Why You’re Never Too Old for Anything! [SUCCESS STORY]

You could say that I know more than my fair share when it comes to the ageing process and how it can affect us women.

During the many years that  I’ve spent as a women’s health coach and hypnotherapist, I’ve seen the many ways that the years can eventually take their toll on our bodies and minds if we allow them.

I’ve seen everything from alcohol problems and issues with food, hormones that are out of whack, chronic stress that pushes ladies to the brink, menopausal symptoms that make women wonder what they’ve done so wrong to deserve it, declining libidos, wrinkles, grey hair and excess body hair where we definitely don’t want it to be.

As I always like to emphasize with my clients, none of these things are, ‘just part of the ageing process’ or something you, ‘just need to deal with’, even though we often think that they are.

But what I hate the most isn’t the fact that women believe that they need to suffer through these things as they get older. It’s something else that you might not expect.

It’s the silly idea that we need to stop doing the things we love just because our birth certificates say that we’re a certain age. That we need to forget our passions and hobbies and instead live a ‘respectable life’ as an OAP! How ridiculous!

We are never ever EVER too old for anything.

The world can (and should!) continue to be our oyster whether we’re 35, 45, 55, 65 or even 105.

This past week, I met an inspiring lady who demonstrated again to me just how true this belief is. Her name is Margaret. Today I want to tell you about her achievements.

Meet Margaret, aged 69

Margaret used to be one of those women who people envied.

She was warm-hearted and friendly, sociable, and had seemingly endless energy! She loved nothing better than heading to step aerobics or Pilates classes with her friends or head outside and jump on a horse.

Life was good. She was relatively young. She was happy.

Then everything changed when her husband fell ill.

To her, there was no way she could continue to be ‘selfish’ and do these things she loved when her husband was so terribly ill. Besides, between hospital appointments and caring for him, there wasn’t much time left anyway.

So she stopped doing all the things she loved and focused on her family instead. She dropped the fitness classes, forgot about horse-riding and did what she could to care for her husband.

She did what any other women would have done in the same situation.

She followed her heart, took care of her loved ones and was there when they needed her most.

Her husband sadly passed away around seven years ago. But once she no longer had to care for him, she didn’t go back to those passions that had once lit her up on the inside.

At 62, she felt too old, too mentally and physically tired and overwhelmed by everything she had been through. She missed those old hobbies desperately, but she just thought that her best years were over now. There was no point.

Then everything changed.

How Margaret* learned to do handstands aged 69!

Margaret decided to sign up for our week-long boutique retreat in the South of France.

It sounded just like the release that she was looking for: fresh air, great food, friendly faces, yoga and meditation plus support and guidance that could help her feel like her old self again.

At the end of one of the yoga sessions, Nicole (the yoga teacher, co-founder of the retreats and my daughter) started practising her handstands against the wall.

Margaret couldn’t help but notice. She remembered how much fun she’d had doing handstands when she was about 12 or 13 and so, with a smile, shared her story with the two of us.

Naturally, we encouraged her to have a go.

She was reluctant at first and felt that her arms weren't strong enough to hold her up in that position any more. But she decided to give it a go regardless.

We suggested that she should start with a headstand and she agreed.

Nicole guided and supported her into her very first headstand, she did it and held it for a few moments. We were all so pleased.

When she came down from the headstand, she was very chuffed with herself. It was amazing to see her face light up! It was priceless.

Nicole and I encouraged her to try it again on her own, and she did.

She knew she could do it because she had just seen that she still had that power inside herself. She could still do it!

This time, we were there, willing her along and providing support whilst she did it on her own.

And in that moment, it looked effortless.

She was there in the headstand position with ease for the very first time.

She realised that she could still do anything

After Margaret left the retreat, she realised that this moment had changed so much for her. She’d realised that she could still do all the things she wanted to- she wasn’t getting too old. There was still a spark inside her that she planned to use.

When she returned home, she’s signed up again for her local Pilates class and reconnected with the people there, strengthening her sense of social support and networks.

Thanks to the retreat and the experience of connecting with the group here, she was able to apply her personal growth to the real world and make lasting changes that would help her feel like her old self again.

This could be you

Margaret isn’t an isolated case. She’s not the only lady who has joined us on our Heal Her Retreats and used her newly-found knowledge to transform her life.

Time after time, we receive glowing feedback containing stories just like Margaret from women who have found the inner strength to make more nutritious food choices, reignite their passions, develop their interests, boost their confidence thanks to their experience with us.

We’d love for you to experience this too. We’d love you to rediscover what it means to be ‘you’ then use that to live your best ever life.

What did you used to love to do that you don’t do now? How could you recapture the joy in your life and feel like yourself again? Don’t you deserve it?....

If you’d like to join us next time on one of our retreats and experience something transformative too, please come over and sign up now. Our next retreats are happening in Feb 2020 and June 2020 and spaces are limited, so book your place now to avoid disappointment.

[name changed for confidentiality purposes]