Staying healthy after 40: The 5 working habits I adopted as a woman.

Staying healthy after 40 for women: 5 working habits you can try today

🟦 Staying healthy after 40: why is it not that easy anymore?

Have you ever looked in the mirror, wondering when looking after yourself and keeping up with your health became so difficult?

You know you should eat better, move more and get enough sleep. You promise yourself that next week will be different. But work gets busy, family comes first, and before you know it another month has passed without making yourself a priority.

I know that feeling because I've been there too.

A few years ago, I wasn't looking for a complete life makeover or another list of health rules. I simply wanted to feel more like myself again, have more energy, sleep better, and feel in control of my health instead of constantly trying to catch up with the changes.

Looking back, I realise I spent far too long waiting for the "right time" to start looking after my body and prioritize my health over other things. I was waiting for my life to become less busy. Work would calm down. The child would start school, then finish school. There would be more time then. Later. At some point.

But guess what? It never happened.

What did happen was something very different: I discovered that improving my health wasn't about making huge changes. It was never about stopping my life or work. It was about building my own healthy habits that fitted into my everyday life.

These are the seven habits I wish I'd started much sooner.

Staying healthy after 40: the 5 working habits I adopted as a woman.

🟩 1. Start eating the food which keeps you full

For years, I ate whatever was quickest. Breakfast was coffee and a snack, or no breakfast at all, lunch happened in front of my laptop, and by mid-afternoon I was desperately reaching for something sweet. At the time, I never connected what I was eating with how I was feeling.

Now I ask myself a much simpler question:

"Will this meal give me enough energy for the next few hours?"

That one question changed everything.

I make sure my breakfast meals have protein and fibre. I don’t have those dramatic afternoon slumps. I don't eat perfectly, but I eat more intentionally.

It's one of the simplest healthy habits I've adopted, and one that makes a big difference in my wellbeing.

🟩 2. Allow to pause and rest regularly

I used to think rest had to be earned. Once I'd finished work, or once the house was tidy, or once I'd replied to every email. But there was always something else to do.

Now I see rest differently. A walk around the block, walk in the nearby woods for 10 minutes. An hour watching sunset on the seaside.  The quiet time, away from my desk, my laptop and away from social media.

And you know what?

This is one of the best daily routines I’ve adopted. It doesn’t feel like I’m being unproductive, it feels good. Ironically, taking proper breaks made me far more productive than constantly pushing through.

🟩 3. Find exercise that feels good

I spent years believing exercise only counted if it left me exhausted.

I dragged myself to the gym, although I hated it. I got the treadmill and was forcing myself to run on it, until my knees ached. I didn’t count my day as beneficial for my health without squats, weights, running and jumps.

But gym, treadmill, squats and running didn’t make me happy. Because these were not the exercises I loved. I found myself constantly making excuses and NOT goint to the gym.

And I changed it. Instead of fighting myself and forcing myself to exercise I asked myself “Vera, what do you really like doing?” And I listened to my inner voice.

Walking, gardening, stretching, resistance bands, or dancing in the living room - these all count as moving your body every day.

The biggest change wasn't what I did. It was why I did it. I stopped exercising because I felt I should. I started moving because I knew I'd feel better afterwards.

🟩 4. Look after how well you sleep

I underestimated sleep for years.

I'd stay up scrolling, answer one more email or watch "just one more episode." The phone was always by my bed. Then I'd wonder why I struggled to concentrate the next day.

These days I try to create a calmer evening routine. I put my phone away earlier, read a few pages of a book and give myself time to unwind. Not every night is perfect, but better sleep helped me to improve my energy, mood and ability to cope with busy days.

If you're looking for small changes for better health, don't overlook your bedtime routine.

🟩 5. You don't need to be perfect

For a long time, I believed healthy living meant doing everything perfectly. If I missed a workout, I'd feel I'd failed. If I didn’t finish answering emails, I would label myself lazy.

Now I know that's not how real-life works. Health isn't built through perfect weeks. It's built through ordinary choices repeated over and over.

A short walk, an earlier bedtime, drinking another glass of water, choosing fruit instead of biscuits one afternoon.

None of those things on its own feels like something extra special. But, together these habits, transformed how I feel.

🟧 What I've Learned about staying healthy after 40:

If you asked me today how can you stay healthy after 40, my answer wouldn't involve expensive supplements, perfect meal plans or working out 7 days a week.

I'd tell you, “Start small, and start today”.

You don't need to have everything figured out and have a perfect plan of actions.

You simply need to start somewhere.

Choose one small habit.

Try it for 2 weeks, until it feels part of your life

Then choose the next one.

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Look forward to connecting with you!

Vera.