Maintaining strength, muscle mass and stamina by finding a way to exercise that is sustainable is especially necessary to stay healthy and vibrant after we turn 50. By the time we get to this age, we usually have a reasonably clear understanding of ourselves and what kind of physical activity we can commit to for a long time. It is a lot of work though, and requires discipline. In fact, about half of all Boomers make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and become more fit, but more than half are unable to sustain the resolution for more than a year.
I couldn’t write about being 64 without including this song. Plus, it was on the Sgt. Pepper’s album, which was released in 1967!
Am I the only one?!
My main takeaway or realization about being in my 65th year and rapidly approaching my 65th birthday is that I am grateful for all that is positive, supportive and loving in my life. There are times when it sure doesn’t feel like it, when I feel isolated, misunderstood and guilty, but inevitably I am able to keep putting one foot in front of the other because someone is kind or I see another hopeful sunrise . . . I worry that as I am getting older and balancing caregiving and work, with too little time for friends, family, home and my interests, I focus too much on what is difficult in my life. It is dragging me down into self-pity and turning me into a version of myself that I don’t like. To try and avoid being overwhelmed by sadness, I realize that, more and more, I am noticing all the big and little things that I am grateful for, such as two days of gorgeously warm weather in the middle of February and my understanding, helpful children who often help me turn my crabbiness into laughter. I am trying to nurture this more grateful approach to life so that it becomes a habit and helps me to laugh and feel better and more hopeful about myself and my life at 64, soon to be 65.
When my kids were young, I would wake them up by cheerfully yelling out, "Rise and shine. Shine and rise." Wake up. Say hi to the world. Be your best self. We want to say "hi" to everyone and bring you the honest, complicated, best of ourselves: the good, the bad, the difficult, and, of course, Frank Sinatra! Follow along.
