40–49: Fabulous in Your 40s

Your 40s can come with increased health risks and opportunities to proactively address them. Small consistent actions can make a meaningful difference in how you feel today and how well you’re set up for what’s to come. Here are some tips to help you prepare.

• Pay attention to how your body is changing. For many women, the 40s are a decade when subtle changes start to show up: sleep feels different, energy shifts, moods fluctuate or cycles change. These experiences may be early signs of perimenopause, which can begin years before menopause itself. This phase doesn’t look the same for everyone, so it’s important to pay attention to what’s changing and what feels different. It’s time to listen closely to your body, ask questions and explore available resources.
• Talk openly about how you’re feeling. Share what you’re noticing with your physician, even if symptoms feel minor or inconsistent. Keep track of patterns, ask questions and explore resources. Understanding and Treating Menopause is a great place to start. Memorial Hermann employees can also take advantage of Midi for additional expert resources, clinical care and a prescription recommendation.
• Track those feelings. Writing down how you feel can help you uncover new or changing symptoms, as well as how certain activities or foods affect your energy, sleep, digestion, pain or stress levels.
• Review your coverage each year. Once a year, you have the opportunity to review and update your health and insurance benefits during Annual Enrollment, typically held in May. Take full advantage of this period to think about the coverage you need for yourself and your family, and whether anything has changed for you in the last year—or will in the year ahead. Your health and wallet depend on the decisions you’ll make. 
• Know your numbers. Pay attention to trends in your blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and blood sugar. These markers can shift gradually and regular checkups will help you spot changes early and talk with your PCP about what a trend means.
• Protect your habits, not just your schedule. Life can be busy. Make sure you continue to prioritize movement, nutrition, sleep and stress management. It’s critical that you preserve (or improve) the routines that support your long-term health—even when you feel like you don’t have enough time in the day.
• Check out Memorial Hermann’s Health & Wellness Categories for tips and tricks across family, fitness, health, lifestyle and nutrition. You’ll find articles written by our experts, along with recipes and podcasts. You can even sign up to receive the latest articles in your inbox. To get you started, we’ve included a few articles in the topics in this section.
• Make sure you have the care team you need and trust, led by your PCP, to help you proactively protect your health and reactively address needs. If you’re covered by a Memorial Hermann medical plan use the Memorial Hermann Provider Directory on Aetna’s website or mobile app to search for in-network providers (look for the MAXIMUM SAVINGS tag to identify MH Preferred Tier providers). Remember, if you use MH Preferred Tier providers, which include facilities, clinically integrated physicians and other providers most closely aligned with Memorial Hermann, you’ll pay less for care you can trust.

Even if you’ve been tracking your biometrics for years, like your blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and blood sugar levels, your 40s bring more risk factors and potential conditions to stay ahead of, including skin, thyroid and colon health.

Whether you’re planning care for yourself and/or your family, talk to your providers about which vaccinations and screenings they recommend based on your ages and personal and family histories. The following resources offer general recommendations:

• Refer to the Memorial Hermann Screening Guide to understand guidelines for women and men ages 18–64.
• Healthychildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, publishes a schedule of well-child visits.

You may be managing a lot, including aging parents, older kids and your career. As overwhelming as this stage can be, make sure you’re making time for yourself and staying healthy and sharp. These resources may help.

Available to employees and family members:

• Spring Health: You have access to up to 6 free therapy sessions and 6 free coaching sessions per year. In addition, the online mental health assessment helps you find the right care for your needs and keep track of your progress. Spring Health will help you find the right counselor for you, and if you’re covered by a Memorial Hermann medical plan, you can continue to see them after your 6 covered sessions by paying your plan’s in-network cost share.

Call Spring Health for:

TIP

Spring Health also offers a library of on-demand digital content for immediate help with stress, anxiety, sleeplessness and more. Content includes short meditations and exercises to help with stress, focus, burnout and mindfulness.

• Memorial Hermann Mental Health Crisis Clinics: These clinics do not require an appointment. Call 713.338.6422 for locations and hours.
• Medical Plan Coverage: Medical plans cover a variety of mental health and substance use services. For information on what the Memorial Hermann plans offer, refer to this plan comparison. Our plans also cover convenient virtual care options. For additional information, call800.334.9778 or log into aetna.com or the Aetna Health app.
• Memorial Hermann’s Health & Wellness Categories. Here are a few recommendations: 
  • Declutter Your Space, Declutter Your Mind: Small Steps for Big Change
  • The Importance of Taking Time Out
  • Mind Games: How and Why You Need to Relax

Employees also have access to the following services, available at no cost:

• Employee Wellness: Confidential, one-on-one therapy sessions from a licensed (LPC, LCSW) counselor. Click the link or email wellness@memorialhermann.org to make an appointment.
• Life in Balance: Designed to help you make lasting changes that improve your well-being with 60-minute health education and skill-building workshops.
• Woosah Mondays: Mindfulness practices for managing stress and staying present. 
• MHU Online Navigating Stress Playlist: Curated stress management videos and coping strategies. Visit MHU and search “Navigating Stress” in the search bar and the playlist will appear.
• Code Lilac: 24-hour emotional support for difficult situations. Call 833.MH.LILAC (833.645.4522) to get started.

Chances are, you have a few full plates to balance in addition to your own. Intentional steps today can provide support for the life you’re living right now and help you prepare for what comes next.

Available to employees and family members:

• Continuing education:
  • College Coach: Free resources and expert advice for navigating college admissions, including essay prep and review, financial aid and scholarships.
  • Bright Horizons: Offers tutoring, test preparation (e.g., MCATs and LSATs) and support for professionals looking to earn a new degree.
• Opportunities to save money:
  • Employee Discount Spot: Exclusive deals on a range of products to help set up a home and care for your family. You’ll also find discounts for auto and home insurance and pet insurance.
  • Purchasing Power: A convenient payroll deduction program for significant purchases like electronics, furniture or appliances.

Employees also have access to the following resources:

• Career development:
  • Learn Well: Memorial Hermann can help you manage the cost of continuing education.
  • Achieve: Career resources, including access to personal career coaches at no cost, to help you develop your career, your way.
• Family Resources: Memorial Hermann can help you plan and care for a growing family with a range of resources, including financial assistance for adoptions, a concierge service for identifying and planning daycare, a backup plan if your everyday care plan falls through and resources for school-age kids.
• Financial protection and planning:
  • Group Legal: If you’re enrolled in the MetLife Group Legal Plan, you have access to expert legal advice for personal legal matters, including name changes, will preparation and updates, real estate transactions and more.
  • Financial Finesse: Free, one-on-one financial coaching to help you plan for all life’s milestones.

Are your kids in or getting ready for college? Do you have aging family members in need of more financial assistance? Are you starting to see retirement on the distant horizon? When it comes to your finances, you’ve likely built momentum through savings and Memorial Hermann contributions to your Retirement Plan. Now is the time to take stock of your progress and make sure you have a solid plan in place to get where you want to go.

Available to employees and family members:

• Fidelity: Fidelity offers general education to help you plan for your retirement. Visit Fidelity.com > Personal Financial > Retirement Education to learn more.  

Employees also have access to the following resources:

This is a smart time to meet with a financial advisor and look at your future with intention. Small changes now, including adjusting contributions, rebalancing investments or refining your timeline, can make a meaningful difference to your planning.

• Call the Fidelity Retirement Service Center at 800.343.0860, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. CT for answers to general retirement questions.
  • Call 866.811.6041 for Personalized Planning & Advice. This is a fee-based service to help you get and stay on course.
  • Visit investor center representatives at one of Fidelity’s retail locations across the Greater Houston Area for professional investment and retirement planning support.

• Financial Finesse: Free, unbiased coaching to help you with the basics, like creating a budget, managing debt and planning for both short- and long-term financial goals.
• DailyPay Earned Wage Access: Get paid as you earn to manage unexpected expenses without financial stress.