Back in the summer when I read Next Level, I posted about the authors' recommendation that women at midlife should eat cruciferous vegetables every day. Obviously, correlation is not causation, nobody should rely on cauliflower when she needs a psychiatrist, etc. BUT ALSO: I think that steady doses of cruciferous vegetables make a substantial difference for me. How much does my gut talk to my brain? Who can say? Not me! How much does my day-to-day diet modify my gut microbiome? Again, who can say? Not me! But I can tell you that my levels of motivation and happiness have been much higher since I put this idea into practice. I don't eat as many vegetables as I used to back in the Vegetable Project days, but every day I ensure that some kind of cruciform something makes its way into my mouth. I am a fan of this plan. Give it a whirl and check back in next month, okay?
Here is another slightly wacky tip for my middle-aged-lady friends in the computer, and it is about sleep. Have you noticed, my MALFITCs, that sleep is more uncertain than it used to be? Do you sometimes wake up in the night and ponder the ceiling for a frustrating two-hour stretch? I accidentally hit on a strategy that has been working surprisingly well for me. This sounds so much like I have gone over to the bro-science dark side that I am suddenly feeling shy about telling you, but here goes anyway: I have been drinking a protein shake before bed, and sleeping like a 20-something. It started because I was trying to up my daily protein intake in an effort to woo the Gains Fairy into swinging by our house and bestowing some larger muscles upon me. The recommended amount of daily protein for optimizing muscle growth is substantial, and I found myself squeezing the last bit of it in before bed. The internet says maybe the effect on sleep is related to tryptophan levels? Not all corners of the internet agree that this is a rock-solid strategy, but I tell you what: I'm sticking with it for now, because the correlation is persuasive. Last night I slept through so many hot flashes that this morning my pajamas smelled like PE clothes neglected in a teenager's locker all semester. But did you catch the key verb phrase in that sentence? I slept through them. Maybe get yourself some protein powder and tell me if it works for you.
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