I’m into my 51st year on this earth, having turned 50 last August. I’ve never been one to be stressed by my age. I was never a, ‘O man, I’m almost 30’ type of person. So it was a surprise to me when I struggled a bit with turning 50 and with staying active when middle-aged
It was a hard year personally, as we had a life-altering diagnosis of one of our family members that year. But even through that, I’ve never felt old. My age was and is just a number. I still think of myself as younger, though the mirror may say differently. 🙂
Learning to Take Care of Myself
But at times knowing I’m middle-age does hit me hard. Through the stress of the last 5 years, I haven’t always taken care of myself, especially in regards to the amount of food I was eating. I’m a firm believer in trying to eat as much real food as possible, eating when hungry and stopping when full. I don’t follow the clock to tell me when it’s time to eat. I try very hard to listen to my body and give it the fuel it needs.
That works well for me for the most part, until I get stressed or overwhelmed. I am a huge stress eater. 🙁 That has added more weight to my body than I would like. And for a while, it slowed me down. What would I look like biking or walking? Is it even worth the time to go out?
Be Yourself
But you know what? It doesn’t matter what people think. I don’t care who notices me. My husband tells me how beautiful I am, and that I’m his sexy bride. We’ve been married for 25 years. 🙂 He’s the only opinion I should care about.
So I am making it my aim to be alive and active while I’m middle-aged. So what if I’ve overeaten and put on some weight? That doesn’t mean I can’t be active and have fun in life. I love to ride my bike and try to ride at least a few times a week. I put in my earbuds, pick a good podcast or music to listen to, start my cycling app and enjoy my ride. I want to do that more often.
If I can’t bike, I try to go for a walk, lots of time Paul joins me. His weird retail schedule does have some perks. 😉 But I’ve been dealing with some plantar fasciitis pain, so I haven’t been able to walk like I would like to. It’s a slow healing process, but I think I can start up again soon.
Move Your Body, Your Way
I have recently started doing a body movement through a dance program, and that has helped me the most. The point is I try to keep my body moving and stretching. I’ve noticed in this season of life my body tends to feel a bit more ‘creaky’ when I’m not staying active. It doesn’t have to be a big hour ‘workout’ where I’m sweaty, sometimes it’s just a nice walk around the neighborhood, walking the dog or the dance, which I enjoy the most.
I think we need to keep moving, even if it’s not ‘much’. If you work in a sedentary business as I do, we need to take special care of moving more, and we need to be intentional about it.
I purchased a standing desk riser and anti-fatigue mat a year ago. I haven’t used them as I should, but I am making an effort from this point on to use it regularly. At least 2 -3 days a week, taking turns standing and sitting at my desk.
I’ve also started to be more intentional with my eating too. Not putting a lot of guilt on myself, but knowing everything I eat is a choice. I’m working on my cravings and trying to get through the afternoon crave session without eating too much. lol
What about you? Do you need to move around more? How do you keep yourself active while running your business and taking care of your family’s needs? Do you consider yourself active when middle-aged? I would love to hear from you.
