A few weeks ago, I spoke at The Griffin Club in LA sharing my best tips and tricks on pro-aging as part of their wellness series. I was thrilled to share the stage with Dr. Maggie Ney, founder and co-director of the Women's Clinic at the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Ney is also my personal naturopathic Dr. and specializes in female balancing and healthy aging. Keep reading to learn some of the things we discussed in this incredibly informative fireside chat.
Maximizing and embracing the aging process is a journey that women can navigate with grace, wisdom, and self-assuredness. Women have the opportunity to cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves and their bodies, accepting the beauty of their experiences and the resilience they've developed. My pro-age journey is characterized by embracing and celebrating the various stages of life while maintaining a positive and empowered mindset. I like to focus on personal growth, self-confidence, and overall well-being. I have a holistic approach to life that includes physical, mental, and emotional well-being while contributing positively to the world around me. Some of the most important things to me are being authentic, prioritizing self-care, pursuing lifelong learning, and cultivating and nurturing meaningful relationships.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day so it’s easier to make changes in baby steps.”
I started The Glow Girl as a resource for women to educate themselves on how to feel and look their best while going through the aging process holistically. I cover a lot of ground including beauty, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle. My various platforms for sharing information are Instagram, my blog, newsletter, TikTok, Facebook, and Threads. These offer information with concrete tips, tricks, and product picks to live a cleaner, more enhanced life. As an editor for over 25 years, I’ve had the privilege of testing tons of products and services over the years. There's an overwhelming amount of information and products available these days--most of us don’t have the time, energy or budget to sift through it all. My job (and I love it!) is to do the research and personally road-test tons of products and services in order to offer expert advice on what’s cleanest with the best performance. Stay tuned for my Glow Girl Certified Subscriptions launching soon with my vetted lists of curated product picks. Click HERE to sign up to be the first to know!
Below is the Q and A from the recent panel and some of the highlights from what I had to share. Dr. Maggie Ney is also an incredible resource for longevity and a women’s health expert on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Check out her platform HERE for more!
Q & A —
What does Pro-aging mean to you?
Pro-aging is being the best version of you at whatever age and stage. Embracing wisdom and personal growth that comes with aging. Be whatever you want it to be as long as you feel good in your own skin--color your hair or not, get Botox if it makes you feel good, or wear your lines with pride, wear a bikini or a tight dress if you feel good in it.
What are the most important areas to focus our efforts?
For me, it’s not one thing but a variety of things. I was motivated to embark on a clean and holistic lifestyle when dealing with a severe allergy that brought me to see Dr. Ney. She did the blood work and got to the root of the problem. I was missing many vitamins and minerals in my system and had allergies I never knew about that caused chronic inflammation. She immediately put me on a food cleanse and a supplement regimen.
So, I would say nutrition (including some great supplements) is number one followed by daily exercise. Of course, sleep and stress reduction plays a role too. It’s very important to move your body daily. I try to do 10K steps a day and get them in any way I can—even if it means walking around my house or pool. Mix cardio with weight–bearing exercises like Pilates or yoga to prevent muscle atrophy. Be sure to stretch, roll, and massage muscles regularly to keep blood flowing into the fascia, and to maintain good circulation. I use this foam roller every morning and night to massage muscles and maintain good circulation.
What made a huge difference for me was cleaning out my entire house of toxic products including my skincare beauty products. After doing this and then feeling like a new person, I became passionate about researching and sharing my tips with other women. Use the Think Dirty app to identify if the products you are using are safe.
“What you put on your body is as important as what you put in it.”
See Glow Girl Certified Wellness Information, blogs, and lists below:
Read “Use This Not That: 10 Beauty Dupes to Replace Your Toxic Makeup” for some Glow Girl Certified clean beauty swaps.
Healthy nutrition in this stage of life? Can you talk about your top tips and recommendations and why nutrition matters?
Eating leafy greens, beans, fatty fish like salmon to get in Omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats like avocados, lean protein for muscle health, beans, fiber like whole grains, chia and flax seeds. Be sure to hydrate and drink lots of water. It’s also important to limit alcohol, sugars and processed foods—this will also help with weight management.
I found some amazing and healthier replacements for things like sugar, gluten, snacks and drinks too. Taking certain supplements can be very helpful to maximize a healthy diet. Not all supplements are created equal and some have cleaner formulations than others. As a Thorne Ambassador, you can use my link HERE to get an automatic 20% discount on all Thorne supplements.
Click HERE to download My Go-To Supplement Guide for daily essentials (FREE PDF)
Great Longevity Reads:
Favorite innovation in this space happening right now?
There are so many innovations in the proaging space now! I have heard wonderful things about The Prenuvo scan which offers technology for early cancer detection and other life-threatening ailments. Many people are also using continuous glucose monitors to better understand how your body processes and reacts to the foods you consume in real-time. New brand launches solely focused on menopause like Womaness, and Stripes have also changed the landscape for women with products that address the symptoms.
Glow Girl Certified Pro-Aging Product Recommendations:
• Adaptogen mushrooms including powders – My favorites are OM Mushroom brain fuel and the hot chocolate mix.
• Microdosing Psilocybin mushrooms – I have personally found them very helpful for focus and mood elevation. My recommended brand of choice is Schedule 35. I love their chocolates, and they also have teas and supplements.
✱ Use code MelissaMeyers for 15% off!
•Bloom super food greens – Plant based and gluten free, a delish way to get in your daily dose of greens and more!
•ARMRA colostrum powders – This is a great product for your hair, focus, muscle mass, skin—it helps with overall body immune health.
What are some ways to balance hormones and maximize well-being?
I recently went on an estrogen patch and progesterone after years without HRT and as a result feel so much more like my pre-menopause self. Some of the benefit include reduced hot flashes, brain fog, anxiety, bloating, mood regulation and more. If you are not a candidate for HRT, there are non-hormone supplement alternatives that help like Femmenessence and Relizen. Sleep is so important to your overall wellbeing and I find magnesium and theanine to be helpful. I always say self-love is not selfish so practice self-care and mindfulness. Ideas include deep or box breathing exercises, meditation, baths with CBD salts and gratitude journalling.
