Call me crazy but 50 is sounding more and more fabulous by the day.
In 200 days, I will turn the big 5-0!
I remember freaking out about turning 30 years old and feeling as if my life needed to be more in order. As if I could no longer make stupid decisions and my youth was over.
And then 40 came around and I did all the things… got married, had 2 babies, moved to the burbs, and failed at being married. At my 40th, I was on the brink of divorce with two tiny children!
While I truly wanted to celebrate 40, I was not feeling so celebratory.
Looking back, my 40’s have been my best decade ever.
So far!
Here’s Why:
I chose happy!
I got out hell out of a bad marriage and not too long after, I got out of a bad business partnership. I learned that happiness is a choice I get to make.
I found my true calling and started a new company, Foster Inc.
I realized this is what I am truly meant to be doing each day - fostering women on their journey to living a life they love.
I found the love of my life. A true fairytale love story that just gets better and better, even 8 years later!
40 was about ME! Finding myself again. Finding what makes me happy and not giving a fuck what others think. I was doing ME! Authentically.
And here I am, so close to 50 and super excited about what the next 10 years will bring. When people ask if I’m afraid to turn 50, my answer is Fuck No! Bring it on!
So many fear getting older and I don’t blame them. You can either dread your age, embrace it or make a decision to not let it dictate how you feel.
Sadly, many of us don’t have elders that talked about aging in a positive way. For starters, the women that came before us mentally prepared us to DREAD getting older. I vividly remember as a kid, standing in the bathroom with my mother as she rubbed Oil of Olay on her neck in an upward direction while explaining, ‘sweetheart, start as early as possible because gravity takes over and your neck is a true sign of your age’.
And of course the conversation about the hands.
Oy, the hands with the protruding veins and age spots.
And the crows feet.
The laugh lines.
The skin sagging!
All the things….. Thanks Mum!
When I turn 50 this year, my beautiful mother will be turning 80 - days before me. And I will say, she looks Amazing! You would not believe that she is 79! Must be the Oil of Olay!
I’ve got big ass goals for my 80th birthday and they are very different from what my mum is looking forward to for her 80th.
My biggest goal is to biologically be no older than 55 when I turn 80. How do I plan on making that happen?
Aging isn’t something we need to dread.
If you keep telling yourself that ‘you’re getting old’ and you place negativity behind it, then of course you’re going to start feeling and acting old.
How you feel about your age is entirely a state of mind. And, it's a state of mind that you CAN change.
Have you uttered the words ‘getting old sucks!’
At some point, we all have.
But what if you don’t have to get old?
What if you could age backward?
What if you thought of aging as a disease that you don’t want to ever catch?
Well, here’s what I’ve already started doing and how it’s working for me.
I’m sharing this for a few reasons.
#1 - I hope to motivate more people to actively defy aging by changing their mindset and changing some bad habits.
#2 - If I’m going to die at the ripe old age of 125, I need some friends by my side.
Did you know for the first time ever, insurance companies have extended their whole life policy age to over 100? Yep, kids being born now will live well into centennial years thanks to quantum computing and technological advances in science and medicine. We are so close to finding ways to stop and reverse diseases.
Want to learn more? Start by reading Lifespan by Dr. David Sinclair. The beginning is a little hard to get through but once you’re past that, it’s amazing.
If you want a few tips on where and how to start, click below and read the entire blog post.
I need some more friends on this journey, who's with me?
(Please note, I have no education or formal education in medicine or science - this is what I have picked up from the 10+ books I’ve consumed in the past year and from doctors I have surrounded myself with)
I found out what my biological age is v. my chronological age. Basically, I’ve been around the sun 49 times but the cells in my body are that of a 45-year-old. YEP! I’m younger inside! And I plan on getting younger as I get older. My plan is to live a long healthy life and die at the ripe old age of 125! And I don’t plan to die of old age. I plan to die when I’m ready. Technology today is helping us to live longer better! It’s time to take advantage of that.
I no longer see a general practitioner for my health. I have moved on to Precision Health Care also knowns as Functional Medicine doctors (if you're looking for a reco - Dr. Robin Rose). What is functional medicine? It’s a practice that treats the cause and gets to the root of the issue, not the symptom. You test to find out what is triggering the symptom rather than cure the symptom with a pill. It’s also known as preventative care or what should actually be called ‘health care’. We don’t have a health care system in the US. We have a sick care system that puts bandaids on things rather than fixing them.
I take a ton of supplements. As we get older, our bodies need help repairing themselves from the inside out. Back to my 45-year-old insides - they are that way because I take supplements that help my cells repair themselves. Want to know what I’m taking? Ask me. I’m happy to share but I would also recommend that you speak to a functional medicine doctor to find out what you’re lacking and to talk about you health goals. Just taking random supplements can do more harm than good. Knowledge is power.
Strength Training - Cardio alone is not going to help you live longer. Don’t just go for a walk or a run. Incorporate building muscle into your fitness program. Muscles can do so much for you - they help you burn more fat, keep your heart healthy, help you get back up when you fall down, and they help you to be strong. And strong is sexy!
Sleep - Quality of sleep over quantity of sleep. Sleep is the most potent anti-inflammatory there is. Sleep helps you to repair, regenerate and detoxify your body. I did not believe this until I listened to a few books on this, met a sleep doc and started wearing my Oura ring to track my sleep. My hubby and I can both get the same amount of sleep but if I get more deep restorative sleep than he does and so my recovery is better than his. He can get 8 hours and I can get 6 hours and my sleep score is higher because I get better sleep. There are a ton of ways to get good sleep. Here are my top 3 - 1. shut down your technology at least 30 min before bed and DO NOT watch TV in bed. 2. After the sun goes down, turn on lamps instead of overhead lighting. 3. Stop drinking coffee after 3 pm and stop with alcohol after 7 pm. If you’re going to drink wine, drink Scout and Cellar wine that has no crap in it and NO added sugar.
Hydration - drink 1/2 your body weight in fluid ounces each day. Stop drinking sugar loaded drinks, soda, or anything with corn syrup. The only other thing I drink other than water is 1 coffee in the morning (which helps me with Intermittent Fasting) and a cup of Yogi Tea after 7:30 pm. I also started drinking Organic India tea because it has Holy Basil in it, which my nutritionist recommended.
Meditation - I’m not a sit quietly type of meditator. I get my calm while running. I allow my mind to be free and just let the thoughts flow. Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting still with your legs in a pretzel! You can find meditation in running, while doing a breathing practice, doing yoga, dancing, cycling or on your commute to work. Whatever works for you. If you’re looking to start, I recommend the Calm app. I sometimes listen to a sleep meditation before bed to calm me down and it totally works.
Journaling - I do this weekly. I try to do it more often but some days there just isn’t enough time. This is a great way to get your brain empty by putting all of your thoughts down on paper. Once you get clear of all the things clouding your brain, you’re better able to focus. Try starting once a week and see where it goes. I love using Sunday as my brain dump day. It helps me plan for the week ahead.
Eat for Energy! Nutrition after 40 is everything. I’d like to tell a teenager to stop eating crap and to stop eating late at night but youth is wasted on the young and of course, they don’t want to listen. Rather, they say, you ate like crap when you were my age. And the comeback is, yes I did but I didn’t have parents telling me not to eat and drink that crap. Get yourself a food sensitivity test and find out what foods your body doesn’t like, and doesn’t digest well. After learning this, my entire body changed for the better. I also started Intermittent Fasting and Time Restricted Eating - not because it’s a fad but because it helps your body to HEAL. Yes, HEAL.
Breathing - My hubby got me into doing Wim Hoff's beginner breathing techniques. The first time I tried it was weird, to be honest. The second time, was pretty cool. I didn’t think I’d be able to hold my breath for more than 90 seconds but each time I’ve done it, it’s gotten easier and easier. However, it’s not about that. It’s about how you feel after you finish. You just feel lighter. Tingly all over and relaxed in a way that’s completely different. Here’s a link if you’d like to give it a shot. If you do, let me know if you like it. Wim Hoff Beginner Breathing
Cold Therapy - yep, another fad but it is all the rage. I’ve done the cold plunge a few times while traveling and it sucks. It truly sucks the life out of you during the time you’re in the freezing cold water but once you embrace it and breathe through it (this is another place where the Wim Hoff breathing method totally helps), it actually feels great. While away a few weeks ago, I decided to end my showers with just 30 seconds of freezing cold water. WOW! What a difference it is to get out of a cold shower. The energy you feel is indescribable. Give it a shot.
While the list above might seem like a lot, it’s just a matter of adding in one or two at a time and then as you get more and more comfortable with the new ones, add in some others.
Let the countdown to 50 begin!
200 days till I’m fabulously 50!
Remember, that if you’re not feeling your best, something might be off. And it’s not ok, to just feel ok.
If nothing changes, nothing changes. I’d love to hear from you if you currently do any of the above or plan to try something new.
If you’re interested, I’ve started a Facebook group for people that share this mentality and you’re more than welcome to join it.