Another Fresh Start for Women Over 50?
As a woman over fifty, you’ve been though your share of New Year’s resolutions. For years we boomers have diligently listed our carefully selected goals: lose weight, perform some type of aerobic exercise daily, lift weights 3X’s per week etc. And we’ve pursued each of them with the single-minded fervor of a zealot on a mission. Until about January 15th that is… (Okay, I’m talking about me.)
Somehow, mid month, the fire in my belly morphs from wanting to reduce my middle to wanting to feed it. All of my good intentions slip away as the gray fog of January envelops my being and my brain. They call it Seasonal Affect Disorder—SAD for short. And, after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, January can make for a cold and dreary letdown. In fact, the first month of the New Year provides just the right impetus to give myself a much-needed lift: the serotonin blast from several crunchy bags of simple carbohydrates. (Yep, corn chips are my favorite!)
So this year my New Year’s resolution is to abolish feelings of self-sabotage and the scourge of broken promises: no more fooling myself with strict diets and regimens I can’t sustain. No more beating myself up because temptation got the better of me. No more trying to squeeze into the size of a teenage waif because I think I should. No way! I’ve decided I’ve earned the right to embrace every middle-aged pucker and roll on my body.
Therefore, as I celebrate the new decade, I’m keeping my holiday spirit and throwing caution and my New Year’s resolutions to the winds. Dressed in my festive finery, you’ll see me lounging comfortably on the doorstep—relaxing and enjoying life.
(I know you won’t believe it—this photo isn’t really me.) But a bit of April Fool’s Day humor can’t hurt in the dead of winter. So here’s to sharing a light-hearted chuckle or two and, now, onward with those doggone resolutions!
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
I love this line: “Somehow, mid month, the fire in my belly morphs from wanting to reduce my middle to wanting to feed it.” Two weeks seems to be my personal turning point from resolve to a fall off the wagon!
While I won’t pressure myself with weighing what I did when I was in my 20s or 30s, I am working on balancing a healthy weight and lifestyle with the realities of an aging body. I have certain health issues that demand I get religion on diet and exercise.
As I write about a lot on Hot Flashbacks/Cool Insights, part of the problem is that in the natural cycle of life, winter is for dormancy, rest, and gathering energy to burst forth again in spring. We make our resolutions at the wrong time of year. It’s like planting roses in winter in a cold climate. We have a much better chance for them to take root in spring when the sap rises in trees and people. Mark March 20, 2010 on your calendar for revisiting and reforming resolutions at the friendliest time for success.
Thanks, Eileen, for another evocative post on a topic that’s such an ongoing concern!
January 5th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I love the picture…it does look vaguely familiar….guess I should check my mirror..
The older you get the more New Years Resolutions you can make and it will always be OK….we won’t remember what they were! I love your take on your resolutions and I am in agreement!
January 5th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Happy New Year Feisty!
I can so totally relate about the corn chips, alas I’ve given them up save on very special occasions. Not because they are so bad, but because the food manufacturers are out to make me fat. Imagine them selling those big bags as one whole portion. Oh, they aren’t one portion? Damn I knew something was wrong.
Kidding of course but I like the idea of embracing the rolls, ripples, and bumples, that adorn our otherwise fabulous selves. I specifically didn’t toss all of the left over pecan squares I gave away for Christmas so I could induce a little extra serotonin round about 3 pm on these dark winter days. Living with a vengeance includes a big dose of yumm in all categories and I aim to indulge in all of them.
Oh, and I’m not abandoning my entire business of helping gals feel better and look great I’ve just expanded the strategy a bit to make the journey more enjoyable.
January 5th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Love this, lol!
I can only imagine how many of us (yes, me included) share your thoughts. I decided well before New Years and “Resolution Time”, that I would set GOALS (big and small) throughout the year and not RESOLUTIONS. Yes, I guess I can fall short of some of my goals, but who ever heard of “breaking a goal”.
January 5th, 2010 at 8:54 am
One of the questions I asked on Facebook is what resolution are you carrying over from 2009 into 2010 and nearly everyone said “lose weight”. That ought to tell us something!
I’m like you. I’m not fooling myself anymore about trying to lose weight. I’m just saying I plan to live healthier. If the weight falls off in the process, that’ll just be an extra bonus!