130 MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019
RETHINK THIS MALIGNED MIDDLE-AGED RITE
OF PASSAGE, AND REBOOT YOUR HEALTH.
FLASH NEW CAR OPTIONAL.Need a Lift?
Try a Midlife Crisis
WORDS: TOM WARD | PHOTOGRAPHY: FERRARI PR, GETTY/GALLO IMAGES
*HEALTHSPAN | **CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY | †JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGYaccumulated stress. There are, however,
plenty of stereotypes worth embracing.
A UK survey* found the average man
spends R37 143 during his midlife crisis,
with a flashy holiday the most common
purchase. It’s a smart investment. Make
a beeline for the beach, researchers at
the University of Alberta found, and the
extra sunlight will shrink your fat cells.
Explore different cultures while you’re
at it and you’ll sprout new dendrites,
rejuvenating your brain.
According to a 2009 study^1 ,there’s
good reason to invest in the muscle car
you’ve always coveted, too. The roar of a
V8 engine on your commute will spike
your levels of testosterone, the male sex
hormone that droops by 1% per year after- Not only does increased testosterone
aid muscle building, it also provides
energy and revs up your libido.
Carl Jung saw our middle years as a
transitional period between the active
first half of life and a second, more
Clichés about midlifecrises tend to mock the symptoms
without considering the causes. There
may be a certain amount of tragic comedy
in how they manifest, but the reasoning
behind them is no laughing matter.
Anxieties about money, childcare, ageing
parents – a variety of factors collide all at
once, leaving many men’s mental and
physical health broken down. Only a fifth
of men aged 45-54 are within the healthy
weight range. Just 20% take light to
moderate exercise; worryingly, 38% of SA
adults are insufficiently active.
Current research plots lifesatisfaction as a U-bend: overall
happiness sinks after 40, but inches
back up after 60. No one wants to endure
two decades of misery, so surely it’s wise
to do something about it? The midlife
crisis might often manifest as a renewed
interest in boot-cut jeans, but turning
into a reject To p G e a r presenter isn’t
the savviest way to handle 45 years of
THE
DEVIL’S
DETAILS
(^2) YOGA FLYING
Stress is linked to
80% of hospital
visits. After eight
weeks of yoga
and meditation,
subjects in a
Harvard study
reported 43%
fewer health issues.
(^3) DRESS
TO IMPRESS
Researchers†
found wearing
a “doctor’s coat”
enhanced
test subjects’
focus: what we
wear affects how
we think.
(^1) WHEELS
(^) OF FORTUNE
A study** found
that driving a
Porsche spiked
men’s T levels – a
boost attributed
to “sexual
signalling”. Rev
your engine.
reflective phase. It might be time to align
your chakras and take up mindfulness
- a beaded bracelet wouldn’t go amiss.
A 2016 Harvard study^2 found that
genetic expression is positively affected
by the practice of mindfulness and yoga.
The production of happy hormones, for
example, can reverse the negative impact
of work stress on your heart.
Meanwhile, overhauling your
wardrobe (your workout wardrobe, not
those jeans) can boost your gym prowess
through a process called “enclothed
cognition”^3. Having the right gear helps
you feel the part, and the extra confidence
gives you a sizeable performance boost.
Compound the effect with tweaks
to your training. It doesn’t all have to be
about managing decline; switch focus to
endurance, and you’ll make long-term
gains – research suggests you can improve
your stamina well into your 60s. Make this
mental and physical U-turn, and you can
stay ahead of the curve for years to come.
GRAB MIDDLE AGE
BY THE WHEEL AND
EASE INTO THE
NEXT GEAR.THE
DEVIL’S
ADVOCATETHIS MONTH’S
ADVO CATE
Hilda Burke is a
psychotherapist,
couples
counsellor and
author of The
Phone Addiction
Workbook
(Ulysses Press)