Walk Your Way To A Midlife Glow

Ready to glow from the inside out? We dive into a midlife blueprint that pairs joyful movement, simple money systems, and a mindset reset you can start today. First, we unpack why walking is a powerhouse for women over 40: it supports hormones, improves insulin sensitivity, lowers blood pressure, and sharpens focus without joint strain. You’ll get ten actionable ways to make walking irresistible—from mood-matching playlists and rotating scenic routes to safety tips, shelter dog strolls, and gentle intervals that boost heart health. We also talk gamifying your steps, capturing creative sparks on the go, and choosing comfortable, confidence-boosting gear that makes you want to move.

Then we shift into a financial glow-up that runs on autopilot. Think high-yield savings with labeled buckets, recurring 401(k) and Roth IRA contributions, and autopay for essentials to protect your credit. We share a smart twist many overlook: using a rewards card that deposits cash-back straight into your retirement account, plus a 48-hour rule for any nonessential purchase over $50 to reduce impulse spend. These small systems compound quietly, building momentum toward freedom and peace of mind.

We close with a mindset practice that actually changes results. A morning journal prompt sets your focus, while an evening thought download paired with a simple cognitive model helps you separate facts from stories, shift unhelpful thoughts, and choose actions that align with the life you want. Along the way, we spotlight budget-friendly products we’re loving—from open-ear headphones and a roomy cold plunge to a smart scale, resistance bands, and healthy pantry swaps—so you can experiment without overspending. Stay tuned for our rebrand to Midlife Glowgetter, uniting the podcast, newsletter, and community. If this conversation sparked an idea or lifted your day, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to help more women find their glow.

SHOKZ Headphones

Oak Essentials Deodorant

Ice Doo Recovery Cold Plunge

Flackers Organic Flax Seed Crackers

Figure 8 Resistance Band

Posture Scale

FitIndex Measuring Tape

Seventh Generation Wipes

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Episode Roadmap
• 2:10 Why Walking Supercharges Midlife Health
• 4:55 Ten Tips To Make Walking Fun
• 17:20 Safety, Scenery, And Walking Buddies
• 24:05 Mindful Walks And Interval Boosts
• 29:10 Gamifying Steps And Dressing The Part

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:02

Well, welcome back to the Midlife Glow Report, the space where we talk about glowing up after 40 and evolving into the woman of our dreams in midlife. I'm Jax, your host, and today's episode is going to be full of tips for walking, your finances, products I've recently purchased and I'm loving, and a mindset practice I'm using in my life, and I hope you do as well. So let's get started. So first things first, let's dive into the first segment. 10 ways I make walking every day enjoyable and fun. So walking is um something that should be enjoyable and part of a lifestyle, not a chore. It's not something you have to do, it's something we should look forward to do, something we are lucky enough to do, uh, that we get to do. Uh walking is one of the most powerful ways to care for your body, mind, and spirit, especially in midlife. It balances hormones and supports metabolism. Walking helps regulate cortisol, it uh improves insulin sensitivity, and um, it also strengthens the heart without wrecking your joints, um, which is unlike other impact, high impact workouts. It doesn't strain the knees or hips. Walking strengthens your cardiovascular system gently, it lowers your blood pressure, it improves circulation, it helps reduce the risk of heart disease, uh, it protects your brain, it increases blood flow to the brain when walking, it improves memory and focus while reducing the risk of cognitive decline. It's like recharging your brain's battery with fresh oxygen. It boosts mood and eases midlife anxiety, it releases endorphins, you know, those happy little chemicals that kind of make you feel calm and centered and resilient. Uh, it adds sunlight uh when you're out walking outside to your body with vitamin D. It uh increased uh increases your body to be more mobile and toned and ageless. It improves posture and flexibility and muscle tone, especially in the legs and the core. It is a great way to maintain your bone density and balance because that's something we face as we get older uh as women. So those are some uh reasons why you should walk. But you know, in order to stick with walking as an everyday thing, or at least, you know, three or four times a week, maybe five. I try to do it every day, but as long as to make it a daily practice, um, you need to make it feel good and exciting. And I have some tips that I use that I hope you can as well to help you look forward to your walking dates. And so we'll get started here. Um, so tip one is create a playlist that matches your mood for that walk. Uh, something maybe upbeat or nostalgic or calming, whatever you're feeling that day. Have a playlist ready so you can play it while you walk. Uh, music releases dopamine, it boosts energy, and it makes the 30 or 45 minutes that you're walking feel like five minutes. Um, I have so many playlists, and I use Spotify. I have uh several Taylor Swift playlists that I play when I'm in a certain mood. I have uh the 1975, which is a band playlist. I have two or three of them. I have the Summer I Turn Pretty playlist for all three seasons, seasons one, two, and three. Um, I have so I have different movie playlists of my favorite movies or series with the uh music from that movie or series on that playlist. Um I have different bands, different eras, like 80s, 90s, different, different types of music, country, um, even classical. I have a playlist. So yeah, have a playlist ready. Have several of them. So when you're ready to walk, you can pull the one that fits your mood that's gonna get you through that walk and put you in good energy. So that's my tip number one. So tip number two, turn your walking date into university learning on foot. What I mean is have things to learn from while you walk. I mean, why not? Listen to certain podcasts and make you learn about a subject that you're passionate about, different audiobooks, maybe a language app. Use it wisely, your time while you walk, if you're in the mood. Um, I do this all the time. I have so many podcasts that I go to um that I've saved over over time. Um, I could listen here, such as maybe the Life Coach School podcast, Zoe, Energize, Extend, Feel Bet Better, Live More, Um, The Ed Mile Show, So Money, Uh, TED Talk Daily. I could keep going on, Lipstick on a Rim, um, the Personal Finance Podcast, Wellness Her Way, Rich Roll. I there's so many, and I try to keep up with them, which is very difficult uh just because of time. But um have podcasts ready, your go-tos, and listen to that latest episode to keep you on track and to learn something new that you're really interested in, what you're passionate about. Um, have audiobooks, have a subscription to audiobooks through Amazon. I do that. Um and I do purchase additional credits. I listen to audiobooks all day, especially when I walk. Uh, so have an audiobook ready for your walk. Um uh have maybe a language app, maybe try to learn a different language. Uh, I also have courses from Udemy and Coursera that I listen to and watch while I walk. So really uh make the walking worthwhile, especially if you're trying to enhance your skills to make additional money or with your profession, or maybe you're trying to start a business. Use your time, the 30 or 45 minutes, you know, uh habit stacking your uh habit stacking while you're walking, you're getting exercise and movement, but you're also using your brain and you're learning something new. So that's tip my number two. So tip number three, rotate your routes, your walking routes. Use nature trails, city streets, beaches, or indoor malls when the weather is not good. Uh novelty keeps your brain stimulated and prevents boredom. Every route is a new mini adventure, so keep things different, keep things fresh. I literally also change routes around my house, around my neighborhood daily. Not just for the change in my mind and the new adventure, but there's another reason for safety. I don't have the same walking route every day at around my neighborhood. You know, someone could really be watching you and keeping track of your regular routes, and you don't know what that could develop into, what could happen. So I highly suggest you change your routes around your neighborhood and change the scenery. Try different areas around your city or different cities in the area. Make things fresh, make things new, make it a mini adventure. Um, also, we have a park system here called the Metro Parks in Northeast Ohio. It's also known as the Emerald Necklace. It's award-winning. It's all throughout our counties. And um, I do walk that to keep things fresh. They have different routes around water, around nature trails, um, nature preserves. So yeah, you know, just definitely keep things fresh and try something new. So that's my tip number three. So tip number four, get a walking buddy. Um, I just did a devotional walk with my church, with some church members that I met. Um, and that was such a great experience. I also walk with some friends of mine. I walk with my son once in a while, walk with family. Um, get a go-to walking buddy. There's so many reasons for this. You know, it keeps the it helps you keep the pace up when you hold conversation and keeps your spirits high. Also, when you make plans with someone to walk, it keeps you and them accountable. It builds connection and which, when you're accountable, it builds up consistency. So get yourself a walking buddy. So tip number five, use your walking time to spark creativity. I do this in so many different ways. First, I have an uh album saved on my phone that's my sparks joy list. And I, you know, on my walk, I take pictures of rabbits and birds and squirrels and flowers and different landscaping ideas, pretty doors on houses, um, pretty porches that I find. Um, anything that really sparks joy on my walk, I take a picture. Um, also when I come across an idea in my mind, I record a voice note and save it while I walk. I research Chat GPT with different ideas and brainstorm. And if it's something I find that I like, then I copy and paste it to my notes app. I also scroll social media. Um, you know, I use that to be create creative and to find different ideas of what different content content creators are doing and what I could learn. And I do save that information as well. So I really use the time to spark creativity and sometimes with my walks. So that's tip number five. So tip number six, if you have a dog that is totally built-in motivation, that is a win-win for you and your dog, um, make time to walk your dog. Uh, I used to have a dog. My little puppy Louie passed away two and a half years ago. That was my little shihtzu. I have not had the heart to get another dog. Uh, so, but if you have a dog, that would be a great thing to do. Make it a habit. If not, you could volunteer and walk shelter dogs. I've done that a couple times since my dog passed away. It is movement with purpose. Um, it's a lot of fun. Plus, the dogs just love it. And it also relieves stress from the volunteers and workers at that shelter. So you can walk a shelter dog. Um, it's a good thing. Uh, something else that you can do if you have a cat or another type of animal, you can get an animal stroller. You could walk that animal into stroller. They have netting that covers a stroller, so it protects them from jumping out or running away. Uh, but they also get the fresh air and the sunlight. So you could walk your animal in a stroller. So that's tip number six. Walk your animals or volunteer and walk a shelter dog. So, my tip number seven is slow down and make your walk a moving meditation. Notice the colors, the sounds, the breeze, and your breath. Uh, walking and being in the moment, no music, no earbuds, no phone. Look around and smell the fresh air, especially in the morning. See a sunrise or a sunset. Really is this is a really lovely, lovely and relaxing moment. So make it a moving meditation. When you do this, it reduces stress while you're nourishing your body. So I highly suggest you try this tip number seven. So, tip number eight, add short bursts of speed. This is also called Japanese walking. Do three minutes at a regular pace and then three minutes sped up a faster pace while walking. And do this on repeat over and over again for 30 or 45 minutes. Try this two or three times per week. It's interesting. It challenges your heart, it boosts fat burn, it creates you to be able to sweat and you know, um move your blood, create blood flow. Um, so this is big results over time. So I highly suggest you try Japanese walking. So tip number nine, gamify your walks. Track your steps, earn badges or set many goals like to the park and back. I do this in so many different ways. Maybe I'll add an extra five minutes to your to my walk, or I'll walk an extra 500 extra steps. Um, so I do track my steps on my Apple Watch. Uh, by the way, um, you should really track your steps. I use, like I said, the Apple Watch, and you know, I know they're kind of pricey. I got mine refurbished from Best Buy, and I've had it for four years and never had an issue. So gamify your walks, track your steps, earn badges, and set many goals while you walk. It builds momentum and little wins and makes it fun. So finally, my tip number 10: make your walking date look good. Make yourself look good. Invest in cute sneakers that are also comfortable. Outfits that make you feel amazing and confident. I do this all the time. Um, I have uh about five or six sweatshirts from Old Navy, which is from the men's department. They're in all different colors in their hoodies. They are so cute. I have pale yellow, sky blue, peach, all these different colors, and I love them and they're warm on a cold uh morning uh walk. So invest in clothes you love. I also buy several items from HM. Um, you know, I am on a budget, especially with losing weight, and I'm growing out of clothing, so I don't buy expensive clothing, but HM has an awesome um selection of athleisure that's cute and on trend and young and vibrant. So I highly suggest you try that store. I also, my go-to for sneakers is New Balance. They're cute, they're fun. Plus, I have a wide foot and they have a big selection of those. Um, I even have a couple shoes that I have on repeat that I always repurchase. And New Balance shoes wash well. I throw them when they're dirty in the washing machine, I let them air dry and they wash well. So buy clothing you love that makes you feel confident, amazing, and dress the part when you walk. Also, sometimes when I take an everything shower and I blow dry and style my hair, then I'll put on some lip gloss and SPF and maybe a visor or sunglasses, and I go for a walk right after my everything shower, especially if I don't plan on building up a sweat. So you can really look the part and feel the part and feel amazing on your walk. Uh, so it's mind and body. So I highly suggest you try that. So I hope you enjoyed these tips. I hope it provided you with inspiration and motivation to go for a walk today. It sure did for me, and I'm definitely gonna go for one this afternoon. So I hope you enjoyed. So the next segment is some financial glow-up tips I am practicing and I'm gonna share with you. Uh, so we'll get into it. Tip number one, automate, automate, automate. Automate your savings contributions. I have a high yield savings account that I have an automatic payment coming out of my checking twice a month, two days each after my check hits my account from my employer. Um, and I have that going right to my high yield savings account, which has buckets for my emergency fund, my vacation fund, my fund money, and my vacation property I'm selling for. So automate your savings. Automate your retirement account savings. I have two retirement accounts. I have 401k and a Roth IRA. Both of those are automated. Um, so I don't forget and keep things on track. So automate your retirement, automate your credit card payments so you don't forget, so you don't miss that payment, so you don't get a lay charge so it doesn't ruin your credit. Um, automate if you have an auto loan, automate that payment every month so you don't forget. Um, I automate my ATT accounts, my phone bill, my home internet, and my streaming. I automate all those and plus I get a discount. So automate your required um your required bills. Automate them. That's tip number one. So my tip number two is I have a Roth IRA with Fidelity. And connected to my Roth IRA account, I have Fidelity credit card. Um, and everything I charge gets points, which turns into cash. That cash gets automatically deposited in my connected Roth IRA for retirement savings. And so everything I purchase on my Fidelity credit card that I pay off every month in full, I make points, which turns into cash and I add to my Roth IRA. It keeps consistency and um it's just extra points. And I think it's like three points. So maybe if you have a Roth IRA or an IRA, maybe they have a connected credit card you could check out. So that's my tip number two. So my tip number three, if you have a purchase, if I have a purchase greater than$50, I have a sleep-on-it rule for 48 hours. On 48 hours, I think about it. If it's Amazon, I keep it in my cart or I save to my list. Um if it's something else, I add it to a running list I have on my notes app of things I'm thinking about purchasing. And so I always have a sleep-on it rule if it's over$50. Um, but I do save it on my notes app list. So if something I think about again that I'm like, man, I really need that. That would really benefit me. And I have the running list, then maybe I'll then pull the trigger and purchase it. So I always have a sleep-on it rule when I want to purchase something that's not a necessity, that that's not planned, and that's over$50. So that's my tip number three. So I hope you enjoyed those financial tips. Now we're on to the next segment, which are some products that I have purchased, which is which in the last 30 to 60 days that I am so loving and I want to share. And all these are on Amazon. Uh, the first product has not been the last 30 or 60 days. I've been purchasing since COVID. It is a brand of cleaning products called Seventh Generation. Um, it is they are natural, they are easy to buy on Amazon and they're affordable. Um, I highly suggest you try that brand. I love it. It's seventh generation. I use it for all cleaning products in my house, anything you can imagine. So seventh generation. Um, next thing I I bought recently is the Shocks Open Dots one, open ear headphones. Um, they have a phenomenal sound. They're open ear, they're totally comfortable. Um, I'm in love with them. I bought the light gray color. So I try, I suggest the shocks um open dot ones if you're looking for new earbuds or earphones. And shocks is spelled S-H-O-K-Z. Uh, next thing is a deodorant I have recently tried, and I so love it. It is called Oak Essentials Microbiome Balancing Deodorant. It is aluminum-free and it really works. The best smell, it uses blue tansy for all day protection. So it is blue color but goes on clear. Um, and it's called Oak Essentials. Great deodorant. Um, then I bought an ice dew recovery ice plunge bath for outdoors. I am starting to do cold plunging. It is so healthy for your body, it increases blood flow and um prevents inflammation. It keeps that in control, which is something I've been dealing with. Plus, it was 40% off. It was only$89. It wasn't those small tubs that are circular. It was a long, it's a long oval tub. Um, so it is larger in shape, so it's more comfortable to get into and to stay into. So it's called the Ice Dew Recovery Ice Plunge Bath. So a new cracker that I've tried, and my son loves, which is surprising because he is a picky eater. It is called Flackers Organic Flaxseed Crackers, and they have different flavors. Flackers F-L-A-C-K-E-R-S organic. They are the healthiest crackers I found. No saturated fat, high in fiber, no sugar, um, and they taste great. And high, so the high in fiber thing really got me in the no saturated fat. So the flackers organic flaxseed crackers. And I found those on Amazon as well. And then next, I bought a figure eight resistance band that I use while I work, sitting or standing at work, and I so love it. I bought a pink one, they're totally affordable. I think it was like eight or nine dollars, and they have good resistance and they're figure eight, so they're super easy to use while stretching and pulling. So those were on um, they have different kinds, different colors. That was on uh Amazon. And then next, the fit index body measuring tape with an app. Uh so I measure my different body parts, and it's so easy to use this tape. Um, it's perfect to measure all parts of my body body easily. Um, plus it keeps track in the app. And I think it was like$20 or$30 also on Amazon. Finally, I bought a new scale. It is a body weight and fat percentage platforms digital scale, and it weighs up to 400 pounds. It's called the Posture Scale. Uh, it was only$99 and it comes with an app. Um, it's a full body composition analyzer and it has voice props. It is uh competitive to that high name brand, which I'm not gonna mention here. It's kind of like a dupe, but it's totally affordable, totally works. I love it. Had no issues with it yet. I've had it for about 30 days. So it's the posture scale. Um, and so all these will be linked to my show notes. You could check out uh all through Amazon. All these are affordable, and so these are helping me in my daily life. So I do share, I don't gatekeep. So those are some products I'm loving right now. Finally, I'm gonna dabble into a mindset practice that I have been using on and off for years, but lately I am been doing consistently, and that is journaling. Journaling, yes, uh, which I do twice a day now. The morning journal, I use a journal prompt um in the morning, uh, you know, after I wake up, after I buy water and coffee, and I check my emails and I check my bank accounts, and I to quickly take a look at my social media accounts to see if I have any messages. Um, and then I have a pretty journal that I purchased from Amazon. It's got a floral motif, and I have prompts saved in my notes app on my phone, and I pick one and I write it down in my journal, and then I journal it. I answer the prompt. I respond to it. Um, you could get these prompts through ChatGBT or Perplexity, any AI app based on your preferences. Uh, they it gives you a huge list. You can have a running list saved on your notes app or another area. You can buy journal prompting books. Um, you could look at blogs or websites. I do post this journal prompt on my social media in the morning so I let people know what I'm writing about. So that's what I do in the AM. But in the PM, I have another notebook, and this is my thoughts download notebook for the PM. And this is something I learned when I got my life coaching certification from the life coach school, um, life coach school. So what I do is the day, that day, I had different thoughts in my mind: negative, positive, neutral thoughts. I write them, just throw them down in the new book notebook. No, no order, no, no rhyme or reason. I'm just throwing thoughts down that I thought. And then I look at them and I think, okay, these the ones that are negative thoughts, I look at those and I think, wow, why was I thinking that thought? Where did that come from? And then I use what's called the model, which I learned in uh life coaching school. And what it is, it is a basic model that you follow, which can change your results. How you how you how result comes from a circumstance. So you have a circumstance, right? And that is a neutral fact. That's something you can change. An idea would be um, an example would be your boss sent you an email. A boss sent me an email. That is a neutral fact. That's not opinion, that's not a result, that is just a fact. And then from that circumstance, it creates a thought, which then creates your feeling, which then creates an action and then result. So the example is your boss sent you an email. So that thought um was you read that email, and the thought that's in your mind from the email is um maybe he doesn't appreciate me. Okay, that's a thought that's something we can control, not the circumstance, but the thought we can control. So that thought pipe pops in my mind that he doesn't appreciate me, which then develops into a feeling, which is the next part of the model. And that feeling from that thought, from that circumstance, the feeling is resentment. So I have resentment now, right? So then the action is um from that resentment is um I'm I become resentful, so maybe I am procrastinating, or um, I avoid my boss. That is the action, which then creates a result of him wondering what's going on and creates animosity between us. Uh, so that's the result. But then you have um your thought download and a negative thought download, you can apply it to this model intentionally, and this is what you do. You you have a circumstance, and then you have this thought you wrote your thought download. Change that thought. Maybe it's a negative thought, maybe change it into a positive thought with this intentional model, which then creates a different feeling and then a different action, and finally a different result. So that's what I'm saying. Control your thoughts, which then change your feelings, actions, and results. But remember, you can't chart change the circumstance. The circumstance is a neutral fact. So this is called the model model, and I apply it to my thought download every evening. I do one or two examples on negative thoughts. So um, that's something I learned in life coaching school. Um, and why this works? Uh, because, well, really, um, circumstances you can't change, but your thoughts and your actions and your results and feelings, you can. You could get better results, maybe a better relationship with somebody, maybe a better outcome. So control those thoughts which control your results. And that's how you can make your life more worthwhile, happier, you know, more productive. So that's why this model matters. So that is my final segment. Um, also, I want to let you know that I am rebranding this website, uh, this uh podcast. I'm in the middle of creating a new website with my designer, and uh with that comes more for more uh more organized formatting with my different outlets here, including my podcast, my newsletter, my Facebook group. Uh, so it's all going to be uniform. It's gonna be called the Midlife Glowgetter. Uh, that's a newsletter, Facebook group, and uh podcast new name, the Midlife Glowgetter. So you will see it in the next two to three weeks. Um, it'll have a new thumbnail, a new image, but it'll all be the same content. Everything to with glowing up in midlife and improving your life. Everything from wellness to finances to style to beauty, really making midlife the best time of our lives. And that's what this podcast is about. And the format's not changing, but the rebranding is. So, yeah, expect that coming down in the next two, three weeks. So you do see that, you know that's still me. Um, so that's a wrap. Thank you for listening to this podcast. It really brings me joy to share my thoughts. It's kind of like a release. Um, if you do listen, if you're a repeat listener, I do appreciate you. If you do enjoy this podcast or any other ones, please leave a positive review. If it sparked you joy or anything, leave a kind review. It helps other women over 40 find this podcast and listen to it. But that's it. I wish you guys all a fantastic week. I hope it goes as planned. I hope you achieve all your goals you set forth. And I just thank you for listening and I will check in next Monday. Love Jax.