The Cost Of Ignoring Your Body

Your body is talking, and midlife is when it stops being polite about it. We’re Coach Wayne Dawson and Coach Stacy M. Lewis, and we’re calling out the hidden price of brushing off symptoms, skipping checkups, and telling yourself you’ll handle it “tomorrow.” Because tomorrow is not guaranteed, and the delay can cost you time, energy, joy, and sometimes your life.

We dig into why so many of us were raised to normalise pain, avoid the doctor unless things feel “serious,” and postpone preventive care even when information is everywhere. Wayne shares a story that hits hard: a man who thought he had indigestion was actually having a heart attack. From there, we talk practical midlife health priorities like knowing your numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose), getting the right bloodwork, and staying on top of screening like PSA for prostate health, mammograms, and ongoing gynecological care. We also name real health disparities and why self-advocacy with a provider who knows you matters.

Then we zoom out to the full wellness picture: movement over sedentary living, nutrition that supports longevity, sleep hygiene during hormone shifts, and the link between mental health, soul care, and physical health. Our takeaways are simple and urgent: your body whispers before it screams, prevention is power, and your health fuels your purpose.

Subscribe for more midlife wellness and personal growth conversations, share this with someone who keeps putting themselves last, and leave a review with the one action you’re taking this week to care for your body.

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Transcript

A Hard Question To Start

Coach Wayne 0:11

Let me ask you something. What is your body trying to tell you that you keep ignoring? You can ignore your body, but your body will not ignore you. You found the midlife revolution unleashed. The space to embrace your wisdom, reignite your passions, and move boldly into what's next. I am Coach Wayne, the VIP coach.

Coach Stacy 0:40

And I'm Coach Stacy M. Lewis. We're here with insights, stories, and strategies to fuel your midlife journey. So take a breath, lean in. Your revolution starts now.

Coach Wayne 0:57

Hello there. Stacy. Welcome to Midlife Revolution Unleashed.

Coach Stacy 1:04

Thank you very much for welcoming me. I will welcome you to Midlife Revolution Unleashed and welcome our listener to Midlife Revolution Unleashed, where we are just celebrating the richness of midlife. I am your co-host, Coach Stacy, a nonprofit executive, a midlife woman coach. You identify what midlife is to you, and a lover of God and his people. And I'm so excited to once again be here live with my favorite co-host, Coach.

Coach Wayne 1:37

Hey Stacy, thank you. Welcome. Stacy, where is the applaud? Applaud.

Coach Stacy 1:42

Oh, oh, come on now. See, see, you really, you really got me working. Here you go.

Aging Cannot Be Outsmarted

Coach Wayne 1:49

Oh, we got to get on stage. Thank you. Love it. I am Coach Wayne. Wayne Dawson, the VIP coach. I help men of color navigate midlife so that their second half can be their best half. Today, Stacey, we want to talk about something that we can't escape no matter how we try. Billions of dollars are spent every year in folks trying to do the shortcut thing, which is to mask it, to cover up, and that is aging and the body's natural response to time. And so today we want to talk about how do you deal with aging so that the body ages with you, as we say, gracefully, and that you can have a quality of life and wellness.

Coach Stacy 2:48

Yeah. Wayne was very kind and gentle with his introduction. And we entitled this episode The Cost of Ignoring Your Body, because there is indeed a cost to ignoring those signs, those symptoms, even the smaller ones. There's a book out, the body keeps score, and we should know that it does.

Habits That Teach Us To Ignore

Coach Wayne 3:20

Yeah. Stacey, we sometimes stop showing up for our bodies when we get older. And I think just now I went to the mailbox, and we have a shared area where folks in the community go get their mail. And there was a senior there, and she was on her walk and she was walking her dog. And she has to be, I would say, she's walking without an aid, meaning a human aid. But I would say she has to be in her aid is. Every morning, if it's not raining when I'm up and about, I see her walking. And there are others too, to be honest. I live in a 55 and over community. And there are some that are given to sitting back and doing nothing because they can't. And I would say, and this is not judging, but I would say a lot of where we are and the quality of life that we enjoy later on in the second half has a lot to do, Stacy, with how we maintain and manage our habits right now and earlier.

Coach Stacy 4:31

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I agree. And, you know, we can start by really talking about the wake-up call and what you just talked about in that maintaining habits is the reality that some of us were raised in a way that ignoring your health was normal, or that you might have a headache or something be wrong with you, yet there had to really be something wrong with you in order to go to the doctor. And some of those habits that you just talked about started very early. And I imagine that for those of us where those habits started very early, you know, changing those habits now at this stage of the game is even more difficult. But to your earlier point about the aging process, right? I think that there are more alarm bells now. I don't know what you're experiencing, Coach Wayne, but more alarm bells now than there were before. And sometimes the alarm bells you you just can't ignore.

Coach Wayne 5:55

Yeah. Midlife is really, to your point, where those whispers are now shouts and alarms. And to your point, you got to check in, got to do something about it. And so one of the questions that right out the bat we want to ask you is what has your body been telling you lately? You know, what has it been saying to you lately?

Coach Stacy 6:24

Yes, and I think that lately is relative. And that this is a question that we should be asking ourselves more regularly than we think. So often in this season of life, we're really moving fast, right? We're where some of us are still in the workforce, we're running businesses, we're taking care of elders, we're nurturing young adults or still children, and there's so many things drawing on our time and attention that those few moments that we take to Sabbath or to rest, we usually check out. But this is one of those questions. What has your body been trying to tell you that we should be asking ourselves pretty regularly?

When Indigestion Is A Heart Attack

Coach Wayne 7:24

Yeah. And I think it's not just asking, but also paying attention to it and listening as well. So if you're getting the signals, it's time to listen and do something. Now I know uh Stacy, I was in the green room, we were talking, you know, gentlemen, I know, and again, we want to keep it on the up and up, so there's a positive ending. Gentleman I know who is family in good shape as far as he's concerned, had his wife take him because he was having what he thought was indigestion after eating some food and throwing up. And had his wife eventually forced him, she drove him to the doctors because his body was telling him something, and he's like, Oh no, I think I'll just rest up and take some Tums and go again. When she took him, he was having a heart attack. They gave him a stint through his wrist, and that may have saved his life, we don't know. But the fact is, he wasn't listening to his body that was telling him something. And Stacey, I don't know how the ladies are, but I know that that's something that I encounter quite frequently with men that I coach, and but I just befriend and we we hang it out, and brothers just oh man, my shoulder hurt. So what? I just rub it up, tough it up, live it up.

Coach Stacy 8:53

Yeah, I I understand that. You know, one of the things that I've incorporated into my coaching practice is part of the onboarding involves a bit of a self-assessment and how you physically feel. Let's say, even if your coaching goal is around career or around building your confidence, right? The the foundation is the same. And one of those areas, question areas, is around how you feel and how you feel about your health. Like where would you on say a scale of one to five or one to 10 say your health is? You know, one being really, really poor and 10 being really, really great. Because I think that it's important that we acknowledge as coaches that we're coaching the whole self. And so you may want to work on your confidence or your career or your leadership skills, but your health is an important part of your ability to succeed, to move forward successfully, to achieve your coaching goal or your life's goal successfully. And so that delay that you just shared in that story, very real. And I'm sure that some of our listeners can relate to the fact that, you know, those delays are very costly. Absolutely. Very costly. And your health is your wealth.

Coach Wayne 10:32

Yeah. People aren't aware, Stacy. They are avoiding, you know. And what's happening is it's not, it's not even ignorance today because information is everywhere. It's just the postponement, putting it off. We'll get it done tomorrow. We'll get it done. I'll see you tomorrow. We say typically every time we we bid adieu to someone, and there's no guarantee. You gotta just jump in and do what you gotta do for your body, your health.

Coach Stacy 10:59

There's there's no guarantee, and the delay can be extremely expensive, not just financially, right? But whether it be you missing out on opportunities that bring you joy, whether it be you just having to stay in the home, you know, daily for a week, that's that's a cost. And, you know, when you told the story about someone our age, I'm thinking about a recent conversation I had with my son. Yes, I'll put him out there. He catches an episode every now and then. He is grown. Yes, he is. And I, you know, I'm very much one that raised him in this. No, we go to the doctor once a year, right? Get yourself checked out, raised to go to the dentist twice a year, get your teeth cleaned, all of that, right? I'm saying to him, so you know, since you've moved, which has been well over a year, have you, you know, have you caught up on your appointments? Did you find a new doctor? Did you find a new dentist? And he's like, oh no, I've been meaning to get to that. And in my mind, I'm like, look, bruh, I invested a lot in those teeth and in that health. But I didn't say that. But it is I could sense it becoming a habit to your use of the word habits earlier, just a habit of putting off taking care of oneself. Yes, and you know, I I think we're what I'm saying is it happens, it can happen in the early 30s, it can happen in the 40s, into the 50s, and there is a cost.

Coach Wayne 12:54

Yeah. Are we being good stewards of our body?

Coach Stacy 12:59

Right, right, right.

Coach Wayne 13:01

You know, tonight there are stories, and and some is even funny. I I reached out to a brother and I said, Did your PSA recently? And and I'm pretty sure from the quizzical feedback, he was probably thinking public service announcement, you know, based on the fact that we are both podcasters. And and I smiled and I said, No, your PSA has in your blood test for your prostate health. And he laughed and he said, and this is a brother in past 50. And as an African-American or a Caribbean man, we have the highest incidence of prostate cancer. So, you know, it's his advised goal that we start stewarding ourselves and getting checked as early as age 40. Uh, unlike our other counterparts that can start later because of their incidence being fewer. And uh my man said, yeah, I think maybe five years ago. And he said it's with a straight face. And I'm thinking, so five years ago you think was adequate. So uh just to show, you know, we know, but sometimes it's that postponement. Yeah. And here's the thing to your point earlier, it can be more costly because let's face it, Stacy, especially in our community, oftentimes it's about the cost and the expenses, right? We don't go because we don't have the insurance coverage, that sort of thing. But we talked about how costly that can be.

Coach Stacy 14:33

Yeah, yeah. It can it'll cost more, right? Delaying. We certainly want to take a second to say, hey, Coach Curtis, it's good to see you. Haven't seen you in a bit. Welcome to Midlife Revolution Unleashed. You know, Wayne, let's jump into, oh, well, make sure that we kind of leave or offer a prompt around the cost. And and that that consideration or that that coaching question would really be what is it costing you to keep waiting? Whether it be a headache that you usually don't get headaches, but you kind of had a persistent one for the last week, two weeks, there's a cost in there. Even when you're enduring the pain, there's something you're not doing at the same level. You know, there's an experience that others are having with you that is not the normal experience. What is it costing you to keep waiting?

Prevention And Community Health Risks

Coach Wayne 15:35

Yeah. When we did the research here or or the flow of the show, we didn't get into the nitty-gritty of looking at metrics, right? But it is known through the research that our community has a very high incidence of your breast breast cancer, prostate cancer, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and you know, I think those are warning signs if we're looking at trends and tracking, to say that we want to do some preventive care. And again, the midlife check. If you've managed to get to midlife, that's a blessing. But it not it's not guaranteed that you're gonna get through midlife and certainly get through with the quality of life that you would want to have and that you deserve to have.

Coach Stacy 16:43

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. I think one of the things, you know, being in the field of work that I am, is the reality that while black women's incidence is increasing, there was many, many years where black women were not being diagnosed at the same rate, the same incidence rate as white women, yet they were dying at a higher rate. And so this idea of early, of paying attention, right, and and acknowledging that we have to steward our health is is a really important one. And and I'm by no means trying, you know, we can't compare cancer to to a heart attack. Yet the reality is that, you know, there there are these nuances in the biological differences of people of color, of different sets of people of color. And we want to make sure that, you know, our audience is broad, and we want to make sure that we are really encouraging you in a way that reminds you that you are the steward of your health. And doing so is very purposeful, right? Stewarding your health has purpose. Your body is on assignment, right? We are all here on assignment, have things to do, marks to make impact, make lives to change, and us not stewarding our health in a way that fosters possible longevity is really anti to our assignment.

Coach Wayne 18:44

Yeah, thank you. I apologize that phone came in. I thought it was actually muted. Stacey, you know, this is a good point in time to tell folks who listen in that if you have not yet subscribed to us, that it helps us with the algorithm to get the information that we research and share with you out to more folks. So please take a minute and just hit the subscribe button on wherever we come in on your favorite podcast or channel.

Coach Stacy 19:21

Yeah, no, I I love that mention, and we encourage you to subscribe. Our goal here is to add value. And if we are adding value, subscribe and share. We greatly appreciate it. Wayne, I do want to just say, as a reminder, that we can't walk fully in our purpose if our body is holding us back. And so, yes, life happens as we age, the body's natural process is to break down. Yet we do have opportunity to slow down that breakdown or to modify the potential breakdown as we move forward.

The Body As A Sacred Temple

Coach Wayne 20:08

You know, Stacey, you talked about purpose, and I've oftentimes heard it said that our body is our temple.

Coach Stacy 20:14

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Coach Wayne 20:16

And for those who are spiritual, you understand that a temple is a place that you see you treat with a certain amount of sacredness, uh, honor, right? You you keep it clean, you make sure that you bring your best game when you're there. And so it's it's a wise idiom. If the body is in fact the temple, how are you maintaining it? How are you cleansing? How are you? We talked on a previous show last night a little bit about fasting. And fasting in the way of food is one thing, but you can fast in terms of the energy that you give to something else by stopping that as well, right? Just just stop it. How when is the last time you've had a physical? Do you even know any of your numbers? If you're if you're diabetic, or do you even know if you are, right? But if you are diabetic, do you check to see what your glucose level is? If you're supposed to be managing your weight, do you have a base number? Do you get on a scale? Do you know? So if it's sacred, Stacy, we have to steward that body and treat it with respect and honor that we ought to give that temple.

Coach Stacy 21:44

I could not have said that better. That is scripture. That's straight up basic instruction before leaving Earth, aka the Bible, that your body is the temple. And What happens in the temple and not to get too spiritual, religious for your people. Give me a second. God dwells in the temple. And so to your point of making that, caring for that as a vessel of the most high, as a vessel of the creator of the universe, that that care is what you're what you're showing, right? The temple holds something. It's not just an empty temple, right? It holds something. And even your spirit, it carrying your spirit to interact with other spirit on a day-to-day basis is worth honoring. Okay.

Coach Wayne 22:56

Yeah. Yeah. No, that's powerful. Stacey. For women, are there certain physical checklists testing that you would recommend at midlife that women make sure that they get done? I know neither of us went to med school, but are there things that we ought to make sure that our audience hears that we they should be touching?

Coach Stacy 23:21

Yes, I think you're correct. I didn't go to medical school. I am a health educator. I haven't brushed. I didn't know Wayne was gonna throw me a medium ball. But the reality is that many of us are hearing, whether it be on TV ads or reading in the newspaper, the incidence rate of heart attacks in women in midlife. It's not, it's they're not happening primarily in their 30s and 40s. They're happening in their 50s and 60s, right? So really taking care of your heart. You talked about diabetes and prediabetes, right? As our bodies change, as the hormones flow around, there are ways that well, part of the change impacts how we process foods and how our bodies process sugars. And so I know that this is not just a woman's thing, but you know, really paying attention. You talked about do you know your numbers? And of course, you know, mammography and still going for your gynecological health is still important. Even if you feel like you're older now, and and maybe, you know, you feel like that means you don't have to pay attention to your gynecological health. Let me just correct the record. You do.

Coach Wayne 24:47

Thank you, Sace. And you know, we touched it both, both of us. We're talking about for the guys, check on your heart for sure. One of the ways that it happens is with your regular blood pressure checks. We were talking about checking on your cholesterol level. You know, the cholesterol supposedly is a measure of what's happening with the health of your arteries. And you don't want to have those clogged up. It's like driving a car where the engine is clogged up. You will sputter till you stop. And these things are manageable, preventable. Check on your prostate, check on your gut, make sure that you're getting those exams to check on how you're doing with your gut health.

Coach Stacy 25:41

Yeah, I think it's important too, Wayne, that we remember blood tests, right? Some of us go to the doctor. I realize, like as I compare notes with some of my friends and colleagues, you know, some of some of their primary care physicians are ordering just, you know, regul the regular blood panels that most docs order. Some of them are doing that regularly and some of them are not. Some of them have to request. So, as a steward of your health, as you, if you haven't made an appointment in a while, as you make the appointments you need to make, prepare to advocate for yourself in a way that makes sure you get the tests and the surveillance that you need so that you can, as a steward of your health, so that you can better intervene early if numbers fluctuate.

Coach Wayne 26:46

Yeah. We know that aging is inevitable, Stacy, but there is some control and agency that we have, irrespective of genes uh that we were given, that we can do something to usher in illness, diseases by how we care ourselves. And and I want to share that. Ever since I was a kid going to the doctors, he would all they would always say, Are you exercising? Are you eating right? Are you sleeping? And are you happy? In other words, what you eat is important, and we gotta be intentional and mindful about the food, especially now with so much processed stuff out there with toxicity and everything. What we do in terms of exercise, Stacey, most of us we're not built for sedentary living, but we sit on our hiny for two-thirds of the day. Yeah, yeah, right at the office, watching TV or in the car or whatever it is, we're seated so much. Get up and do some exercising, even if it means just walking around in the office space while you're on a call, right? And and sleep, Stacey. Oh my gosh, sleep hygiene and sleep is so important. We don't realize, and they're finding out today, by the way, these days, that they can tell longevity, Stacey, by something on your cell called a telemere. And really, really, a lot of that is indicated in terms of longevity by what we just talked about, and sleep plays such an important role.

Coach Stacy 28:44

Yeah, it sleep is critical, and I know that in particular for a lot of women in the midlife season, sleep is a challenge. You know, the hormones, the fluctuations, the changes can really wreak it. And I would say, you know, as we touch on some myths, that allowing yourself or telling yourself that, well, this is normal, I just have to go through it, is a myth.

Coach Wayne 29:21

Yeah.

Coach Stacy 29:22

That that is a myth. And the because sleep is so important to regulating your blood pressure, to you know, helping your body restore and renew itself, talk with your provider about the changes in your sleep to really see what ways can you naturally, and if you need some type of chemical medical assistance, what ways can you move through this without the myth of I'm fine or this is normal, but you can really move through it in a way where you feel as empowered as possible that you are playing an active role in your health in this season.

Coach Wayne 30:15

Yeah, yeah. And the key you said it, Stacey, is to consult with a an expert, someone that that knows the stuff, a medical provider.

Coach Stacy 30:26

That knows you too.

Coach Wayne 30:28

That knows you, yeah. Yeah, because there is a a signature amount of sleep and food and exercise that each person has that's suited for them, not something that is in a book that covers everybody, right? We all have to figure out what works for us. And Stacey, I I would be remiss if I didn't say, as a person who deals with the mind, that our mental health impacts our physical health as well. And so when we're looking at how we handle life as life is life and we're midlife and above, your mental health needs to be managed, checked, and uh and kept healthy as well.

One Action Step This Week

Coach Stacy 31:22

I would agree, and I would add that your soul also needs care, right? You as a spiritual being, whatever that means to you, needs care. And even if it is that that time to just be, right? And just to rest, to pause, to breathe, right? To really not just go to the doctor, take care of yourself externally and internally, but really spend a little bit of time caring for your soul, your being.

Coach Wayne 32:05

Yeah, thank you. Stacy, let's give our listening audience some takeaways along with perhaps some recommended action steps. And one is just remember that your body whispers before it starts screaming.

Coach Stacy 32:22

Don't ignore the whisper.

Coach Wayne 32:24

Don't, yeah, prevention is power, folks. And and I would add number three being your health fuels your purpose.

Coach Stacy 32:33

I would agree. And we recognize that if taking care of yourself is not your norm or is not a habit that you've developed, if going to the doctor or paying attention to those whispers that Wayne mentioned is not your norm, take one action this week. You know, one step. Make one appointment. Acknowledge one thing that's going on with your health. Have an honest conversation with yourself, and then make that appointment so that you can have an honest conversation with your provider.

Coach Wayne 33:18

And this isn't about fear, y'all. This is about ownership and responsibility.

Coach Stacy 33:24

No, we get to permit ourselves to take care of ourselves, right? That's what it is. We want to live with power and purpose and peace and prosperity. You have permission to take care of yourself. I give myself permission. I give you permission, Wayne. You have permission to take care of yourself.

Coach Wayne 33:45

Yeah. Remember to hit that subscribe button, folks. And if you want to catch Coach Stacy in the real real, Coach Stacy, tell the folks how to catch you in the real real.

Coach Stacy 33:58

In the real real. If you are listening to Midlife Revolution Unleashed or catching a replay on LinkedIn, Facebook, then you know how to reach me. And if not, you are welcome to connect with me at the StacyMlewis.com. I am so excited to be a co-host of this show. Coach Wayne, tell the folk how they can get in touch with you.

Coach Wayne 34:24

Well, Stacy, they can hit my website, viptransformative living.com, check on any of my handles there and DM me. And I listen, Stacy, I have this assessment that I've been talking about for a long time. Folk is free. Just come in and grab that assessment and kind of measure up where you currently are.

Coach Stacy 34:45

We will make sure it's in the show notes. So if you are catching this on your favorite podcast player, thank you so much for being a listener to Midlife Revolution Unleashed. Check out the show notes, you know how to reach us. Don't forget to subscribe, like Wayne said. We appreciate you and the gift of your time.

Coach Wayne 35:06

Stace, I'm so I'm so egged on to go. I'm about to go to the doctor's right now. Sit down and wait till he opens up.

Coach Stacy 35:14

Maybe call, make an appointment.

Coach Wayne 35:17

Yeah. So, Stacey, let's let's let the folks know that I'll see them at the top.

Coach Stacy 35:24

I'm cheering y'all on.

Coach Wayne 35:27

Bye for now.

Coach Stacy 35:28

Thanks for tuning in to Midlife Revolution Unleashed. We're grateful you're part of this journey.

Coach Wayne 35:33

If you love this episode, share it, subscribe, and hit that notification bell so you don't miss another episode.

Coach Stacy 35:40

I'm Coach Stacy, and I'm cheering you on.

Coach Wayne 35:43

And I'm Coach Wayne, and I'll see you at the top.