The Age of Acceptance – 68?

Aging

Mirrors made me think about aging. In the US, it’s almost an us-versus-them thing until you get there, maybe? I was watching a reality show, Married at First Sight, and one of the grooms said he wanted to be playing pickleball for 3 hours a day when he’s 97. OMG, does he think the key to longevity and happiness is 3 hours of pickleball when you’re close to being a centenarian?

Running for My Life

Well, I did. It wasn’t pickleball. I used to run 6 miles in the mornings Monday through Friday and 10 miles on Saturday. That didn’t make it past me turning 40. It was a fabulous thought in my 30s, running for a lifetime. My 40s had other ideas. I know some people run in their 70s and 80s — I am not one of them, and that’s the point. In the battle against aging, whose baseline are you using?

Side Note

I have Ehlers-Danlos, and running — the joint instability was never the best thing for me to start with. Most people who walk with me will notice I stumble and keep going, saying “I’m fine, it’s just my ankles,” which is why I wear boots. I have never been a fan of sandals, and later in life I learned that with joint instability, boots give me support. But I’m not diving off into a story about hypermobility.

Your Baseline

The biggest part of aging to me is your baseline. Yours. Not the idea that at 45 you’re going to look like a 25-year-old. No. It’s the version of yourself you want to strive for. Vivid imagination and filters — have people thinking they look comparable to someone much younger. Overall, compare yourself to you,

For the record, I don’t use filters on my photos, but I regularly remove eye bags in many photos — which I’ve always had, they’ve just gone from carry-on to checked. I suppose I should enjoy what I have now, because should I be blessed to live long enough, they’ll be oversized. This week’s photo, nothing done, though I really wanted to clean up the bleeding lipstick.

For Your Consideration

1. Your 50s are the set point. I felt great at 50. Here’s my unscientific observation: 50 is the set point. Your weight at 50 is your baseline. I’ve seen people gain significant weight after 50, but very few lose it without intervention — intervention being a total lifestyle and diet overhaul, a surgical solution, or a health issue. A change in diet or fitness habit alone won’t really do it; your body has changed. You will put an inch or so around your middle. I had to say goodbye to a 24-inch waist — it’s not coming back without a waist trainer and a rearrangement of ribs. All in all, the 50s are good. But the 50s can trick you into thinking a few changes will get you back to the body you had in your 40s. Nope — that’s what makes the 60s diabolical.
2. Aging spurts. Like growth spurts, there are aging spurts too. I read an article about it — you get one around 44 and one at 60. When I turned 50, no biggie, everything looked great. I’d done P90X when I was 54 and had the nerve to think I was aging very well. Let me tell you, that aging spurt hit hard at 60. The skin — it crepes. Not wrinkles, but crepe; that loss of elasticity makes it look like I’m wearing a skin suit that is one size to big. I’m telling you this because people don’t talk about it, or maybe they do and I just wasn’t listening. Your skin does get thinner, and like thin fabric, the properties change with it.
3. Digestion. Foods you used to eat, you can’t eat now without consequences. Quantities you used to eat, nope. Part of it is that our food supply, with all its additives, is bad — but still, the engine doesn’t run like it used to.

In the Moment – Acceptance

I read years ago about people talking to their younger selves, and one said: love your body now. I can testify to that. A lot. What I thought was a huge issue in my 30s made me laugh in my 40s. So with an expanded waist, crepey skin, and a little more effort to get up and go, I accept it all — because should I be blessed to be here 10 years from now, I will enjoy my prime condition now.