February 5, 2024

Movement for Longevity by Sarah Clough

Movement for Longevity by Sarah Clough

Movement for Longevity by Sarah Clough

Meet The Woman Determined to Help us All to Live Longer, Better: Sarah Clough

 

My name is Sarah Clough and I’m a Pilates teacher and The Movement For Longevity Coach… 

My life now is a far cry from my 20’s (spent living in Japan, travelling, and setting up a fashion business), my 30s (spent living and working in Zambia, and setting up an NGO), my 40s (setting up another fashion business and becoming a mother)...

… and then hitting rock bottom.

Life had been the proverbial roller coaster and as I approached my 50s I knew things had to change.

I was worn out, disengaged with life and struggling with aches and pains. Countless appointments with doctors, lots of medications, scans, seeking out different treatments, were not getting me anywhere. One Doctor actually told me it was only to be expected as I got older.

At this point all I could think was “Really? Is this it?”

But fate has a funny way of working and thankfully at this time we went on a holiday that was to change my life. 

How a random conversation with a stranger sparked the first steps to becoming the Movement Longevity Coach.

 Telling her I had a dream to become a Pilates teacher (something I’d never dared voice to anyone else for fear of being laughed at) was my catalyst.

That was all it took to realise the only thing holding me back was not my age or ability, but my mindset…

Fast forward and at 50 I retrained and opened up a Pilates Studio at home. When I outgrew that I opened up a bigger one.

Embracing Life Changes

At 57 life changed for us all (2020 - we all remember that!). I closed down my brick and mortar business and had to learn a new way of working which embraced technology and teaching live classes online. (Who says we are too old to learn new things?).

At 59 I became a movement and longevity coach and launched an online programme for women struggling with lower back pain. For women who want to get back to being active once again, only this time feeling stronger, more resilient and with more energy than ever.

My life after 60

And at 60 I can honestly tell you that I am stronger, have more energy and a greater passion for life than ever. Getting older and getting old are two very different things.

I tell you this because I want to inspire you to take action. I don’t want you to accept anything less than you deserve.

My mission in life is to help as many women as possible achieve healthy longevity .

However ‘healthy longevity’ has become a bit of a buzz phrase - often discussed in relation to tech billionaires, like Bryan Johnson, who captured headlines with his extensive biohacking regimen. 

Johnson’s entire day is structured and involves 100 different protocols. From getting up at 4.30am to complete his 2 and half hour long morning routine which includes taking dozens of pills and supplements, doing 35 carefully planned exercises and eating exactly 1977 calories every single day. 

The Alternative

On the other side of the spectrum is a world of wellness which is well within the reach of all of us. Simple, enjoyable, and cost-effective practices that can easily be incorporated into our daily lives that significantly impact our wellbeing.

Fortune Well’ recently reported the results of The Rejuvenation Olympics - an online competition that tracks and ranks about 4000 participants in terms of their biological ageing. 

“Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves”

  • At No 2 in the Rejuvenation Olympics is a 55 year old single mother from Phoenix, Julie Gibson Clark, who eats a plant based diet, exercises, and meditates. Her biggest health expenditures are a $27-a-month gym membership and a $79-a-month supplement subscription. 
  • No. 5 on the list is 63 year old Amy Hardison, who says it’s about eating healthily, keeping moving, and staying connected to others to combat the health risks of loneliness. 
  • No. 6 on the list is 46 year old Byran Johnson, who spends approximately $2 million a year on his biohacking regime. 

Be A Part Of A Quiet Revolution:Movement for Longevity

There is a quiet revolution going on. Ordinary women like you and me who are not buying into an outdated view of women as we get older.

  • Women who are challenging the status quo and inspiring younger generations to do the same.
  • Women who know that challenging themselves physically and intellectually is necessary to reduce the risks of age-related diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia…
  • Women who believe that we can slow down or even reverse the ageing process and in so doing thrive.
  • Women who are fulfilling their dreams.

The thing that sets these women apart is that they understand they cannot outsource their health. They understand that looking after themselves is not selfish but an absolute necessity.

Now is the time with Sarah Clough the Movement for longevity Coach

Movement for Longevity: My top tips for living the life you want to live

  1. Factor 'moments of joy’ into every day . Maybe a freshly brewed cup of coffee, chatting to a friend, doing a meditation, picking some flowers, lighting a candle, reading a book…
  2. Take a brisk walk (in the morning if possible)
  3. Do breathwork daily such as ‘Box Breathing’. (Inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4)
  4.  Practise ‘Time Restricted Eating’ (fasting overnight for 12 hours)
  5. Do 20 squats every single day. (If you’re not sure how to do them correctly check out my YouTube video: Perfect Your Squats)
  6. Share your dreams … and they are more likely to become a reality.

Your daily habits are like the pixels in a photograph. On their own they seem small and insignificant. See them all together and you have a picture bursting with colour and life.

What does this all add up to? 

Living longer and better is not rocket science. All it takes is a bit of focus and commitment.

Understand the key components and do them every day and not only will you be healthier but you’ll be happier too. 

To get more tips, advice and support follow me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube or visit www.sarahclough.co.uk and join the tribe of women re-defining getting older!



August 24, 2023

My Sixties Have Been the Best Decade Ever.

Why mu sixties has been the best decade ever by Stella Fosse
Life after 60

When I was ten, I realized that I would still be alive for the year 2000. That was exciting for about a minute—until it dawned on me that by then I would be in my forties. “Never mind,” I thought, “that’s so old I might as well be dead.”

I was raised on a steady diet of Disney princesses (young, lovely, and passive) and Disney villains (evil, aggressive older women). So it is no wonder I internalised gendered ageism by an early age and took a long time to outgrow it. Turning forty was depressing. By fifty I began to see the ageism thing as a bit of a hype. And by sixty I was through my second divorce, had resumed dating and was writing erotica about Women of a Certain Age. My sixties have been the best decade ever.

The secret society of women over sixty

My children were grown, I was about to retire, and life was grand. I joined the secret society of women over sixty whose members enjoy more freedom than at any time in decades. It turns out retirement is rather like college—if college did not include homework or tests.

As I write, I’m on the edge of turning seventy: the perfect moment to reflect on why this decade of the sixties has been so great.

First, there is time.

Not everyone has the privilege of retirement. And some of us are caretakers of grandchildren or ill spouses or much older parents. But for many of us, including me, the children have flown from the nest and work diminishes or ends. Those of us who had to mount a pitched battle to take two weeks off per year now enjoy grand vistas of time. Did we envy the independently wealthy? Suddenly we possess the most important thing they have: Control of our time. It is like being let out of a cage.

Second, there is indifference.

Do you worry about what people think of you? Whether you are cool? Whether you are dressed for success? Do you walk the narrow line between feminine/passive and masculine/aggressive, seeking the perfect level of assertiveness? In my sixties, I achieved the quasi-nirvana of not giving a flying fig.

Third, there is a new level of self-care.

I go for a long walk every day. I lift weights, I dance in my nightgown, I read all the books on my TBR list, and I volunteer for projects that are near and dear to me. And, equally important for self-care, I keep an Anti-Bucket List of things I am no longer willing to do. Top of the list: No high heels ever again.

 Fourth, there is romance and sexuality.

Contrary to how we are socialized, we can just keep going as long as we like. As Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, once said, “Learning and sex until rigor mortis.” When we date in our sixties we may end up kissing several frogs before finding a prince; yet it is definitely a worthwhile endeavor. I was 62 when I met my terrific partner through an online dating site. I recommend Joan Price’s book, Naked at Our Age, for more on this topic.

Fifth, there is the return to creativity.

 I set aside my passionate desire to write books when I became a full-time worker and a mother. I’m not alone; many of us turn away from the creative joys of our youth when we grow up. Even when we have time, it’s easy to judge ourselves about the pastimes that bring us joy—as if play needed to meet a certain standard. Making peace with our Inner Critic is one of the key developmental tasks of our sixties.

As I write my own fiction and teach workshops about playful writing, I see women reclaim ourselves through creativity. It’s the most magical gift of my sixties. By following our passions—whether writing or painting or learning about dinosaurs—we  fully inhabit our vivid lives, which are completely different than the stereotype of women in our sixties. And when we share our creativity, through publication, through showing our paintings in galleries, we push back on the negative social narrative about women our age.

 Savour each day for the privilege it is.

My sixties have been a grand adventure, and I treasure every memory of this marvellous decade. How much longer the ride will last is impossible to know, but I plan to live in joy as long as I can. My resolution as I transition to my seventies is to savor each day for the privilege it is.

Written by Stella Fosse

https://www.instagram.com/stella.fosse/

https://www.facebook.com/StellaFosseAuthor/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/StellaFosse/

 

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