Thriving Beyond Forty — A Lifestyle Workshop in Blog Form

Every week in my clinic I meet women in their late thirties, forties, and fifties—each one carrying a private storm within. Hot flashes and night sweats on one side; rising blood pressure, borderline sugars, aching knees, disturbed sleep on the other; and in the background, the mental load of ageing parents, teenage children, work deadlines, and a home that never really sleeps. It kept striking me that there is one “magic remedy” strong enough to touch most of these problems at once: a real, doable change in lifestyle. Everyone “knows” it, but it still does not happen. “Why?”

Along came the Raipur Menopause Society’s annual conference on 19–20 July this year, and as Organising Chair and Scientific in-charge, I was hunting for a “workshop theme” that would be useful, trendy, and truly the need of the hour.

The question of Why and How? shaped this workshop—and now this blog. I want this to read like a conversation we are having over a cup of chai, not as a doctor preaching from a podium. This is the blog version of my workshop’s opening talk, expanded so that no point is missed. Think of it as a friendly, scientifically honest guide for anyone over forty (or getting there) who wants to feel steady, strong, hopeful and happy.

The Shlokas That are My Guiding Star

Before I step into any discussion on mid-life health, I return to two verses from the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 6) that I also shared in the workshop:

**उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥ (6.5)**

**युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥ (6.17)**

When I translate them into “working meanings” for everyday life, they say this to me:

Lift yourself; do not put yourself down. You are your own friend when you support yourself, and your own enemy when you sabotage yourself.

Mid-life is an opportunity to become your own best friend.
Balanced food, balanced activity, balanced work, balanced sleep and wakefulness—this balanced life reduces suffering.

The blueprint is simple: what we eat, how we move, how we rest, and how we pace our day can turn the tide in our favour.

I find this deeply comforting because it puts me—not pills, not: gadgets—back in the driver’s seat, in control. It doesn’t deny medical care; it says that my daily rhythm is a form of therapy. That is the heart of our workshop and of this blog:

“Make lifestyle a core therapy for everyone, especially 40+ women.”

Why Mid-Life Matters (So Much)

Mid-life is not a single moment; it is a long bridge between two banks- youth and old age. Hormones shift; metabolism slows; muscles lose tone if unused; sleep may get lighter; mood can swing. On the medical side, we begin to face higher risks for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, bone loss, some cancers, and anxiety or low mood. On the social side, we are the centre-pivot of our families- caregiving in two directions while trying to keep our own balance.

The good news is that risk is not destiny. Early, steady lifestyle changes can delay or prevent many non-communicable diseases and can make treatment work better if illness arises. The even better news? When you improve one habit, others often follow. If you begin sleeping a little better, your cravings for unhealthy foods calm down; if you walk daily, your mood steadies and your bones and joints say thank you; if you eat more fibre, your energy lasts longer. It is a series of small wins that take you along.

To keep it simple, I organise mid-life health into Six Lifestyle Pillars. Each pillar is practical, evidence-based, and friendly to us Indian households.

Pillar 1: Food That Loves You Back

I meet many women who eat last in their family, finish leftovers, and feel guilty about cooking “separately.” I tell them we are not making “special diet food”; we are bringing balance to family food. In Indian kitchens, balance should usually look like this:

Half the plate from vegetables and fruits (fresh, seasonal, colourful).
One quarter from proteins (dal, chana, rajma, soy, paneer, curd, eggs, chicken/fish if you eat non-veg).
One quarter from whole grains (rotis from mixed flours like jowar/bajra/ragi + wheat; or brown/red rice; or millets).

A few gentle rules keep the day steady:

Start with fibre and protein. If breakfast is poha, add chana/peas and a bowl of curd; if idli, add sambar and some podi with sesame; if paratha, add curd and a katori of sprouts/salad.
Tame sugar peaks. Pair fruit with nuts, or tea with a small handful of peanuts; avoid drinking calories (sweet beverages), and keep desserts for truly special occasions.
Oil is not the enemy, excess is. Use stable oils suited to your cooking method (e.g., groundnut/mustard/til) and Cow’s Ghee, rotate them, and mind portions.
Plan the 4 p.m. danger zone. Keep something ready: roasted chana, buttermilk, coconut slice, fruit + a few almonds. If you plan it, you won’t raid biscuits or namkeen/mixture.
Hydrate without fuss. Drink plain water throughout the day; nimbu pani, chaas, or warm water if you like. Thirst often masquerades as hunger and you eat instead of drinking.

I encourage you to have a seven-day food audit: write what you actually eat. Don’t judge; just observe. Patterns speak. You’ll see where small exchanges can create big relief—like replacing a late-night heavy dinner with an earlier, lighter one, or switching to two chapatis and a larger sabzi bowl with some fruit instead of mithai for the dessert regularly. Occasional mithai is fine!

Pillar 2: Movement That Fits Real Life

Not everyone can join a gym or loves the treadmill. That’s okay. The body does not demand fancy; it wants regularity. Plan and execute whatever you can do most of your life.

Think of movement in three friendly brackets:

Everyday movement: walking for errands, climbing stairs, doing chores with intention to use more muscles. These are underrated and powerful tools to increase your metabolism. Five minutes of activity every hour is a good start for everyone irrespective of age.
Heart-health movement: 20–30 minutes of brisk walking, cycling, dancing, or swimming 4-5 days every week. The effort you put in should be such that you feel a little breathless during the activity but are able to maintain a conversation.
Muscle and bone movement: twice or thrice a week, work your big muscles—squats to a chair, wall push-ups, band exercises, light weights, or Surya Namaskar at a pace you enjoy. This protects joints and bones, supports the spine, and boosts insulin sensitivity.

If you are starting from zero, begin really small: five minutes, at a fixed time, daily. Then seven. Then ten. Put it on your calendar. The magic is not in the number; it is in the habit. I have seen women who started with five minutes in slippers graduate to strong 30-minute brisk walks in shoes within months. They didn’t “find time”; they made rhythm and motived themselves by small wins.

Two simple self-monitoring progress checks I suggest:

Waist measurement (at the navel, relaxed): keep an eye on it over months; aim for gentle reduction if it is high for your build.
Sit-to-stand test: set a timer for one minute; count how many times you can stand and sit safely from a chair without using hands. Repeat every few weeks. It is a kind progress chart.

Pillar 3: Sleep, the Silent Doctor

So many mid-life troubles improve when sleep improves: moods, cravings, blood pressure, aches. But real life is noisy—phones ring, minds race, hot flashes wake us. I do not promise miracle sleep; I suggest better chances at it.

Anchor your nights. Keep a fixed bedtime/wake time on most days. The body likes predictability.
Create a wind-down ritual 45–60 minutes before bed: warm bath, light stretching, a few calming breaths, light reading, or soft music.
Bedroom hygiene: keep it cool, dark, and quiet; park screens outside; if you wake up sweating, keep a small towel and water handy; cotton nightwear helps.
Caffeine cut-off: avoid tea/coffee after mid-afternoon if sleep is fragile. Try tulsi/lemon-ginger or simply warm water at night.
Naps are fine if short (15–20 minutes) and early; long late afternoon naps can disturb night sleep.

And please, do not fight your pillow if hot flashes wake you—get: up, sip water, do two minutes of slow breathing (inhale for 4, exhale for 6–8), and return to bed. Kindness to you own self works better than struggle, and you will wake up more refreshedif your mind is not worked up about waking!

Up to now we have discussed 3 pillars- Food, Movement and Sleep.

We will stop here for you to start on some of these, from TODAY and take the other pillars in part 2 which I will share shortly. Until then- Raise yourself by yourself!