Reinventing Yourself at 48: Breaking Plateaus and Setting Boundaries

What happens when you decide to completely rewrite your life story in midlife? At 48, I've transformed from weighing 390 pounds and drowning in debt to losing over 150 pounds, becoming debt-free, and discovering a passion for wellness that I never knew existed.

This episode dives into the mindset shift that changed everything: recognizing that we are the writers, directors, and main actors in our own stories. When you don't like how your story is playing out, you have the power to change it—regardless of your age or past experiences. The future truly is a clean slate waiting for your reinvention.

After hitting a frustrating 45-day weight loss plateau, I share exactly how I broke through with strategic changes to my routine. From increasing fiber intake to 25 grams daily and restructuring my eating schedule to front-load calories earlier in the day, these practical adjustments yielded immediate results. My 5 AM gym sessions, lunchtime walks, and morning stretching routine might sound ambitious, but I'll explain how they've become non-negotiable anchors in my transformation journey.

Beyond physical changes, we explore the concept of "romanticizing" everyday life in midlife—playing French jazz while cooking or placing fresh flowers in unexpected places to create moments of joy and beauty in ordinary routines. These small yet powerful practices remind us that life is meant to be savored at every age.

Perhaps most importantly, we tackle the often misunderstood concept of boundaries. Rather than walls that push people away, boundaries are actually love notes to ourselves that honor our needs and protect our peace. Learn the critical difference between trying to control others versus clearly communicating how you'll respond to certain behaviors, and why following through on boundaries is an essential act of self-respect.

Whether you're looking to transform your health, relationships, or simply rediscover joy in midlife, this episode offers both inspiration and practical strategies to help you protect your glow and step confidently into your next chapter. Your midlife reinvention starts now!

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Brown Puffer Vest

Sam Edelman Brown Sneakers

Chapters

• 1:36 Episode Introduction
• 2:43 Monday Mindset: Rewriting Your Story
• 5:58 Breaking My Weight Loss Plateau
• 12:34 Romanticizing Life in Midlife
• 19:15 Amazon Finds Worth Sharing
• 21:53 Life Coaching: Boundaries as Self-Love
• 30:36 Episode Wrap-Up

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:01

Well, hello. It's episode 19 of the Midlight Glow Report. I'm Jax, your host. So happy to be here today and this week with you. Um, so today is going to be a little bit of a shorter uh podcast episode. I'm going to touch on some things. And um, so I was a little bit out of a time crunch this past week putting this episode together, but we will make do with what we have. Um, today I'll be giving you some Monday mindset um idea, and then I will be discussing my weight loss journey and how I have recently broken a plateau, a long-standing plateau. Um, and then um how I'm uh two new ways on romanticizing my life now at 48 years old, and then um some items I've bought recently from Amazon that I want to highlight and I'll link in the show notes, and finally just a quick life coaching chat about boundaries. So, yeah, we'll get started here right now. So, this is the Monday mindset for today. Rewriting your story. The first time I came across this um idea was about three and a half years ago. This was my lowest point in life, really, when I weighed about 390 pounds. I was in debt over my head, living paycheck to paycheck. I had just gotten laid off from an amazing position as an underwriter that I worked remotely for a while. And so this is the concept. You are the writer, director, and main actor of your story. So if you don't like how the story is playing out, change it. It doesn't matter what happened in your past, the future is a clean slate, you can reinvent yourself. Every day brings with it the opportunities to start a new life. You get to choose your identity at each and every moment. So who are you going to be? It's up to you to decide who you're going to be from this day on. What are you going to do? So now at 48 years old, I can literally say I love the gym. I love wellness. I love healthy nutrition. I have dropped over 150 pounds. I love mindset. I love well-being. I have always loved skincare, but now I see the importance of it. I always have loved style, but now I have the confidence to wear it. I am no longer in debt. I have paid over$32,000 in debt. Um, and I no longer have hardly any credit card debt. I am in a good place. It took me three years to get to this point, and I still have more to go on this journey. I still have weight to lose. I still have some certifications I want to get. I want to get my coaching business um all up and ready. I want to get retreats in the future, and I want to get this as a full-time gig. So this is something I'm working on on my journey. And this is why I show up online to keep myself accountable and to help other women like me, like you, who are looking to reinvent or improve themselves, you know, 40 or over in midlife, and glow up and make positive changes in their life, that it is possible, that it's never too late. It's not going to be easy, and you will need discipline, patience, and persistence. But the results will come. It is your time to make some effort and persist, persist and persist. You cannot give up. You need to fasten your seatbelts and have some fun. It is time to glow up and reinvent yourself if you are looking to make changes. So that is what I wanted to talk about Monday mindset that you are the main character and it's never too late to reinvent yourself. I am an example of that. So, next we will talk about um a plateau that I've been on for the last 45 days or so. It broke last week. Um, I'm so excited. I know it sounds so, you know, minor, but I lost three pounds last week, which is huge when you're just flatlining for about, you know, over a month and you're doing everything you're supposed to do. But I did do make some changes and I'll let you know what they what I'm doing right now and what's working. So I did increase my fiber intake. I was doing about 15, 20 grams, and now I'm doing about 25 grams of fruit and vegetable fiber. So um it really has made such a difference, I think. I think that is a huge, huge benefit. You know, fiber is is not as highlighted. Everyone talks about the macros, carbs, fats, proteins, but fiber is so important, especially in midlife. Fruits and vegetable fiber. Um, so I've increased that. And that was about 10 days ago. Um, so that really maybe kicked it in gear, I'm thinking, to help me lose the three pounds this past week. Um, I'm going to the gym consistently four days a week. I use the weight machines for about 30, 35 minutes. I will do hit for 20 minutes. Um, and then I will sit in the sauna, which I absolutely love. And uh I'll do that for 15 minutes. Sometimes I have to scoot out there early because I have my phone in there with me and it overheats. So I have to be careful with that. I don't want to break my phone. But um I have the sauna, and that is how I start my mornings. I go early in the morning. I leave my house at 4:30, 4:45. I am in the gym by 5 or 10 to 5, and I'm out of the gym by 6 o'clock, uh, 6, 6.15. I am home and I'm ready to shower, wash my face, get my makeup on, dress, um, have a quick breakfast, pack my lunch, grab my water and coffee, and out the door to work by 7:50. So that is how I work it in the mornings. And on non-work days, I may go a little bit later, maybe between five and six, but I really love working out in the morning. It sets my whole day and I just feel so accomplished by the time six, seven o'clock a.m. rolls around. I mean, I've done so much and it feels amazing. Um, so I'm going to the gym consistently. I am walking every day at lunch during work days. I walk, uh, I'll either walk a park or I'll walk to Target and I'll walk walk the plaza there because we're in a plaza, my bank. Um, so I will walk around. You know, weather's been really good lately. If weather turns bad, I will walk TJ Maxx or Target and or Sephora, which is right down the way. And I'll I did that that too this past week. I browsed um Sephora, which was so fun, you know, to see what's new and what's out. Um, I did not bring my wallet, so I did not, I was on a spending spree, which is so easy to do at Sephora. But um I did browse, and there's a lot of good things out there right now and some things I do want to try. Um, so I do my walking every day um for about 30 to 40 minutes, um, even on gym days. Um, and I uh started incorporating stretching in the mornings. I wake up, I get my water, uh, tongue scrape, get my water, get my coffee, and um I do my stretches. I use an app called the Bend app, and I do some stretches from this app. Um, I do it for about 15 minutes and I feel so good afterwards. I feel alive and awake. This really awakens me, and my body is so flexible, it's getting better and better. I've been doing that for about two weeks, and that is so important, especially when you're over 40, to keep your body flexible and moving. So I'm doing the Bend app. Um, I have switched my eating habits. Uh, before I was fasting from like seven or eight o'clock at night till one o'clock the next PM the next day. I am no longer doing that. I am eating a large, healthy breakfast. I'm either having eggs and vegetables or I'm having protein coffee and fruit. And so I'm getting enough protein. Um, when I have the eggs and vegetables, I may throw in some chicken sausage as well. So I'm getting about 20 to 30 grams of protein plus fiber. And um I eat that before I go to work. And then I have a medium-sized lunch, you know, a protein and a vegetable, and um, and then a smaller dinner, a protein, some vegetable and fruit, smaller than I was used to eating. So I've I've I've heavied the load in the morning and diminished by dinner time comes. And so at 6 o'clock p.m., I am done eating, and then I won't eat till 715 a.m. the next day. And so yeah, that's what I'm doing regarding my eating habits. Um, I only drink water, black coffee, unsweetened green tea, and low sodium beef bone broth. That's all I drink. That's it. Um, and I do have a ton of water. Um, I'm gonna cut back on the coffee. I went for blood work yesterday, just um uh semi-annual follow-up blood work, and I had to fast because my blood work appointment was not till uh 4 or 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon. So I did have to fast, um, which was difficult, but I'm telling you how dependent I am on caffeine. I did not realize I had a headache all day, and then I literally had some green tea when I got home after the blood work appointment and my headache disappeared. I am so dependent on green tea, and I have to wean myself off of that. So that is something I'm starting this weekend. I'm going to drink less and less coffee and green tea. Green tea doesn't have as much caffeine, but it does have some. It doesn't have as much as coffee. But the coffee I've been drinking does have a lot of caffeine, the cold brew, and I need to wean myself off of it and diminish some of it. So that's something I'm starting this weekend. I I'm really dependent on it and that's not healthy. Um, I am eating between 1,400 and 1,500 calories per day. Um, so that's my calorie intake. I do take supplements supplements every morning. Um, and um I take it with my my breakfast, and I use a stand-up desk at work. I am in a sit-down position office environment, and um I every 45 minutes I have a timer on my phone. It dings. I stand, I lift my stand-up desk, and I I move. I stretch, I move, I twist, I touch my toes, and I I kind of like um uh set step side to side um while I'm listening to music in one ear or podcast, waiting to speak to a client. So yeah, I have used the stand-up desk for about every 45 minutes, I stand for 15 minutes and do some movement. So that is what I've been incorporating lately. So yeah, something I'm starting new this week. I'm gonna be doing it every three months for five days, is the Proloan reset. Uh, Proloan P-R-O-L-O-N. I don't know if any of you heard of that. It's been out for a while. Um, it's a reset uh nutritionally uh with uh your cellular cells. Um I'm really excited to try it. This will be my first time. It's supposed to come in the shipment today. Um, I'm a big believer of the health benefits regarding fasting and what it causes is autophagy, which is kind of a cleaning, a spring cleaning of your cells, your cellular uh makeup. Um, it clears out waste, it boosts energy, it supports longevity and improves resilience. Uh, when you experience autophagy, it's usually when you're fasting or when you're exercising, or of course when you sleep. That's why sleep is so important. It really cleans out all those dead cells, those zombie cells. Um, so it really is beneficial uh for health. Um, so this will rejuvenate my cells for five days and uh reset my body. It is science-backed and it activates cellular cleansing through the process again of autophagy. Um, you also will lose weight. Um, it clears out cellular waste while protecting your muscles and supports your overall health while nourishing your body. So it's it's a I got the NextGen package, which is 100% organic pre-made soups and bars, crackers and olives. That's all you eat for five days. Um, organic tree or tea, and I drink to preserve muscle. So it comes with organic tea uh that preserves muscle. Uh the cost was$215 uh for the five-day uh supplement plan, the food plan. Um so I obviously bought very less in groceries this past week or for this coming week. I just bought from my son. Um so uh there was a discount. I got 20% off. Um I'm really excited to try this. You know, of course, I'll see the scale moved, but just uh the reset of my cellular health really will do uh, I think a drastic improvement. Um so I'm I'm excited about this. I know many women here online have tried it and documented it. Um I will uh let you know next week how it went and what the results were, obviously with the scale, but how I felt, how I did, you know, if it if I was at all full or if I struggled. But it is a sense of fasting for five days, but you are getting nourishment from the food and teas and bars and crackers and olives. They are, you know, you know, nutritionally designed to give you enough nutrients and protein to preserve that muscle and keep you going, but to also experience autophagy, which is that cellular reset. So, yep, I'm trying prolong reset uh starting uh probably today or tomorrow, once the shipment comes in. So that's something new I'm trying. Um, next, uh, I'm gonna talk about romanticizing your life in midlife. Yes, all the young girlies do it, and you know, I'm doing it too. I hope you give it a try. Um, I mentioned it last week, a couple things I did, and I did something uh new this past week, two new things. So in my kitchen, when I'm cooking or getting ready, putting the dishes away, cleaning up, setting the table for dinner, um, you know, cleaning, um, just in there in general, or when I'm doing laundry or um, you know, uh cleaning, dusting the house, things like that. Um, I'm playing French jazz music in the background. Isn't that different? It kind of projects an atmosphere of elegance, you know, it's timeless French jazz music. It's a romantic quality. Um when it fills up the room, it feels like you've transported yourself to a cozy Parisian cafe. Uh suddenly your kitchen isn't just a kitchen, right? So that's something else I've been doing. It boosts joy and energy, the upbeat rhythms. Um, it kind of is a playful melody that activates your brain dopamine pathways, making routine chores feel lighter, right? Feel fun. You have fun energy, fun music. Um, the other thing I've incorporated is I bought some fresh flowers and I put them in uh different, different areas of my home. I put a vase with fresh flowers in my foyer, and I also put a vase of flowers in my main bathroom. So I thought that would be kind of surprise and delight in the everyday, right? It's different places to see and smell fresh flowers. It's unexpected. Um, it creates a little moment of surprise. Um, so that's something else I did. It um, you know, when you're in the foyer um and you come into the house, it kind of sets the tone of when you leave and come into the home by seeing and smelling these fresh flowers. It engages the senses, the fragrance and the color and the texture of the flowers. So yeah, in short, flowers in your foyer and your bathroom transform routine moments, you know, like walking in the door, brushing your teeth into occasions that whisper life is meant to be savored. So yeah, that's how I've been romanticizing my light, fresh flowers in my foyer and bathroom, and then playing French jazz music as I cook and clean in the house. So those are two things you could try something fun and romantic and light and really bring some joy to yourself in the everyday tasks. So yeah, that's that's something I've been doing. So I think I mentioned last week that I became an Amazon-approved influencer. So I'm gonna throw out there some products I recently purchased this past week, and I am like thoroughly impressed. Uh, I mean, the prices are so reasonable compared to other stores. It's shipped right to your house in a couple days, and the quality isn't really not bad. So I bought bought a wool belted coat from Peace Glad. Um, it's a winter trench coat for women. It's long, double-breasted, belted pea coat in camel, and it is so cozy and it looks so good with jeans or with trouser pants, and um, it's so cute, and it's like a darker camel color. So I will link that in the show notes, as well as a fall vest, a puffer by Dakota Women's Oversized Chocolate Brown Puffer Vest with a stand-up collar. It's so fun, so cute. I think all the young girlies are wearing it, and why can't I wear it too, right? And I love the color chocolate brown. I love browns, I love blacks and creams, but browns is such a rich color. I really love it. And then uh speaking of brown, I bought Sam Edelman Women's Talus Sneakers in Cafe Noir and Antique White. So these are brown sneakers with a gum uh base, you know, that gum-colored base with some uh antique white highlights. They're super cute. I think a lot of them are sold out, but you can get them at like Nordstrom's or whatnot. But I think they were like$90 or$110 on Amazon. So I will link that and the fall vest and the wool coat in the show notes. Super cute, super fun. All the fall vibes, and you've got to check them out. Um, I'm getting my Amazon influencer shop um page already. I've been adding all my favorites that I literally owned. This is stuff I own and love, and that I am highlighting on my page and suggesting that you check out and possibly buy if it fits your needs. Um, so I am putting that shop page together. It does take some time because there's a lot of thought with it, right? I want to make sure I'm doing things that I know and love and that are worth the money. Um, I don't want to represent myself incorrectly or the products that I suggest. And I want to encourage if you're looking for a puffer and I found one, check out my site. So that should be up and running within the next couple weeks. But um, yeah, um, so I will link these three items in the show notes. Okay, so this is how we're gonna end the episode with a life coaching chat. We're going to be, it's gonna be a little bit serious, but not really. I'll keep it as light as possible. This life coaching chat today is about boundaries and creating boundaries out of love for yourself and others. So this is some real talk, and boundaries are one of the most misunderstood but powerful tools we have in midlife to protect our peace, create healthy relationships, and step into our reinvention with confidence. So we're gonna touch on boundaries. For many of us, boundaries sound scary. We think of them as that will push people away, cause conflict, and make it seem that make us seem difficult. But here's the truth: boundaries aren't walls. They're love notes to ourselves, they're how you honor your needs, your values, and your worth. So, what are boundaries really and what they aren't? Boundaries aren't about controlling other people. That is not what they're about. Um, how you can't make anyone behave in a certain way. Instead, boundaries are clear guidelines you set for yourself what you will and won't allow in your life. Think of it like this: a boundary is saying, here's how I will respond if this happens. It's not saying you must do this or else. That's not what a boundary is. An example, um, you a manual control. You can't ever raise your voice at me. Um, that is a manual. That is not healthy. A boundary, which is a self-care um item, a practice, is if you raise your voice, I will leave the room. That is a correct way, and that is a boundary. Do you see the difference? You're not telling someone not to raise their voice. You're saying if they raise their voice, I am going to leave the room. So you're not trying to control them, you're giving your response. And um, so that is what a correct boundary is. Uh, why we struggle with boundaries? Many women um that I've spoken to, um, especially in my coaching training, uh, they struggle to set and keep boundaries. And the reason why is they're afraid of conflict. We as women are usually afraid of conflict. We don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. We seriously hope people will just know what we need. We worry we'll lose the relationship if we speak our truth. But here's the catch: when you don't set boundaries, resentment builds up. You end up frustrated, drained, and even angry because people keep crossing invisible lines that don't that they don't even know exist. So that is uh some of the boundaries. Um boundaries are how you show people where your lines are. Without them, intimacy suffers. With them, relationships become clearer, healthier, and more real. So that's why boundaries are so important. From a neuroscience perspective regarding boundaries, um, they help regulate your nervous system. When you're clear about what you'll tolerate, your brain doesn't have to stay consistent in a fight or flight mode, um, scanning for threats or disappointments. Boundaries give your brain predictability and safety. And when your nervous system feels safe, you have more energy, focus, and creativity for things you actually want in midlife, whether that's wellness style, relationships, or rediscovering your passions. Boundaries are healthy, even in a neuroscience perspective. Um, the hard part is the following through, right? Here's where it gets tricky, tricky. It's one thing to say, if you do X, I'll do Y. It's another to actually follow through. This is where most of us get stuck. We think, well, I don't want to upset them, or maybe they didn't mean it. And so we back down. But when you don't follow through, you teach yourself and others that boundaries aren't real. That's when resentment, drama, and anger really starts bubbling up. So following through is an act of self-love. It says, I matter, my peace matters, my truth matters. So in truth, boundaries are an act of love. The most powerful boundaries come not from anger, but from love. When you work through your feelings until you feel calm and say, Here's my truth. You set boundaries in a way that invites deeper connection. Boundaries set with love sound like I care about you, and this is what I need to take care of myself. I love our relationship too much to stay quiet, too much to stay quiet when I hurt, when I feel hurt. This is what I will do to honor myself, these boundaries. And yes, sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice the relationship if boundaries are violated repeatedly. That's not selfish. That is a sense of self-respect. So those people who who who are your triggers are actually your teachers. Ever notice how certain people push all your buttons? Those are often your greatest teachers. Why? Because they show you exactly where you need boundaries. Instead of spiraling in frustration, you ask yourself, what boundary would protect my peace here? What truth am I afraid to speak? What am I tolerating that I no longer want to tolerate? Every time you set an honor a boundary, you grow in courage and authenticity. So here are some ways to flex that boundary muscle or those muscles. This is a way to practice your boundaries. You can use a journal prompt, write down one area where you feel resentment or frustration. Ask yourself, what boundary would release this? You could practice saying it out loud in the mirror, rehearse boundary statements calmly and lovingly as an example. If you cancel last minute, I won't reschedule. That is a boundary you could practice in the mirror. You could do a boundary audit, list three situations where you often feel drained. What clear requests and consequence can you create? You can have a boundary buddy, share a boundary with a trusted friend or family member who can lovingly hold you accountable. And then you could do a self-compassion ritual every time you follow through on a boundary, celebrate it with a small act of love, a walk, a journal entry, or a simple acknowledgement of your courage to act. So, as a closing, boundaries aren't about pushing people away. They're about drawing closer to yourself, your truth, your values, your peace. When you love yourself enough to set boundaries, you invite others to love you more authentically too. So this midlife is your season to awaken, to step into reinvention and to stop tolerating anything that dims your glow. Boundaries of how you protect your glow. You don't have to shout, fight, or control. You just have to stand in love, courage, and clarity. That's when midlife becomes the most beautiful chapter in your life. So keep glowing and honor your boundaries. So that's it. That's a wrap of episode 19 with the Midlife Glow report report. Um, I'm Jax, and I thank you for sticking along for this entire episode. If you did, um, if this episode spoke to you, I would be kind enough to leave a review. It helps other women like you find this podcast. Um, so if you'd be kindly to leave a review, you can find me on social media at jax styles, J A X S T Y S on Instagram, uh, Facebook, uh, TikTok, threads, uh, even Pinterest, which I'm starting to create new boards. Um, so you can find me on if you have questions or suggestions of what I should cover or questions, you could DM me. Um, you could text me through this podcast as well. So check out the show notes. I thank you for listening. I thank you for your time. I hope you have an amazing week ahead. And I will check in next week. Thanks again. Love Jax.