Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Or maybe I didn't get the memo. I thought I was ready to turn 40, but I definitely was not prepared for the onslaught of bad news that comes your way when you turn 40. I suspect many others are just living their lives as well, naively thinking 40 will be like every other birthday--a year older whether you admitted it or not. But 40 is different, 40 shatters the illusion of eternal youth. You have to face it--you aren't 25 anymore. Because there's the inconvenient truth, you don't feel 25 anymore.
And yet, no one warns you--not your friends, family, or your doctors--and your doctors should be the first ones to do so. Instead, you learn as you go from appointment to appointment, or notice little changes day to day that let you know that your life (well, really your body) has changed, and not necessarily for the better. So this your warning, your memo.
Take heed.
- Fad Diets: Don't work. Every day we get inundated with promises of the perfect body if you go on this new diet, take this vitamin, eat this exotic fruit, drink this new cold-pressed juice or protein shake, or give up this or that. Guess what? It has been scientifically proven none of them work. You want the perfect body (and by perfect we mean an average BMI for your weight) eat cleanly and in moderation... just like your mother always told you.
Is all of this depressing? Yes. But if you still feel young in heart, mind, and soul, then you are still young, even if your body says otherwise. And although there isn't a way to stop Mother Nature, I plan to tackle her, wrestle her to the ground, and tie her up for as long as possible.
I hope you'll join me.