What is Physiological Superannuation and are you looking after yours?

Recently I wrote about my October Overhaul in the post ‘Could you do a radical declutter of your life? I wrote about using October to Overhaul all areas of my life. Keeping what brings me joy and letting go of what doesn’t. Getting back on track with healthy eating and exercising. Drawing a line in the sand and starting again.

Warning: Now that I’ve started I think it might take longer than October!

On the day I wrote that post, I also received an email from Be Mobile Physiotherapy and the topic was Are you Growing your (Physical) Superannuation? Now Superannuation is usually related to our financial side of life so I was interested to find out what Physical Superannuation could be.

I’ve included the YouTube presentation below for your interest although I’m not affiliated with this practice in any way. It has some valuable points on ageing well and staying active.

Anyway it got me thinking, and as I had intended to do a Health Audit as part of my October Overhaul, this video was very timely.

My Health & Fitness Overhaul

They aren’t huge changes but I want to make them happen.

Lately I’ve found that I’ve not been as healthy in some areas of life as I once was. Now I could say that it is due to stress (which I believe it is) as I support my husband to navigate the contest of his late Mother’s Will by a family member. But I would also like to say that it is because I’m HUMAN. Yes, that’s a surprise! So I’ve decided to make some changes and have also enlisted my husband to join me.

Life is never a straight line and we all have our hills or sometimes mountains to get over.

Where have I gone off track? Maybe you can relate….

Eating too many ‘treats’ and too much coffee! – yes, I eat healthy most of the time and I’m certainly not one to deny myself cake for birthdays or dark chocolate which is my favourite. I don’t subscribe to Diets or Diet Fads because they may work in the short term but are not long term fixes. For me, a basic healthy eating program based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines, is right for me. However, the little treats have been creeping into a daily treat rather than less often and because I don’t sleep well, my morning coffee has turned into two or three.

Sleeping – I’ve never been a great sleeper but it seems to be getting worse. Menopause and now Post Menopause has been a factor. Added together the stress of life and sleep, or lack of, can become a huge issue in coping with daily life. Our bodies recover during the periods of 2am and 4am and if you aren’t counting sheep by then, you need to make some changes – I know I do!

Finding a better balance and variety of exercise. You would think as a trainer I get enough exercise but as a trainer you are doing that – teaching/training others so you aren’t really working out for yourself. Of course the flipside is finding the right balance because we can actually do too much exercise and this can put stress on our bodies (did I just write ‘too much exercise’?).

Mind Clutter – it’s not just about my physical health but also the mind clutter that has crept in over the last six months. This is one area that really needs the ‘Kondo-style’ experience.

We need to MOVE and MOVE in different ways especially after 50.

Strength (Resistance) training is paramount when we age and we should be doing 2 – 3 sessions per week. You don’t need to work out for hours using heavy weights. You can even use your body weight.

The fact of life is we NEED TO KEEP OUR BODIES STRONG to:

• remain independent as we age
• manage daily activities
• lessen the risk of Osteoporosis and
• maintain balance to reduce the risk of falls.

Cardio (150 minutes per week is the recommended amount of heart pumping movement)is important for our health health to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Tip: Doing an activity you love and also elevates your heart rate is the perfect combination.

You don’t need to run you could dance, swim, cycle, belly-dance, hula hoop. Going for a stroll is fine and so important for your mental health but you aren’t doing your heart health any favours.

Our bodies also need REST and RECOVERY.

Why do I want to do something about it?

I am fit and healthy yet I’m feeling sluggish because of too much of the wrong foods, restless nights and a tired body. I also want to try some new healthy option recipes to share with you and paddle boarding is something that I really want to try this coming Summer.

Feeling rundown physcially and mentally – I’ve not been well over the last month which included two COVID tests (they came back negative thank goodness). However, I recognise that my body is telling me that perhaps it needs less stress and less of the ‘treats’ and coffee and more relaxation, whole foods and water.

I also admit and recognise that whilst I’m so proud to have completed my goal of running my 4th Marathon, after a solid 6 months of training, my body now needs rest and recovery and long runs will be put on the back burner for a time.

Overdoing exercise can be just as harmful as not doing enough – you need to listen to your body.

What am I going to do about it?

I’m getting back on track and taking the advice I usually give to others. I’ll be health coaching myself!

The first step is to watch this video and get my Health Audit completed and an Action Plan put into place.

Step 2 was to make a delicious and nourishing Slow Cooked Vegetable Soup with immune boosting ingredients. It was healthy but also delicious!

Do you need to make some changes, I’d love to hear about them and how you are approaching your ‘Overhaul’?