I am in my early forties and while I love all the wisdom, acceptance and self confidence that goes along with being 40+, I am also not a fan of looking and feeling my age. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to look fake, like I am trying too hard or want to look like a twenty something, but I do want to look fresh, youthful, radiant and healthy and feel it too. Honestly, it just takes alot more work and effort to remain youthful as you get older.

And I feel alot creakier too. You know, you bend down to pick up something from the floor, reach the wrong way and it just hurts or you feel stiff. Can anyone relate? I am not as resilient as I was in my twenties and thirties, I am less willing to take physical risks and I am conscious about needing to be good to my body. For example, a couple of months ago I signed up for outdoor bootcamp classes because I wanted to get really fit, and while I enjoyed it and it certainly worked, it was just too harsh and jarring for my body. My joints started to ache in areas it never did before and that was my body’s way of telling me ‘this ain’t for you sista’! Now, I am delighted to be back at Power Pilate’s and loving every intense yet gentle toning moment.

And here’s another observation about aging: I recently ran into an old friend who is the same age as me and very attractive, but she hasn’t been as obsessed diligent about the care of her skin as I have. Well, I have to admit, she looked much older than her years and somewhat weathered, while in contrast, this beauty junkie looked young, vibrant and well taken care of. It’s nice to know my effort pays off!

And then there’s the whole increased levels of wisdom and self confidence that comes with age. As I have gotten older, I care less and less about what people think about me. I am more comfortable in my own skin than I was when I was younger, and I take immense pleasure in knowing who I am and what I want.

So overall, getting older is a mixed bag of highs and lows. But if you take care of your skin, health and body you will be more able to resist the hands of time and wise enough to know how fabulous you really are!