Fitness Over 40

Happy Birthday to me

Today I am 49 years old.  Usually birthday’s don’t bother me at all, but this one is affecting me.  I’m not entirely sure why, but I have some ideas.  Part of it may be that I am now the same age my mom was when she passed away.  She seemed so much older than I do, but maybe that’s just the perspective we have of our parents when we are young.

Another piece is that I know I am at the crossroads of another transition in my life.  The first part of my life was pre-kids, the second with kids, and now I am quickly staring at the next phase; post-kids.  I have a few more years, my oldest is 19 and a freshman in college.  My youngest is 16 and a sophomore in high school.  It won’t be long until Lisa and I are full blown empty nesters.

With this transition I also am confronted with the fact I’m not as young as I use to be.  It’s time for me to stop abusing my body like I did when I was in my 20’s and 30’s.  It use to be that I could eat anything, work out sporadically, get by on very little sleep (or pull an all-nighter when needed), and have endless energy.  And I always had a fifth gear to bail me out if I procrastinated too much.  Things are different now.

So here I am, 49 years old.  Not quite 50, and not quite an empty nester, but staring both in the face.  I still have a lot of life left in me, and I want to make the most of it.  I want to embrace this next phase of my life - a phase that is going to require that I be more gentle with myself and take better care of my body.

So I am dedicating this next year, my 50th year on the planet, to taking care of me.  To steal a line from my uncle Mark, I want this next phase of my life to be about creating experiences.  I want a jump start on my bucket list.  In order to do that, I need a body that can keep up with my ambition.  I need to make taking care of myself a number one priority, so that I can do all the things I have left to do.

So here are the facts.  I weight 224 pounds.  I weighed 255 in 2003, and I was down to 210 for a cup of coffee in 2007.  I also have high blood pressure, for which I take medication.  I was on medication before, but in 2007 had lowered my blood pressure enough to get off them.  I went back on the medication in early 2010.

Otherwise, I am in good shape.  I still consider myself a high energy person, although I do get tired now.  I still have a fifth gear, but its not quite as reliable as it use to be.  I can still do most of the things I want physically, but I will occasionally get a hitch in my giddy up for seemingly no good reason.

I am looking forward to the next year.  I want to reach 50 with no regrets.

I have 365 days until my 50th birthday.

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