Three Ways Boomer Girls Are Too Sweet For Their Own Good.

From high blood sugar to weak boundaries, many boomer girls have spent a lifetime being sweeter than necessary. Here is why that may need to change.

Mature, happy woman looking to her future self with better boundaries.

Many of us grew up with the old English nursery rhyme:

"What are little girls made of?

"Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's why little girls are made of."

It sounds charming. It sounds innocent. It sounds like a compliment.

The problem is that many of us over age 65 took it seriously.

We became the helpers, the peacekeepers, the caregivers, the people-pleasers, and the women who put everyone's needs before our own. We became so sweet that sometimes we disappeared and got lost in the syrup.

Ironically, many of us now face another sweetness: blood sugar levels that are higher than they should be.

Perhaps, life is sending us a message.

Maybe it is time for us to be a little less sweet with ourselves and others.

Not to be mean or selfish. Just wise enough to stop sacrificing ourselves.

Here are three ways we are too sweet for our own good.

1. We keep our blood sugar too sweet.

As women age, elevated blood sugar becomes increasingly common. If you have been diagnosed with the sugar disease, Diabetes, you are not alone. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that more than 29% of adults over 65 have diabetes. Like other prominent chronic conditions among older adults, it can be successfully managed. Many of us grew up believing that a little dessert never hurt anyone. We celebrated with cake, comforted ourselves with cookies, and rewarded ourselves with treats.

Unfortunately, our cells don't always appreciate our generosity. Sugar-coated red blood cells become hard like M&M's and can quietly damage the inside of our blood vessels, nerves, eyes, kidneys, and heart. It can rob us of energy and increase our risk for other chronic diseases.

The good news?

We don't have to give up sweetness entirely. We just have to become more intentional.

More vegetables. More protein. More physical activity. More water.

More of the food that is low on the glycemic index, and less of processed foods that cause our blood sugar to ride a roller coaster, can dramatically reduce our A1C over the next three months.

At times, loving ourselves means saying "no thank you" to a second piece of cake.

2. We are too sweet to other people.

Many boomer girls and our older sisters were taught to be nice.

Very nice.

So nice that we often say yes when we mean no. We volunteer when we are exhausted.

We solve problems that don't belong to us. We carry emotional loads that were not ours to carry.

We avoid conflicts because we don't want anybody to be upset.

The result?

We expend our energy while running on an empty tank.

Setting healthy boundaries is not selfish. They are acts of self-respect.

A boundary is about setting up guardrails around what matters. A boundary is saying, "I matter too."

The people who are near and dear to us will eventually learn to respect our boundaries.

If you have a friend who gets upset about your new boundary, that does not mean the boundary is wrong.

It may simply mean that your friend benefited from your lack of one.

3. We are too sweet to ourselves.

This may be the most surprising one.

Many women are extraordinarily kind to everyone except themselves.

We forgive others while criticizing ourselves. We celebrate everyone's achievements while minimizing our own. We notice our wrinkles before our wisdom.

Our mistakes before our victories. Our shortcomings before our strengths.

After 65 years of living, surviving, loving, losing, learning, and beginning again, perhaps it is time to become our own best friend.

Perhaps it is time to speak to ourselves with the same kindness we offer others.

You have earned that. Not because you are perfect, but because you are human.

The northbound takeaway.

Dear boomer girls and our older sisters, maybe it's time to trade some of our sweetness for more spice.

The spice of healthy boundaries. The spice of self-respect. The spice of choosing our health.

The spice of honoring our unique gifts.

The spice of becoming more of who we truly are.

The world does not need us to shrink into "nice".

The world needs the wisdom, strength, experience, and authenticity that only a woman who has lived a long life can offer.

So take care of your blood sugar.

Protect your energy.

Honor your value.

Above all, remember, you were never meant to spend your life being everything for everyone else.

You were meant to become yourself fully.

That may be the sweetest thing of all.

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Until next time, Live, Love, Learn, and Light up the day for another sister.

Please, stay in touch, drop me, Annelie, a note at info@northboundspry.com

Join us, spry Boomer Girls at www.northboundspry.com for free information to stay healthy and happy in body, mind, and spirit. We are waiting for you, girl. ❤️