53 LESSONS ON MY 53rd BIRTHDAY!
Dr. Krista Coombs
April 9, 2025
Last Saturday was my 53rd birthday, and I have to tell you—it was so much freakin’ fun this year! 🎉
Honestly, for the first time since just before turning 30, I was a bit anxious about the BIG 53! That surprised me too because I genuinely believe I’m fortunate to GET TO age. But, once my birthday came, I felt AMAZING and totally comfortable with getting older!
I chose to have some substantial alone time early in the day to reflect on my life. Then I spent the day with loved ones, laughing and celebrating. I took a moment to really soak it all in - because birthdays aren’t just about cake and gifts (though, let’s be real, cake (gluten * dairy free) is important :). Birthdays, to me, are about reflecting on our personal journey, the lessons, and how far you’ve come and remembering life is a gift and to treat it as such.
And let me tell you, 53 looks and feels different than I ever expected.
Younger me was conditioned to believe this would be the age of slowing down, of “taking it easy” in post-menopause.
But here I am, feeling more alive, energized, and excited about life than ever! True story, my friend!
I’m not winding down - I’m literally gearing up.
So in this week’s INSIGHTS for Healing by Design, I want to share 53 lessons I’ve learned in my 53 years - about health, wisdom, career, resilience, and the incredible gift of getting older and bolder (not older and weaker).
Lessons on Health & Longevity
1. Your body is always talking to you - LISTEN. That nagging symptom? It’s not random. It’s a message from your body and if you don’t pay attention and do something different, things will get worse, not stay the same or get better.
2. Hormones rule everything. And you have at least 50 different ones! Ignore them at your own risk.
3. Mitochondria are the real MVPs and are in all your cells (except red blood cells). Energy isn’t about caffeine - it’s about the health of your trillions of cells (and microbes).
4. If you don’t optimize your detox pathways of your body (and there are at least 7 paths), your body will force you to. And trust me, you will NOT enjoy that ride.
5. Sleep quality is a non-negotiable, even over quantity (although both are needed). No, you’re not the “exception” who thrives on four hours. Doesn’t exist. There are major consequences of decline living on less sleep.
6. Your gut is your second (or honestly, maybe first) brain. Treat it appropriately.
7. Test, don’t guess. Stop playing roulette with your health - get the right labs. (If you are ready to dive deeply into your physiology, you can purchase my Comprehensive Bloodwork Package and change your life.)
8. Your liver works hard for you. Support it daily or you’ll struggle with sugar issues, cholesterol issues, detoxification issues, hormone issues, toxicity and much more.
9. Fasting is a gift, not a punishment. Your body was designed to take breaks from eating. Learning what forms of fasting are best for your YOUnique body might take some experimentation and guidance, like from me, but do it.
10. The best skincare EVER? Support your gut’s health, love your liver, and hydrate appropriately for your YOUnique body! Serums can only do so much although I do love my Birch Bees products (Canadian company).
Lessons on Aging & Youthful Being
11. Aging is not something to fear - it’s something to master. And mastery is mostly about your beliefs which determine new actions.
12. Your fifties can seriously be some of your most vibrant years, but only if you decide to do the best personalized actions and design them that way.
13. Forget “anti-aging.” I’m pro-thriving and healthy BEING!
14. Your body can regenerate a great deal at any age. Science backs this up, my friend.
15. If you want to feel younger, behave younger. Play, dance, explore, be curious. Growth for me is my main priority daily, for life.
16. Move your body every day. Not for a number on the scale, but because even a little motion is life giving.
17. Strength training is your best friend, especially as you age. Your muscles keep you youthful, mobile, and strong. Prioritize this today.
18. Walking is underrated. Go outside, breathe, move, listen. It literally changes everything – builds muscles, improves all types of circulation, oxygenates the body, uplifts the spirit, regulates the nervous system, challenges the immune response, and much more…
19. Laugh lines are a privilege, darlin’. They mean you’ve had the privilege of living a life.
20. Confidence is the best beauty trick I’ve ever found. No cream can ever replace it.
Lessons on Wisdom & Growth
21. Healing is never linear. The sooner you accept that, the less judgment you’ll have when it doesn’t go exactly as planned.
22. You can’t heal in the same environment that made you sick—physically or emotionally. TRUTH for everyone!
23. Self-care is being selfish. The more quality care you invest in yourself, the more you have to give to those you want to give to. Sounds pretty self-full to me!
24. Boundaries = love. They protect your peace and your energy and allow others to learn their own life lessons sooner.
25. You don’t need to explain your choices to anyone, ever, unless you truly want to - not your diet, your lifestyle, what you say no to...
26. Intentional resting can actually be very productive and reassessing current habits is necessary to design change. Burnout is not a badge of honor like most of us have been conditioned to believe.
27. Perceived stress will wreck your health faster than any bad diet.
28. Not everyone will understand your journey. And you know what? That’s okay. Not everyone needs to.
29. Practicing Gratitude is a superpower. Use it daily.
30. Everything is FIGUREOUTABLE! There must be a solution to every perceived problem – Yin Yang of life.
Lessons on Career & Building Something That Matters
31. Your Life Vision matters. Even when others don’t see or understand your personal one, it doesn’t matter.
32. Building something from scratch will test every part of you. But it will also shape you. And know that with age comes a history of efforting, so really you are rarely building anything anymore from scratch, but from experience.
33. No one will care as much about your career or special projects as you do. Stop expecting it or hoping for it so you have no disappointment, saving energy to invest in what matters to you.
34. Success is really just something practiced consistently, over time. That’s it. Therefore, likely you’re successful at a lot of things, many of which are a positive in your life.
35. Hiring the right people is everything in a business, as is surrounding yourself with the right people for any venture in life. You can’t do it really well alone. We go farther together.
36. Your reputation is your currency. Protect it.
37. Failure only exists if you don’t learn something and start again.
38. Trust the process. It's never hard for no reason.
39. Never stop learning. The second you think you know it all, you stop growing. Growth is a forever mindset you need to bring awareness to every day.
40. The world needs what you have to offer. Don’t keep it from everyone!
Lessons on Life, Love & What Really Matters
41. Love the people who show up for you. And stop chasing the ones who don’t. You can’t be for everyone and that’s a TRUTH.
42. The healthiest relationships make you feel safe, not anxious.
43. The energy you bring into a room matters because it influences their energy.
44. You are supposed to change, despite others not wanting you to. Do it anyway.
45. You will outgrow some people and grow into others. Don’t fight it. That wastes precious time.
46. It’s okay to let go of things that no longer serve your highest self. Start doing the things your Future Self would be proud of.
47. You’re so much stronger and more powerful than you’ve been led to believe. Every hard thing you’ve survived proves it.
48. The past is a teacher, not a prison.
49. Forgive yourself for what you didn’t know before and you’ll have the space to make better decisions for your future.
50. Be an “Enoughist” (a word I made up 😊) vs a Perfectionist. This way you can have flexibility depending on circumstances, without the judgment that sabotages us.
51. Loving yourself isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity if you want to live your best life.
52. Worthiness is an inside job, not given by others’ opinions of us. Reflect on this until you know your worth in all situations!
53. You can Heal by Design, as I call it. You can learn to confidently make life decisions that are appropriate for yourself at each stage of life without giving your power away to outside sources. If you’re a woman this resonates with, learn more about my private women’s group, The EASY YOUniversity, where I teach concepts like this – love to have you there!)
A special shout out to my clinic administrator and good friend, Lucretia Apperloo, who also celebrated her 53rd birthday this month! We are two powerful women making a difference in peoples’ lives and growing every day into our best selves. Glad you’re here with Lucretia and me on this journey, my friend.
Hope these INSIGHTS and reflections from my 53 years around the Sun have inspired some quality thinking and ideas for change for you today. I’m excited what I GET TO learn in the next 53 years!
Happy Birthday to me & many more to come…
Hugs,
Dr. Krista Coombs xx
DrAc, IFMCP
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