Aging

[OakLeaf]

I'm still not convinced I'm going to live long enough to worry about aging. No one I knew when I was young thought we were going to live to see 40. We walked around in wonderment when the year 2000 rolled around. Now that I'm 50 and had that health scare a couple of years ago, I think I'm comfortable with my own mortality. It's easy to say "we're all going to die," it's harder to say "I'm going to die," but I'm there and I think I'm okay with it. I do wish I had a better sense of how acceptance looks different from denial, though.

I will paraphrase something I said on my Facebook page the other day though: I have to do intervals just to maintain, now; I liked it better when it was "speedwork."

[Bike Chick]

I have to do intervals just to maintain, now; I liked it better when it was "speedwork."

I love that statement Oak and it's so true. I have noticed such a big change in my body since turning 50. It was like someone flipped a switch but I, like the rest of you, have seen the result of not exercising or eating right in our mid to late years. My brother, who was always the althletic one when we were younger, is now struggling with high blood pressure and refuses to change his diet or exercise. My mother who is 74 years young can't hardly lift her leg to climb in the car because she sits on the couch day after day. It's sad so I keep plugging along to improve my quality of life. I refuse to sit on the couch and wait to die.

My question is, "When did I become middle age?" It seems like yesterday I was 35 and suddenly the last 17 years were gone in a flash. I sport the silver hair and I am starting to resemble a rectangle as yellow stated but I don't feel any different inside. I commented about an interest rate in the paper for a 15 year cd the other day and DH remarked that we may not live long enough for it to mature. That was a startling thought! And now we are looking at retirement communities. I'm loving every minute of my life right now and grasping each opportunity and hanging on for dear life!

[shootingstar]

I commented about an interest rate in the paper for a 15 year cd the other day and DH remarked that we may not live long enough for it to mature. That was a startling thought!

LOL. Can relate to that when looking at financial instruments and their projected maturity date! Suddenly time into the future isn't so endless after all.

Not sure what I regret not having physically in the past and now. My physical shortcomings are only shortcomings if I use European/Western beauty standard as a benchmark. Not at all health based.

I don't regret the years of being a non-exercising, geek girl prior to cycling. My energy and free time was thrown into other non-sport/non-fitness activities that made use of my other passions/skills. But then, I didn't have health problems either.