I have an announcement.
Inflammation and I separated years ago. This year, I’m making it official.
It’s been a long, complicated relationship. It showed up uninvited in my 30s, moved in without asking, and left its socks on my body’s floor for years. Then I found the door (more on that below), and slowly, plate by plate and breath by breath, I showed it out.
But here’s the thing about an ex like inflammation: it keeps a spare key. A stressful month. A run of bad nights. And one recent eight-week holiday where, frankly, I opened the door and handed it a pastry.
So this year, I’m changing the locks. For the next twelve months, I’m taking the anti-inflammatory lifestyle I’ve been building for years and upgrading it: sharper habits, new skills, fewer loopholes. Not a diet. Not a detox. Not a 30-day « transformation » with a before-and-after photo where the « after » is just better lighting. A whole year of levelling up how I eat, move, sleep and breathe, one day at a time.
And I’m going to do it out loud, right here, with the wins, the wobbles, and the moments I end up face-first in a chocolate cake (it will happen; we’ll get to that).
I’m calling it My Anti-Inflammatory Year. Think of it as an upgrade, not a fresh start. You’re very welcome to come along.
If you remember one thing from this article, let it be this: the magic isn’t in never falling off. It’s in the RESET. (More on that button in a minute.)
Where I come from
A quick recap for anyone just arriving (hello, welcome, the kettle’s on).
In my 30s, MS gate-crashed my life and refused to leave quietly. The treatments that followed knocked me sideways: my sleep went haywire, my weight did whatever it fancied, and my energy packed a small bag and left without a forwarding address. The hardest part wasn’t even the tiredness. It was the feeling that my own body had stopped taking my calls.
Then, after a lot of treatment, side effects, and late-night Googling, I stumbled onto Dr Kousmine’s work, and with it the idea that what I put on my plate might actually matter. Food first. Then movement. Then I slowed down, breathed, and listened. Bit by bit, I found my way back to a body that felt like mine.
(Quick but important note: I’m not a doctor, and nothing here is medical advice. This is simply my own experience of what has helped me.
And now, a confession
I recently came back from an eight-week trip with my family to Tunisia.
Now, here’s the ironic bit. Tunisian food is naturally full of anti-inflammatory goodness: olive oil, chickpeas, lentils, herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits that actually taste of something. The ingredients were right there, practically waving at me.
That’s no coincidence. It’s essentially the Mediterranean way of eating, which researchers have studied for decades, and olive oil, tomatoes, leafy greens, nuts, and fruit all appear on Harvard Health’s list of foods that fight inflammation. My family in Tunisia didn’t need a study to tell them that. I, apparently, did.
And I ate… everything else as well.
Those eight weeks were basically one long, happy Thanksgiving weekend. The kind where you say « just a small piece » and mean it, and then it’s somehow Thursday, and you’ve been saying it since Monday.
I regret nothing (the family, the sunshine, the laughter, the pastries). But I’m back now: back to my routine, my work, my blog and my fitness. And I’m giving myself the time I need to regroup and recentre in everything from nutrition to movement to sleep.
Which makes this the perfect moment for an upgrade. Not from a place of perfection, but from a very real, very human, slightly-too-much-baklava place.
My not-so-glorious moments
Let’s be honest from the start, because you’d find out anyway.
My big weakness is the energy crash. When my energy drops and everything starts to feel like too much, my brain holds a very short meeting and reaches a unanimous decision: we deserve a treat. Then another one. Then a strategic review of the biscuit tin.
And I’ll admit something else. I sometimes give myself full, official permission to fall off the wagon. A proper cheat day. And when I say cheat day, I mean anything goes: chocolate, cakes, pastries… (the dot-dot-dot is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence).
For years, I thought a day like that meant I’d failed. Now I see it differently. I’ve learned that the magic isn’t in never falling off. It’s in what happens next.
I press RESET. And I carry on.
No guilt spiral, no « well, I’ve ruined it now; might as well finish the box », and no starting again « on Monday » (Monday has enough on its plate). Just reset, breathe, next meal, next day.
I suspect this is going to be the most useful thing I share all year.
What keeps me going
Now for the good news, because there is some.
Yes, I’ve run marathons. (I’ll pause here while you picture me glamorously crossing a finish line. Now replace that picture with a red-faced woman wondering why she signed up for this. That’s more accurate.) I’m proud of those.
But here’s the surprise: the most anti-inflammatory thing I do isn’t on my plate at all. It’s much smaller and much quieter.
Every morning and every night, I come back to my body. Yoga. Qigong. Breathwork. 20–30 minutes when I wake up, another 15–20 before bed. Nothing dramatic, nobody filming it, often in slightly questionable pyjamas.
That little habit has done something no marathon ever could: it keeps me connected to my body, even on the days I’m not treating it especially well. Even during eight weeks of Tunisian pastries (especially then).
It’s also why I believe this year can work. Not because I’m disciplined 100% of the time (see previous section and the cake), but because I’ve already proved I can build a small habit and keep it for years. And one small habit is exactly where a transformation starts.
What I’m hoping for (and the gap)
Here’s where I am today: freshly back from holiday, a little heavier on the goodness-to-pastry ratio, energy wobbling, and slowly finding my rhythm again.
And here’s where I want to be in twelve months:
- More flexible, in body and in mind
- More bouncy (yes, that’s the technical term)
- Aligned in body, mind and spirit
- More confident, more full of life
- In charge of my own health and wellbeing, rather than just hoping for the best
That’s quite a gap. Some days it’ll feel huge. But I’m not trying to jump it in one leap. I’m going to cross it the only way I know works: one day at a time, one plate, one stretch, one early night.
If, a year from now, I can look back and say,« all I had to do was take care of me, one day at a time, » I’ll call that a win.
But honestly, what I’m hoping for most isn’t about me. It’s that somewhere along the way, this helps thousands of women like you do the good things for their own wellness and happiness. Because feeling good after 50 shouldn’t be a secret, a luxury, or something that only happens to people in adverts.
Why this is your journey too
Whether you’re just starting out or, like me, have been at this for years, I have a hunch you recognise some of this. The good intentions. The holiday that got slightly out of hand. The energy dip that ends at the biscuit tin. The quiet wish to feel lighter, stronger and more yourself again.
So here’s how this year will work:
- Every month, I’ll share an honest update: what I ate, how I moved, how I slept, how I felt, and what went sideways.
- Every week, a short update by email and on Facebook: five lines and a photo, what worked, what didn’t, and one thing I’m trying next. (Join my list below so you don’t miss them.) And the articles on GoToGoodness will share what I’m learning along the way, from protein to sleep to gentle strength.
- Every time I fall off the wagon, you’ll hear about it. And you’ll see the RESET too.
You don’t need to do it perfectly, and you definitely don’t need to do it alone. That’s why I call the women who read GoToGoodness the Thrivers: we’re in this together.
Over to you: what’s your biscuit-tin moment? Tell me in the comments. I promise mine is worse.
Your questions, answered
What is an anti-inflammatory lifestyle?
It’s a way of living that keeps long-term, low-level inflammation down: lots of colourful plant foods, regular movement, good sleep, managing stress and not smoking. My complete guide to anti-inflammatory eating after 50 walks you through the food side.
Do I have to give up everything I love?
No! It’s about what we add, not just what we cut out. Most days lean on whole plant foods, and there’s still room for the occasional treat. Perfection isn’t the goal; consistency is.
How can I follow your anti-inflammatory year?
I share a short update every week by email and on Facebook, plus a monthly round-up here on the blog. Sign up below for the free 7-day meal plan and you’ll get the weekly updates too.
Want to start alongside me? Grab my free 7-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan below. It’s exactly how I’m kicking off my upgrade this week: simple, plant-based, protein-packed, and delicious enough that you won’t miss the pastries. (Much.)
I’m so glad you’re here. Now let’s go to goodness, together. 🌿
— Your fellow Thriver, Zohra