My mom scolded me on a Facetime call we were having this past winter. I told her I felt old and couldn’t keep up with my changing body. She pointed her authoritative finger at me and said “Babe...you are in the PRIME of your life...you are beautiful and glowing, this is your time honey...enjoy it!”
When I look back on photos from 10 yrs ago they seemed like my prime years. I had a younger complexion, agile body, I was super active and energetic and livin' my best self. But no doubt, If you asked me at the time the pic was taken if I was in my prime, I would’ve said “uh, no, not feeling prime”, my butt looks wide, my hair cut is weird, goals yet to be reached, could I be any smaller?
I know mom is right. I’ll probably look back at this picture 10 years from now and see what she was telling me on the phone. I know I'll be saying “dang girl, you were rockin’ life, you were in your PRIME”.
Aging is hard...being a woman is hard. Body changes, untangling programmed behaviors, walking away from my youth and shedding societal norms that have shaped my view of myself...not an easy climb. But I’m tired of grappling with my bucket full of "I wishes" and "if only's" every time I see a photo of myself, or look in the mirror?
My dad is 93 😳 He plays pickleball, golfs, works-out at the gym, makes homemade raviolis, paints, travels...you can't keep the guy down. He texts, emails, marco polos, checks his facebook, zooms, flies drones over his house 🤷♀️ When I think of my dad, I feel like he’s got this aging thing down. And while dad is no muscle man, or the world's greatest athlete, he will always be known as "the guy who lies about his age" seriously...just because no one can believe he’s 93. What's dad's secret sauce?
He keeps moving.
This past winter when my my hip decided to break down, my butt gave over to gravity, and the skin around my jawline officially became "jowls", all I could do was, cry...a lot. I actively engaged in self-loathing, ate chocolate chip cookies, and boycotted anything that had to do with moving my body. That's when a friend said to me, "ya know the less you move, the worse it gets".
SCREECH!! Yikes! What if I'm wasting this prime time on a false narrative?
What if NOT moving makes me feel worse? and finding activity I love actually keeps me feeling my best self? Cause math has it, there's a whole second act to go and why would I miss out on some of that Prime that’s Mine! 😎
So I'm moving again...I'm not talking about dragging myself to the gym and pushing some weights around, or taking classes to keep myself fit, or walking the life outta my spirit on a treadmill. I'm moving moving. I'm moving my energy, moving my spirit, moving my body, moving my mindset, moving my life! And because of it, I'm feeling pretty prime. I've noticed how much strength I lost, and that certain movements actually makes my body feel stronger and more fluid.
Did you go down the rabbit hole? Does my mom need to FaceTime you?
I'm always game to offer my support...it's kinda my super power. Meanwhile you're welcome to try these tried and true simple hacks I use to spark the engine.
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