Well into Forty

I recently celebrated my 39th birthday.  I believe I have become better in some ways, and hopefully wiser, as I've gotten older. I certainly wouldn't do half the things now that I might have done in my twenties. But now, as I begin my 40th year, I have thought more and more about what kind of life I want to live as I age. I come from a family of women blessed to appear well below their actual age. And while it's been a few years since I was mistaken for a high-schooler, I think I've inherited this family trait. But, looks are not as important to me as my overall health and well-being.

Especially with the health struggles I've dealt with over the past couple years, now that I'm finally getting back to healthy eating habits and regular exercise, I'm even more determined to continue to make these habits long lasting. 

There are a lot of books and movies and other media that talk about being "forty and fabulous". While I certainly would like to consider myself fabulous as I get older, what I want more than that is to be well...Well into Forty!!

I recently started reading The Blue Zones by Dan Beuttner (author of Thrive). His book explores lessons for living longer from the people who've lived the longest. I will tell you more about this later, after I complete my reading and study of it. Reading this book gave me the idea to formulate and write down what I think it takes to be well. So, I came up with what I like to call:

Twelve Steps to being Well into Forty

1. Water 

2. Sleep


3. Diet

4. Skin Care

5. Rest


6. Hobbies

7. Personal Development

8. Exercise

9. Mediation

10. Fresh Air

11. Family Relationships

12. Friendships 

There are probably more simplistic lists out there. But for me these 12 steps encompass everything I need to be healthy and vibrant as I age. Over the next few post I will go more in depth about exactly how I am implementing these into my daily life. As with all my post...this is mostly for me, but I hope that others will be encouraged and find helpful information here!