Age is Just a Number

By Denise Terry Walker

Who thought I’d ever reach the age of FIFTY??!! And from there go on to be 52!!?? I am OVER THE HILL as THEY say…Now, I was going to have all the aches and pains. I was going to have that middle aged spread, too. Oh My Word…I’m middle aged…There! I said it!!!!

MIDDLE aged…. I just never thought it would happen to me for real. But, I have the gray hairs to prove it (don’t be silly…you can’t see them…I DO dye my hair) SO, What in the world was I supposed to do?? Well, just before I turned 50, I decided to fight it! You hear that when you turn 50 it’s inevitable that you keep all the belly fat you’ve gained because of the whole menopause thing ( another topic that will have to be addressed on another day). You hear stuff like it’s all downhill from now on. So, it felt a little daunting to try and do something that was against all of that. But, I was thinking “Oh Heck No!! I’m too young to be this old!!”

At the time I weighed 7 pounds less than when I gave birth to my first child. That was unacceptable to me. I didn’t tell many people at first that I was going to start an exercise program. I actually started lifting weights and I started out in my home.

Now, I want you to know that I started with 1Lb weights because I had tendonitis in one arm. I could not even lift my phone without it hurting. I also cleaned up my eating. I did NOT go on some crazy diet, but I ate balanced meals and worked on portion control.

I lost 35 pounds and 8 sizes in about 7 months. This was not easy. In fact some days it was really hard, but I did it! My knees did not hurt anymore. I ran a few 5k’s and finally did the Breast Cancer 4 Miler that I had always wanted to run. I went dogsledding in Canada with my daughter and actually drove the sled some. Most awesome trip ever!

And then, I thought to myself…There are a bunch of women out there that don’t realize that this can be done!! They just think that they are stuck with all of the 50 year old things that they read and have been told about. It plain and simple does NOT have to be that way.

So, I took it one step further…I got certified as a Personal trainer. I wanted others to see that age is just a number. It does not have to define you. You don’t have to stop living and doing and being just because you are “Over the Hill”. I say climb the heck out of that hill!! All the way to the top!! And when you’re “over the hill”…come down like YOU want to. Dogsled it down, run down, roll down or just walk if you want to. But, just because you’re 50 doesn’t mean you have to fall down that hill.

For me, turning 50 meant that I finally had some control over who I am and want to be without worrying what others think of me. I still want to grow, travel and learn new things. So, this summer I’m going to the West Coast AND I recently got certified as a Cancer Exercise Specialist….Yeah, you’ll be hearing more about those two things from me for sure.

For now, I say don’t be scared if you’re approaching 50. It’s going to be ok…really better than ok! GO ahead and live that life, try new things, learn new things and keep growing. And, remember YOU GOT THIS!!… age is just a number…. Who are THEY anyway?