If you’ve thought that you don’t feel as good as you once did, perhaps you attributed it to not being as young as you once were. While this is true, in a healthy body, we should continue to feel energized and youthful well into our wisest years.

Apart from a health-promoting lifestyle, women commonly experience a decline in muscle and bone health, skin elasticity, increased risk of heart disease, insomnia, memory decline, pelvic dysfunction, and hot flashes. So what can you do about it?

First and foremost is good nutrition! Even with exercise, you cannot outrun a bad diet. Longevity research has proven the health benefits of a diet centered around whole foods, such as the Mediterranean diet: high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, healthy oils, and wild-caught fish.

While it is ideal to get all nutritional needs from food, sometimes supplementation is necessary. Below are some recommendations to keep an aging body & mind healthy:

• Multi-vitamin (adjusted for age)
• Magnesium glycinate (or malate)
• Methylated B-vitamin complex
• Omega-3 Fatty acids
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D3/K2

Exercise is also a key component of health optimization and avoiding chronic disease. Strength training becomes more important as we age because it fuels muscle and bone growth, preventing osteoporosis. A good exercise regimen would include 3 days of strength training, 2 days of cardio, and 1 day of yoga & stretching.

Adequate hydration is important to every cell of the body, including the skin! In the absence of heart and kidney disease, the general recommendation is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. For example, someone who is 150lbs would drink 75 ounces of water/day, not to exceed 120oz/day.

Complaints such as fatigue, low libido, painful or irregular menses, and/or weight gain could mean a hormonal component needs to be addressed. Plant medicines that support female hormones include: Actaea, Caulophyllum, Dong quai, Lepidium, Rubus, Viburnum and Vitex. Additionally, seed cycling with the moon is an ancient practice that is still being used today with great success.

Avoidance of alcohol, refined sugar (and sugar-free alternatives!), processed foods, foods high in saturated fats, and food sensitivities will promote a low-inflammatory and alkaline environment, slowing the aging process. Endocrine disruptors such as plastics, synthetic fragrances and conventional cleaning agents (Febreze, Clorox, Lysol, etc.) should be avoided as much as possible.

There are many more lifestyle practices known to benefit an aging female body. Most importantly, love your body, and give it what it needs to feel its best!

This article was not intended to substitute for medical advice. Always seek out a healthcare professional before starting and/or stopping any drug, nutrient, or diet therapies.