The Well-ish Life: 7 Things I actually use to feel good at 56

At 56, I have experimented (aka spent a lot of money) with many products in order to feel good. What I have found is that it is impossible to be perfect, and it makes much more sense (and is a lot more fun) to aim for “well-ish.” That means doing all the prescribed wellness things, but also continuing to socialize and dine out with friends, drink some cocktails, and sometimes even have an impromptu kitchen dance party with your besties.

That being said, here are the 7 things that make me feel “well-ish”:

Avaline Wine

While this might seem like the opposite of the messages we are getting in our Instagram feeds lately, I think weekend wine drinking is a great well-ish tool. Avaline is a healthy-ish wine consumed with my girlfriends who like to drink wine. Along with the wine comes laughter (still the best medicine), sharing, venting, and sometimes, with enough consumption, a dance party; which I’m counting as cardio. Consuming a wine that is organic and lower in sugar makes the next day a lot more palatable. Obviously, if you don’t drink, that is completely fine; I know you can have fun without booze, but for me, this is how I do it.

Sleep Supplements and Magnesium

I take a Juna Sleep Gummy every night when I get into bed, after I’ve already taken 500mg of Magnesium Glycinate. Nobody takes enough of this. So many of my friends tell me they take magnesium and then I find out it’s only 120mg, which just doesn’t cut it. I also take 3 Glycine tablets and 2 L-Theanine. I pick up my Kindle and I am asleep within 10 minutes.

Kindle + Unlimited Subscription

The Amazon Kindle has been something of a security blanket and has gotten me through many a rough night. I have the Unlimited Subscription. If you have teenagers, you know that there are endless things to worry about, especially in the middle of the night when you wake up and realize that they aren’t home yet, or you wake up hot and sweaty from perimenopause and then start worrying about said teens. I have found that if you immediately open your Kindle and have a fluffy romance or thriller ready to go, you forget your troubles and fall back to sleep. For some reason the excitement of the book doesn’t keep me up. You can wear blue light blocking glasses if you are worried about the screen, but I find the Kindle is very low on blue light and it doesn’t bother me.

Ritual Stress Relief Supplement

I take a Ritual Stress Relief Supplement capsule when I open my Kindle or if I wake up in the middle of the night. It contains saffron which is great for reducing anxiety and helps sleep quality.

Metagenics Vitamin D3 + K2

I know most women are aware of the deficiency and are supplementing, but I am always surprised when I look at my friends’ bloodwork and see less than optimal results. I supplement with 5,000 to 10,000 IU per day with Metagenics Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 and try to get direct sunlight without sunscreen most mornings. Even then, I struggle to stay in the optimal range. It must be taken with fat — I take it with my smoothie. When my levels are where they should be, I notice I am happier, have less anxiety, and the world just looks a lot more manageable.

Sex

This is something I don’t feel women talk about enough as it relates to their health. Orgasms are good for you. If women looked at sex as a wellness tool, the same way we look at brushing our teeth, there would be happier women, happier partners, and happier marriages all over the place. I am married to a man so I can only speak from that perspective, but I know that I don’t always feel like it and yet, if you know what you are doing, it only takes a few minutes and everyone sleeps better. It doesn’t have to be a long, involved production. If you add a vibrator (way more on that later), that can make it even easier and more (efficient) enjoyable.

Getting to Well-ish

Being well-ish isn’t about being perfect. It’s about finding what actually works for you and doing that, consistently, without making yourself miserable in the process. These are seven of my tips for women in wellness. Plenty more to come.