What I’ve Learned About Wellness, Fitness, and the Nervous System After 35
Paige Elizabeth
Founder and Coach
(Spoiler: It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing it differently.)
For years, I believed wellness was about willpower.
Eat clean. Train hard. Burn more than you consume. Push harder than yesterday.
But after turning 35, something shifted. My old formula stopped working. No matter how “disciplined” I was, my energy crashed, my sleep was wrecked, my hormones went haywire, and my nervous system felt fried.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not broken—and you’re not alone. Here’s what I’ve learned about wellness, fitness, and the nervous system after 35, through lived experience, trial and error, and some serious recalibration.
1. Cortisol Will Fake You Out
Cortisol is your main stress hormone, and for years I mistook its high levels for energy. I felt driven, productive, and unstoppable—until I wasn’t.
Because when cortisol finally drops, so does everything else:
- Your energy
- Your resilience
- Your libido
- Your sleep
- Your mood
- Your metabolism
That was never vitality. It was survival mode.
And when your nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight, no amount of green smoothies or HIIT classes can truly heal you.
2. Blood Sugar Imbalance Isn’t Always High
We hear a lot about high blood sugar. But low blood sugar can be just as harmful—and far sneakier.
If you find yourself:
- Shaky between meals
- Craving salt or sugar
- Hitting a wall in the afternoon
- Feeling “hangry” or irritable often
That’s not discipline. That’s your nervous system begging for stability.
Women over 35 are especially prone to blood sugar crashes because chronic stress disrupts cortisol and insulin balance. The result? Anxiety, mood swings, fatigue, and hormone chaos.
3. Protein Isn’t Always the Hero
Protein builds muscle, balances appetite, and supports recovery—but only if your body can use it properly.
When you’re:
- Depleted
- Inflamed
- Struggling with digestion
- Living in chronic stress
…high-protein meals can actually spike cortisol, make you feel wired, worsen fatigue, and overload your liver.
Carbs and fats aren’t villains—they’re essential fuel, especially when your nervous system is crying out for safety and energy stability.
4. Lifting Is a Tool, Not a Rule
Muscle is medicine. But more weight, more reps, and more intensity isn’t always better.
If you’re over 35, your body needs a different approach to strength training—one that respects:
- Your current nervous system state
- Your hormonal shifts
- Your recovery capacity
Sometimes less is more. Sometimes more food—not more workouts—is the real solution.
Your nervous system sets the tone for how well you build strength, burn fat, and recover. You can’t outlift a body that feels unsafe.
5. Recovery Is the New Flex
This is the biggest lesson of all:
You can’t punish a dysregulated body into a “better” version of itself.
- You can’t outdiet trauma.
- You can’t outlift survival mode.
- You can’t outwill a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight.
If your body is holding onto weight, inflammation, or exhaustion, it’s not broken. It’s protecting you.
The real flex?
- Healing your nervous system
- Stabilizing your blood sugar
- Rewriting the stories your body has carried for decades
When you give your body safety, nourishment, and regulation, everything changes—your energy, your mood, your metabolism, and your strength.
Final Thoughts
If you’re over 35 and your old strategies aren’t working anymore, it’s not a sign you’re failing. It’s a sign you’re evolving.
Your body is asking for a new kind of leadership—one rooted in nervous system health, hormone balance, and true recovery.
You don’t need to do more. You need to do it differently.
Want to learn how to reset your nervous system, balance your energy, and finally feel like yourself again?
Explore The Women’s Reset Program and start your recovery today.