Author(s): Michele Cox; Maia Jackman

Mind, Body & Spirit

There is no question that we all have tough times in our lives, no matter how relative they are. For women aged between 40 and 65 years, the challenges seem to be particularly wide-ranging and deep-reaching during this time. Health concerns, financial worries, menopausal transition, deaths, frustrated goal attainment, work-related problems, and last but not least, family or relationship issues, are all at the forefront of a midlife woman's thoughts. Some women cope with this barrage of change, many others don't.Dr Michele Cox and Maia Jackman, two middle-aged former Football Ferns, were experiencing many of these issues but they wanted to murder middle age and come out the other side better than when they went in. As a result, they embarked on a journey of openly sharing what they were going through with an amazing whanau/family of women from all walks of life who were prepared to help other women going through this transitional period by telling their stories and/or contributing their professional expertise. In some cases, these women were sailing through middle age, but others not.The culmination of the combined experiences and generosity of this whanau is a guide on how women can come to grips with a difficult time and most importantly, know that it is definitely okay to have a period of time where things aren't ideal. Adversity presents an opportunity to reset and go again with a different focus, that may actually be more beneficial. Murdering Middle Age contains an eight-week programme (broken into beginner and intermediate stages) that will help women to be the best they can be in terms of nutrition and exercise as a base, and practical tips on managing major issues that present themselves in midlife.