Too Busy to Be Healthy?
11. "I don't have time to sit down for meals."
Eating on the go is a recipe for dietary disaster. "You have to eat healthy food to burn food healthily," Gerbstadt says. Skipping breakfast should be out of the question, since the meal sets the pace for your metabolism all day: "Your brain won't function well, your cells will be deprived of nutrients, and you won't burn calories." Opt for a day-starter of 300 to 500 calories, with eggs or a lean meat, a whole-grain cereal, fruit, and yogurt or cottage cheese.
Women who skimp on lunch or dinner aren't faring much better. "If you're not eating every few hours, your body starts shutting down unnecessary functions like muscle repair and hair and skin rejuvenation, which can result in less muscle tone, dry skin, and dull hair," Gerbstadt says. Eat a little bit of lean protein with every snack or meal to control blood sugar and stay energized. Eating more meals means eating smaller meals: "Divide your number of daily calories by five or six, and see what that means for each time you eat. Then you can mix and match it."
12. "I'm too busy to work out."
Lack of time is the number-one excuse for midlife women who skip exercise. So think small. "Everyone has 10 minutes a day," says fitness expert Tamilee Webb. "By the time you brew coffee in the morning, you could have fit in a strength or stretching session." (Webb has created a series of DVDs, Tight on Time, which present 10-minute exercise programs.) "Even if you do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 at lunch, and 10 in the evening, you'll still get benefits," Webb says. "And you will have done 30 minutes of exercise."
Buy Tight on Time workout DVDs›
13. "I'll snap out of it."
Other than mothers in their 20s and 30s experiencing postpartum woes, midlife women are the most likely group to suffer from depression. You might chalk it up to hormonal upheaval, but whatever the cause, get assessed and get treated. "Major depression is the second-greatest cause of debilitating illness and death, after heart disease," says Eve A. Wood, MD, author of 10 Steps to Take Charge of Your Emotional Life.
How do you tell serious depression from a bout of the blues? "Your sad mood must be accompanied by other symptoms, like a lack of motivation, appetite disturbance, concentration problems, guilty thoughts, or a decreased sex drive for it to be a true disorder," Wood says. Depression is hard to self-diagnose; talk to a mental health professional if your symptoms persist for at least two weeks.
If you're not ready for a shrink or Prozac, you do have options. Regular aerobic exercise can banish moderate depression, and exposure to light can help those who are affected by shortened days. "Women over 40 are also sensitive to nutritional issues," Wood says. "Your mood may lift if you watch your alcohol and sugar intake, and make sure you eat every three or four hours."
Originally published in MORE magazine, July/August 2007 as "Are We Fooling Ourselves?"
