Are You Glad to be Alive?

Do you remember the thrill of reaching double digits?
I still remember my 10th birthday.
I felt so old.
13 was a big one too.
16 and 18 felt like milestones.
And when I turned 20, I couldn’t believe I had reached an age I once thought was really “up there”.
My husband turned 30 right after our first son was born, and it seemed like we were really growing up.
We were getting old.
This summer my husband turned 40.
That is an age that once felt ancient to us.
Yet here I am,  just 2 years away from 40 myself, and I have never felt better in my life.

Well, except for my foot.
Over the course of the past month, I have been dealing with a foot injury.
It is just a small one, in the little bones running from mid foot to my toes.
My metatarsal bones.
But that little injury really slowed me down.
I had to take time off of running, and stop going barefoot.
I asked my podiatrist what kind of sandals I could wear because my cheap, flat as a pancake, flip flops were hurting my feet.
I hated the thought of being stuck in running shoes all the time, or some kind of orthopedic sandal.
I want to wear cute shoes!
And I found myself thinking, “what is wrong with my body? Is it because I am getting old? Is this what it is going to be like?”
I felt a little discouraged.

I’ve heard this phrase, or one like it, many times.
“Getting old stinks.”
And although I have decided to do my best to age well by getting fit and staying fit, I realized I hadn’t fully changed my mindset about growing older.
That is when I was reminded of this truth: growing old is a gift.
Sure, the effects of a body growing older are challenging.
We get stiffer, we can’t bounce back so quickly from an injury, we move slower, and our skin gets saggy.
But still, we get to keep on living!
We get to be with the people we love, seek beauty, help others, and have fun.
Life is too beautiful a gift to waste it by complaining about getting older.

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So I’ve decided that my mantra is not going to be, “getting old stinks”.
It’s going to be, “I’m glad to be alive!
And I see it as my responsibility to make the most of the life that I have left.
A positive mindset is a good place to start.
And keeping my body active and healthy is the next step.
It is my sincere hope that I’ll still be running bleachers in my 60s, like some of the amazing women I work out with at Boot Camp.
And even in my 70s!
I hope I’ll be hiking mountains with my grandkids.
And I hope that I’ll be rafting down the Colorado river when I’m 80, like one of my friend’s mom did.
Those things are only going to happen if I choose to embrace life fully, and to keep doing my squats, pushups, jumping jacks, and stretching.
Oh, and I need to have fun!

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Boot Camp is fun.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun too.
I’m glad, because having fun keeps me young.
We all need to be grateful for life, for every year we are getting older.
And then we need to get out there and make the most of it!
Remember this:
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Wishing you a week filled with fitness, fun, and loving life!
Be glad to be alive, my friends.
Life is a gift.
Keep on Living Fit!

Greta