Is Growing Older Making You Feel Vulnerable (to the diet/wellness culture mess)?

Did you liberate yourself from struggles with your body image, eating, and exercise earlier in life? Are you feeling a strong pull back into that mess as you age? 

Is getting older making you more obsessed with your diet and fitness? 

Yup, this makes so much sense. Please be tender with yourself. It's understandable. 

Other than the obvious health fears and concerns, why are we MORE vulnerable to diet and wellness culture as we age? Let's get into it. 

We live in a culture with a clear body hierarchy. Youth is highly valued, and as we get older, we feel less relevant. 

Our culture also values thin and fit/able bodies. 

Interestingly, we feel that we gain social currency if our older bodies are thin and fit/able (or working toward that). Is this actually true, or does it simply feel that way? Is there a difference? This is certainly the story that we are being told (sold).

Social media is full of praise for older bodies capable of doing great things. I get it! It can feel "inspiring" to see stories of people in their 80s and 90s running races and lifting weights. And it is understandable that we want to maintain our ability to function in our lives as we age.

I am curious about how this strong narrative is really affecting us. Is there an undercurrent of ableism? Is there a cost?

What about our mental health? 

Sure, the research strongly supports the mood-boosting effect of activity. I do not doubt that. We are not hearing about the cost of relapsing into disordered relationships with our bodies, diet, and exercise. We are not hearing about the emotional burden of body shame. I hear about it every day from my clients and group participants. It is both heart-breaking and infuriating. 

One of the complex parts is that our culture praises restriction and more intense exercise, so it is hard to recognize that we are slipping into an unhealthy relationship with these thoughts and behaviors until we are in trouble. This is the case for all ages.

I believe disordered eating, body shame and grief, and exercise obsession are well-kept secrets in women mid-life and older.