly thinking of where the next rest stop will be. Having a better handle on your urinary health can allow you to continue to live a happy, fulfilling life.
