Why doing less might be your most powerful healthy habit in midlife
Rethinking what keeps us unwell
For years, many of us have believed that better health is just a diet plan away. Eat the “right” foods, lose weight, follow the rules, and life will feel good again. You’ll feel confident, good enough, “normal”. But what if the reason you’re feeling tired, foggy, or disconnected isn’t about food at all?
In a recent conversation with Justin Janoska, author of The Post-Dieting Comeback, we explored why so many women in midlife feel stuck in the exhausting cycle of trying to “fix” themselves with more restriction and hustle—and why this may be exactly what is keeping you unwell. Perhaps the answer to improving your health in midlife is about doing less, not as a result of doing more.
What Justin shared totally resonated with me as I this was me. I felt completely overwhelmed and lost for almost all of my adult life up to my mid-forties, and I only ever focused on dieting to try to make myself feel better and give me the confidence I lacked. Looking back, I can see how I was stuck trying to change how I felt with the same approach, just tweaked a little each time - less carbs, no sugar, calorie counting or maxing out juicing.
Changing what’s causing you to feel sluggish, frazzled or unwell, needs you to change the way that you think about what being healthy really means.
The hidden cost of always doing more
Justin works with women living with autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, but what he shared applies to all of us. Here’s what’s at the root of what he shared about the cost of doing things the same way, telling yourself you just need to try harder:
Perfectionism.
People pleasing.
Always doing more.
The silent stress that sits in your nervous system for years.
As Justin said: “The person who got you sick can’t be the person who gets you better.”
It’s confronting, isn’t it? For so many of us, the version of ourselves that has coped, strived, and held it all together for years is the same version we expect to help us heal. Except it doesn’t work this way.
Chronic stress: The real missing piece
Autoimmune conditions are on the rise, particularly for women in their forties and fifties. But it’s rarely just about genetics or what’s on your plate.
Chronic stress, hidden emotion, and the “striving” energy that drains us day after day are often the real triggers that tip us into illness. The hormonal shifts of perimenopause can be the final straw, but the groundwork is often laid long before menopause comes along.
Why dieting won’t heal what stress has created
So many women double down when they feel unwell, lacking in energy, or just totally overwhelmed—eating less, cutting out more, pushing harder.
But if diet alone worked, we wouldn’t keep looking for the next plan every January, or scrolling TikTok for the latest weight loss answer.
Your body isn’t asking for more restriction. It’s asking for safety.
Healing begins when you look at who you are, how you’re living, and where your energy is going. When you learn to do less—to create space for silence, solitude, and stillness—you show your body it’s safe to rest and repair.
Three simple steps to start shifting
Justin shared three ways to begin building new habits if you’re ready to feel better without pushing harder:
1️⃣ Self-Awareness
Notice the stories you carry. Where are you still trying to prove your worth? Where do you feel unsafe to rest? Begin by observing without judgement.
2️⃣ Listen To Your Nervous System
Practice how to drop in to yourself, to connect to your mind and body. Use tools such as meditation, or even five minutes of quiet, journaling, or gentle movement.
3️⃣ Visualise Who You’re Becoming
Instead of focusing on what to cut out, imagine how you want to feel. Picture your future self—calm, clear, energised—and spend time connecting with her.
You are not lazy for slowing down
There’s so much noise telling us to do more, try harder, and fix ourselves. But what if the bravest thing you could do right now is pause? What if the path to feeling clearer, stronger, and more like yourself is giving yourself permission to rest?
If your first thoughts when you think about slowing down are that you don’t have time, or it’s just not what’s possible for you, take some time to dig into what’s behind these beliefs. So many women hold on to beliefs that the more they do, the busier they are, the “better” a woman they are.
“Doing less might feel radical at first, but it may be exactly what your body has been asking for all along.”
Try this today
Take five minutes for yourself today. No phone. No tasks. Just your breath and the question:
“How do I really want to feel?”
Start there.
If this resonates, listen to my conversation with Justin on Women’s Health Unwrapped:
Like this topic? Find out more with these additional FREE resources:
Listen to my episode with guest Melissa Rose as she explores The mindset shift you need to improve your health
Research-backed guided reflection practices to build self-awareness and reduce inner criticism with Dr Kristin Neff
Get Justin’s free The Autoimmune Mastery Roadmap
Check out InsightTimer.com for a whole library of free meditations to help with stress, anxiety, self connection and much more!
Feeling stuck in a cycle of doing more, yet still not feeling yourself?
You are not alone—and you’re not failing.
If you’ve spent years pushing, striving, and trying to hold it all together, only to feel disconnected, exhausted, and unsure what your body needs now, it doesn’t have to stay this way.
My free Perimenopause Revival Guide will help you take gentle, manageable steps to reconnect with yourself, support your energy, and build a mind-body connection that allows you to feel stronger and clearer in this season of life.
Inside, you’ll discover practical, realistic ways to slow down without guilt, tune into what your body needs, and create habits that support you—without overwhelm or quick-fix pressure.
Download your free guide and start rebuilding your health in a way that truly lasts.
