June 6th eve of my going the speed limit birthday (I’ll leave you to do the math), I started to ponder this statement….Age is just a number. I mean come on, I probably say it on average of at least 3-5x week with clients and participants in my classes. The kicker here is though as I approach this lovely number, I find myself wondering is it really just a number?
My grandmother was 69 years old when she began exercising and was still doing aerobics with me late into her 70s! She first taught me that age IS just a number.Is my body the same as when I was in my 20s? Hell to the NO, but it has certainly served me well over the years. In my 20s I couldn’t have done half of the things I can do now, thats definitely a fact! In so many ways, I am fitter not only physically but mentally then I ever was back then. I am not afraid to try things and get out of my comfort zone as I once was so even though I might not be as fast as I once was (can you say turtle pace) , I can lift more weight than many men in my classes. Yup, age IS just a number.
I look down at my hands and wonder when someone switched them out for my Mom’s hands for these are surely NOT mine lol. The brown spot and wrinkles remind me that I am no longer in my 20s, but these hands have held hands with countless friends and loved ones over the years not to mention the endless hours of just holding my children and husband.
- I look in the mirror and am taken back by the face that stares back at me.
- I have wrinkles
- I have spots
- I have creases between by brows
But you know what I also have? I also have laugh lines from the countless times I laughed so hard that I cried or from the crazy amount of hours I watched my son play ball. I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything! I still laugh til I cry and cry when I am happy as well as sad. Every time I look in the mirror, I choose to see all the beauty that these eyes have allowed me to see as well as the memories that remain from all the laughter that caused those laugh lines. Age IS just a number.
Each day my body feels the effects of the speed limit approaching, I bend down to pick up one of the dog’s toys and am reminded that as the knees make this grinding noise, the joints have definitely seen some wear and tear. Are there times I wish for a newer model, or that I could trade this one in, SURE, but I also wished the same thing when I was 20 and even when I was 30. We are never truly satisfied with what we have, we always want something better, something newer something fresher but if we are always off chasing shiny objects, we never get to enjoy the hear and now. This body has served me well. This body has carried me proud all these years. I can do more pushups now than I ever could and YES I do them on my toes and NOT on my knees. I know I could not have done that in my 20s!! Age is just a number.
The mind ain’t what it use to be. I forget things. I forget names. I sometimes even forget why I walked into a room, but this mind has gotten me through Cancer, and helped me survive some horrible life experiences as well as helping me cope with PTSD. Can I remember everything I read like I use to? No, but can I smile at a stranger now and remember their face for a lifetime. Yup, age is just a number.
There are days when I stare at my closet and say to no one in particular that I have NOTHING to wear even though it is chock full of clothes. How many times was I late to school or late to a party because I couldn’t find anything to wear. Some things never change. Age is just a number.
I still get my haircut on a regular basis. I just have to add time on to my “visit” for hair coloring. I use to color my hair back in my late 20s because I wanted a change, now I just do it to cover up the grays. Is that really so much different? Age is just a number.
There are days when I just don’t want to get out of bed. I’m tired, I stayed up too late the night before, had one too many glasses of wine, or the weather is lousy outside. Wait, didn’t I use to do that ALL the time in college??? Yup, age is just a number.
Rob Lowe once said “getting old is easy. Staying young is hard.” I won’t argue this with him. It does take work, but so does being successful. So does being on time. It is ALL about what we choose to do that matters, what we tell our minds. In other words, it’s about mindset.
I CHOOSE to live a healthy and fit lifestyle for myself, my family and my friends. That can happen at any time, at any age as long as you are willing to put in the work. I had to burst your bubble, but there is no magic pill. Yup, age is just a number!
Jill Ciment | LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE 