Lines and Wrinkles and Crow's Feet...Oh My!!

Lately I find myself pondering my rapidly approaching fortieth birthday.  Yep, the big 4-0. I am definitely ambivalent on the whole aging issue.  The older I get, the more I enjoy the freedom of not giving a crap about what anyone else thinks.  Really.  I have decided to be me, finally.  It takes a while to get to that place, but it is a lovely place to be once you arrive. I refuse to return to the world of insecurity and fear of the opinions of others. That world is a joy-sucker.

I have realized lately that when I think of the things that I don't like about aging, those things are (mostly) physical.  Things like how much harder my workouts have to be just to MAINTAIN the muffintop, not to mention how much harder workouts have to be to eliminate it!  Geez.  Then there is the overall sagging and bagging in various places that is just not fun.  Let's just say that a good bra is worth every penny. :-). Another bummer is how long it takes to recover from injury.  Can't just bounce back like I could when I was, well, younger.  Oh, and what is that flabby weirdness that starts to form on the inner thighs as one approaches 40 years of life????? I do not like that at all.

There are a few physical changes that don't bother me.  I don't really mind the lines and wrinkles that I see cropping up.  I have just decided to never look in a mirror in natural light.  Problem solved. :) Just kidding, sort of.  I also refuse to color gray hair. If guys can do it and it's accepted, so can I.  I find it disturbing and frustrating that women feel the pressure to look younger so much more acutely than men.  Is gray hair really so horrible??? I think that the whole idea of gray hair making men look distinguished and women look old is a load of garbage.

Here are a few things I have learned in the past few years...

-The best things in your beauty arsenal are joy, contentment and good health.

-Good, healthy skin is the best makeup.

-Drinking water and green tea makes you feel and look better.

-Veggies are good medicine, especially green veggies.

-True friends are a rare find. Treasure the ones you have.

-Enjoy the years with your kids.  They are fleeting and someday you will look back on them with longing.

-Have fun with your spouse. Being married to your best friend is a blessing.

-Make sure your home is filled with laughter. Be sure you can laugh at yourself. Less stressful that way.

-Above all, be thankful.  On days when I feel a darkness closing in on me, I praise my Father for all His blessings.  Count your blessings. I assure you, they are many.

Aaaaaand a little P.S...
I don't know if any of you out there follow the "No More Dirty Looks" blog, but it is a favorite of mine.  This recent post on aging is great, as are the many comments following the article.
http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/11/six-reasons-aging-isnt-as-awful-as-the-cosmetics-industry-claims/

A little experiment...on myself

A few months ago I wrote a blog post extolling the virtues of green smoothies.  I am a big believer in getting the nutrition your body needs from the foods you consume rather than from supplements you buy in a bottle.  While I recognize that there are times when supplementation is important and necessary, it is not a substitute for good, whole foods. This is why I drink smoothies. In July I decided to forgo my morning smoothies and see if I noticed any difference in how I felt. I went without for about 5 weeks.

The biggest change I noticed after a while was a serious decrease in energy.  Every afternoon I would get sooooo tired and unmotivated.  Added to the lack of energy was a craving for sugar and other "bad for me" foods.  I found myself opening the fridge to find something to eat, even when I wasn't hungry.  This brought on another rather obvious problem...5 extra pounds.  Yep, I gained 5 pounds in those 5 weeks!  Let me tell you, when you are 5'2" tall (or short :), 5 added pounds is glaringly obvious!!!  Not good.

There were a few other changes I noticed as well, including a skin break out, flagging moods, and just general grumpiness. Workouts and runs were a drudgery.  I didn't seem to handle stress well at all, which was not a good thing with everything that was going on in the Pierson world.  All in all, quite interesting.

I am back to my usual routine now.  The extra 5 pounds are gone (thank goodness!!!) and I can actually run without feeling like I want to stop and lie down in the middle of the road.  I don't have the dip in energy in the afternoons and my cravings are gone. My skin has cleared up and seems less dry.

My conclusion?  Nothing is a substitute for good nutrition and smoothies are a great way to get it.  My plan is to keep on drinking the green stuff.  It is worth every penny.