I was watching TV the other morning and an infomercial came on from Beachbody. I was intrigued because well, I am a Team Beachbody coach. The spokesperson was Leeza Gibbons and it was for the program 3 Week Yoga Retreat. She started the infomercial by saying, you know when you get to be “that certain age…” I stopped listening after that. I couldn’t believe that Beachbody would have a spokesperson say that…What are they thinking? Now to their defense, I turned the channel and didn’t listen to the rest, Leeza is ten years older than me (and she looks amazing), and 3 Week Yoga Retreat is a fantastic program for anyone. But I just HATE it when age is a limitation or a stereotype or expectation or insinuation that one cannot do as much or needs to slow down.
I think that as a society that’s exactly what is expected. You get to “a certain age,” and you just accept things as they are, especially when it comes to your health, fitness, mindset, and overall looks. We accept that our metabolism slows down so we get a little (or in a lot of cases a lot) rounder. We accept that our mobility, flexibility and strength 
are not what they used to be so we don’t try new things that will challenge those things. We accept that as we age we have less tolerance and patience and allow ourselves to be grumpy. And yes things head south due to gravity and our skin has wisdom lines, but that doesn’t mean we stop caring for our appearance and wear frumpy clothes and not protect and nourish our skin. It would be a lot easier to just accept it, I am at a “certain age,” and I could just let myself “go.”
Do you know the consequences of that? More people of “a certain age” have more health problems than ever. Because we have all this advanced technology, we sit – a lot. Our jobs allow us to sit. And there are more of us in the “certain age” category with fatty livers, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, and the list goes on. Most of these health issues are related to how we take care of our bodies.
We are in a time where everything is easy – and boy do we want an easy fix for our health and fitness, too. We’ve become, dare I say it, lazy (to some extent). There is so many other things that can occupy our time that we don’t make the time for our own health. And why should we when there is a pill or diet that will melt away pounds without exercising or changing our eating? There’s a magic potion or cream that will take years off of our face in less than two weeks. <insert eye roll>
I know, you are thinking, “whatever, you are just trying to sell me something.” I am. I am trying to sell you your life. Getting and staying healthy isn’t a fad or a two week thing. It’s a life-time thing. And as we get to “a certain age” that lifetime isn’t as long as maybe we’d like. I cannot understand how anyone would want to spend their days not feeling completely on top of the world. Having a positive mindset and a healthy body that is strong can keep you from spending time cooped up in a hospital or in the house not enjoying life, family, and friends. Why would you want to live with the I wishes or I can’ts because you didn’t start taking care of yourself?
A healthy lifestyle is the only way to avoid some (and maybe all) of the things people of “a certain age” get. You probably won’t avoid the gray hair (but you can color it) or wisdom lines, and you may not be able to jump as high (or as much) as you did in your youth, but don’t just sit and let life pass you by because you decided not to take charge of your health. I don’t know for sure when “a certain age” begins, but I know that I started my journey in my mid-forties. And it was by far the best decision I could ever make. When I started to feed my body the right nutrients for all my systems to work right along with daily fitness, my perspective on life became more positive. I had more energy and patience that helped me be a better wife, mom, teacher, daughter, and friend. And then I started on my own personal development journey. I’ve instilled some practices that has continued to help me become more confident and positive and push me to do things that are way out of my comfort zone.
Yes, I have Beachbody to thank for my healthy lifestyle. Is it the only way to get healthy? Probably not. I just know that it worked for me (and hundreds of thousands of others). And although I am not a fan of how they started that infomercial, it fired me up to challenge myself even more; to prove that I can do hard fitness programs even if I am at “a certain age.” Don’t fall for that phrase. Don’t be complacent. Don’t live up to the expectation. If you are at “a certain age,” I challenge you to defy it. I challenge you to be more, do more, live more. If you haven’t reached that “certain age,” don’t fall into a trap, don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable so that when you get to that “certain age” you are overwhelmed, sick, tired, and done. I challenge you to make this year the year you will start your journey to the best life you can give yourself, starting with your health.
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