Aging Isn’t the Enemy, So Why Are We Treating It Like One?

There’s a lot of noise around “anti-aging.” You see it in ads, product labels, captions, and even in wellness spaces. It’s subtle sometimes, but the message is loud and clear: aging is a problem. A flaw. Something to fight, fix, or erase.

That mindset is doing more harm than good.

Aging isn’t a failure it’s what happens when we keep living. From the moment we’re born, we’re aging. So this idea that we should somehow avoid or reverse it makes no sense. And yet, somehow, that’s become the goal. Especially for women.

The Confusion Around What “Aging Well” Really Means

Somewhere along the line, we started confusing “aging well” with “looking like we haven’t aged at all.” But those are not the same thing.

What if we stopped asking, “How can I look like I did before?” and started asking, “How can I feel good right now?”

What Aging Well Looks Like Now

Aging well is about feeling steady, strong, and clear-headed. It’s about waking up with energy, being able to handle what the day throws at you, and having confidence in your body, not because it looks a certain way, but because it shows up for you. It’s about building capacity for the life you want to live now, not clinging to old expectations.

“Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.”
 ~ Betty Friedan

My Own Shift in Perspective

I’ll be 61 soon, and I’ve noticed a shift, not just in my body, but in how I think about aging.

There was a time when I was still chasing the version of myself from a decade ago, back when I was competing, training hard, and had everything dialled in. At the time, how I looked mattered a lot. And while that season served me, it’s not where I am anymore.

Now? I still care about how I look, but I also care about how I feel: in my body, in my day-to-day life, and in my overall wellness. I'm not trying to rewind the clock. I'm focused on staying strong, steady, and clear-headed. That shift didn’t happen overnight, and I’m still working on it, but it feels a whole lot better than constantly chasing an old version of myself.

This isn’t about giving up or letting go. You can still care about how you show up in the world without being at war with your age. It’s not all-or-nothing.

How to Support Your Body Through Aging

Yes, our bodies change. Hormones shift. Muscle mass declines. We don’t bounce back as fast. But that doesn’t mean it’s all downhill from here. It just means we need to support ourselves differently and smarter.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Often, it’s the basics done consistently that make the biggest difference:

• Move your body (especially for strength and balance)
• Eat in a way that supports energy and blood sugar
• Prioritize sleep (seriously)
• Manage stress instead of powering through it
• Check in with how you’re actually feeling, not just how you think you should look

I talk to my clients about this all the time. It’s easy to get caught up in appearances, but how you feel in your body that’s what guides real change.

Let’s Change the Way We Talk About Aging

Getting older doesn’t have to mean getting smaller, quieter, or sidelined. There’s value in experience. In wisdom. In years lived.

You don’t have to prove yourself by pretending you’re not aging.
You just have to take care of the body and brain that are taking you through the rest of your life.

Aging isn’t something to fear. But the way we talk about it?
That’s what really needs to change.

I’d love to know, has your perspective on aging shifted over the years? Drop a comment and share what aging well looks like for you.