To be fit in my 40s

I am trying some things this winter to beat the sunless, warmthless doldrums.

• Not talking about my symptoms (unless it’s with a healthcare provider, or I’m explaining to my boss why I’m not coming to work)
• Keeping the same sleep and waking times, even on the weekends (sleeping in is my favorite, but big shifts in sleep schedules can be an issue)
• Limiting to one coffee a day, after work, or with breakfast on weekends
• Shower more before bed
• Drinking some fruit and vegetable servings daily in a really watered down smoothie that approximates juice, but still contains fiber, and definitely hydrates me first thing in the morning
• Baking bread, which isn’t so much to increase my vitality but because that nyt no knead bread recipe is really delicious, and baking bread a few times a week keeps the house warm
• Intentionally activating my parasympathetic nervous system a couple times a day for practice, and if I notice a stress response. Ex: taking deep breaths until I yawn a few times, progressive relaxation meditation, somatic therapy exercises
• Incorporating fermented foods into my diet daily.

I read a memoir by a woman who healed from chronic fatigue syndrome. Parts of it seemed like sound advice. Parts of it seemed like real wellness influencer film flam (like starting and ending the book with Rachel Hollis quotes). I won’t be going to Arizona to live at a juice fasting meditation compound. I won’t be fasting or restricting my diet. I certainly won’t be giving myself enemas or colonics.

But her story about literally trying anything and everything to become well resonates. And her determination to become well despite setback after setback and a decade of illness was inspiring. I don’t think it’s ever too late to dig into trying to resolve a chronic illness.

I had some extra cash and paid for this dynamic neural retraining system (DNRS) video course. It’s supposed to resolve chronic illnesses without a medically understood physical cause. DNRS aims to retrain an impaired limbic system through cognitive behavioral and exposure therapy, as well as visualization to elevate mood and trigger the parasympathetic nervous system.

While elements of DNRS seemed legit, the idea that you have to perform a rigid series of spoken recitations and physical movements coupled with visualization for an hour a day for an entire year OR ELSE the program won’t work, seems like film flam. I get that dosage of therapeutic techniques matter, but in that vein, low doses should also prove to be somewhat effective.

An hour a day, every single day, for a year seems like an outrageous commitment to ask from chronically ill people. I’m also weary of any modality that caries the same pitfalls of diet logic, “if it didn’t work for you, it’s because you didn’t do it right,” or you lacked perfectionism, or some other bullshit that again places the illness, and the burden of resolving the illness, back on the ill person.

To save you the money and time, here are the really obvious take aways from these two resources:

• Eat nourishing food
• Try to get enough sleep, or improve the quality of your sleep
• Healing takes time and resources, so if someone can bankroll your recovery so you can focus on only healing, you’ll have more success
• Healing requires the nervous system to be in rest and digest mode, so learning ways to activate your parasympathetic nervous system will make healing physically possible
• Healing requires you to deal with the stressors in your life, and recover from fight/flight/freeze mode after the stressor is over (see previous point)
• The placebo effect is real. If you think a healing modality will work for you, even if it’s total junk, you have like a 30% chance of getting better from placebo alone
• I should stop putting off travel. I should go to the beach. I need a vacation.
• Don’t listen to the haters. You can get better. Either by making lifestyle changes, fixing your mindset, finding a good doctor, getting on some meds that work, or finally quitting that toxic life sucking job, healing is possible for you, and you better believe it!

As always, I’m trying to keep it positive in 2024, with the hopes of accomplishing my long term goal of being fit in my 40s. For me, that looks like increased vitality, a more rich social life, exploring my hobbies, and continuing to be in remission.

It’ll take a few years to get back in shape and build endurance and stamina, but I’m ready to commit to the process.