I turned 40 on Easter, and I’m okay with it. I’m fine with the age 40 and saying that I am now 40, but I would be lying if I told you I didn’t FEEL (or feel I look) 40. It wasn’t until Easter Sunday came and went that I started noticing little things here and there that I never noticed before.
I’m tired. Not tired like I was at 39, but an amplified tired. 4pm hits and I could lie on the couch and nap….and I don’t nap, ever. So I don’t sit down, at all. If I sit, it’s all over. So I push, push, push until I literally fall into bed at night. This is a new thing I just don’t understand.
My skin has aged. The other day I noticed the skin on my upper back is sun-damaged. Oh the things I would tell my teenage self. I never noticed the spotted skin on my upper back before, but for some reason it jumped out at me. Probably the age gods sticking one to me.
And my vision?? I actually had to do it the other day…I put something I was reading at arm’s length and looked down my nose to read it. What is that?!
The other day I was filling out a registration for something and I had to scroll down to select my birth year. And I kept scrolling, and scrolling and scrolling. And those age range options? I’ve jumped from the 30-39 age range to the 40-49 age range. That kind of sucks. Unless I’m participating in a race or fitness competition (haha, that’s a joke), then I’m the youngest in my age group! Bright side, always looking at the bright side.
40 belly fat is no joke. I put on some winter weight, as I do every year, and it’s never been a problem before. I buckle down, start exercising again and eating right after the holiday madness and it usually disappears. That didn’t happen this year. That extra weight seems to want to enjoy summer as well, by hanging around my waist and ass. So I started this new Transformation Workout I pinned and the last few days have been following this Flat-Belly Meal Plan (more on these later). I have 2 weeks until I’m at the beach. TWO WEEKS. I took “before†pictures a couple weeks ago. Then I deleted them. No one has any business seeing those. Maybe I’ll do “after†pictures. Maybe.
The way I think I look in my mind isn’t always reflected back at me in the mirror. About 50% of the time I’ll look in the mirror and think, okay, that’s what I was hoping to see. But the other 50% I look at myself and wonder when the bags under my eyes and wrinkles around my eyes appeared, and what are all those freckles?? And don’t get me started on #selfies. It’s not that I’m one of those people who take selfies all the time, but out of the few times I’ve goofed around and done it, 99.9% of the time it doesn’t come out the way I imagined in my mind so I just delete it.
Here is an honest, fresh, no-makeup view of my 40s. This is 40, people, and despite everything I’ve said here, I’m okay with it. But first, let me take a selfie: