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On my 38th birthday, my mother-in-law (whom I loved dearly) said to me, “Happy 38th Birthday! You know, it’s downhill from here!”
I was flabbergasted and I thought, “No way, not me.”
That was 30 years ago. While I think (and pray!) I have many more years to go, I do know that things aren’t what they used to be, and some things aren’t even where they used to be.
After 24 years in the legal field, I took a two-year break while overseas for my husband’s job and then worked for 20 years in education until I retired (for the fourth time) in January 2024. In all that time, I rarely, if ever, exercised, only the occasional walk (which I hate) or swimming laps (which I love). Therefore, my mostly sedentary jobs took a toll.
My husband jokes about my long list of interests, but the one I am focused on now is that of a writer. In 2015, I started a project of writing and self-publishing an essay a week for one year in the hopes that it would make me a better writer. I began writing articles that appeared in numerous regional magazines. During the pandemic, I had a personal essay published on HuffPost.com. After talking about it for years, I took a great writing class and finally got serious work done on a novel. Again, however, mostly sedentary. The mantra of writers is that writing only happens when you have your “butt in the chair.”
So, when my husband retired in March 2024, we decided to get serious about our health. We reduced our carbs and added protein and fiber. We eat simply at lunch and dinner, with a weekend meal out with our daughter who lives nearby. We have both lost weight and feel better. Better enough to think about … joining a gym.
Now, you should know upfront that I was excused from PE all four years of high school — not for health reasons, mind you, but for a variety of things classified as “favors” to the school like working in the office or joining the marching band which was in decline. I have spent almost zero time in a gym. I’ve never played a team sport, and outside of my ability to swim 30 laps, I have very little athletic ability.
At my orientation session at my gym (still sounds strange to me), it was discovered (no surprise to me) that I had very little in the way of muscle mass. Upper body strength: not enough to pull myself up the ladder in the pool. Lower body strength: hampered greatly by a “defective” left side, having had a torn ACL and a broken ankle in my past. Nevertheless, I see a personal trainer one day a week and work out on my own a few additional days a week. That, combined with an aqua fitness class and swimming laps, is my new exercise regime.
Having a half-hour session with a personal trainer was extremely intimidating for me. I didn’t know how to use any of the weight machines, and because of a lack of any level of flexibility, I couldn’t really do anything on the mat. But the trainer has been great, taking all of my issues into consideration as he builds a plan for me each week. Nevertheless, I go in each week with butterflies in my stomach, and I leave soaking wet from sweat. It gets a little easier each week, and I feel a little less anxious each time. Do I like it, honestly, NO. But do I know it will help me get stronger and perhaps help me live longer, YES.
Being retired, we want to travel, since we did little while raising our daughters, and as a teacher, travel meant only around the school calendar. Now we are free to travel when and where we want. It is great getting on the airplane and having that seatbelt snap easily in place, feeling more comfortable in the cramped economy seats. Rushing from one gate to the next on connecting flights is easier, and when sightseeing, it’s great to not tire out so quickly from the 12,000-plus steps a day.
My mother-in-law, true to her own words, passed away at the age of 76. My own dear mother, for the sake of genetic comparison, passed away two months before her 75th birthday. Thinking about my 38th birthday greeting from my mother-in-law, I wish it would have jump-started me into a fitness journey, but there’s no sense in looking back. I am doing it now. No matter how intimidated I feel or how much I hate sweating, I am doing it now. And, one day, when I easily pull myself up that ladder at the pool, I will know it was all worth it.
How are you staying in shape as you grow older? Let us know in the comments below.
Jade Schulz
Follow Article Topics: Health
