Age. More than just a number.

Watching my parents as they age and myself hitting the big 5-0 next year this quote has never rang so true. I don’t think I am prepared for the multitude of mental and physical changes that are happening at an alarming fast rate. Or is it that I am just thinking about these things more as I reach one of life's milestones?

Having a front seat to watch as my father, an active 86 year old, starts to shuffle and stoop when he walks. My mom who could walk tireless circles around any of us now can’t keep up as well as before. Each of them has overcome major health issues in the past,  I am happy to say, they are doing quite well now and for that I am thankful. But they are not immune to aging, and I can see the signs more clearly each passing day.

For me it's more than just the grey hair and wrinkles that come with age, those things I can adjust to. Hello face creams and hair colour. It’s the more physical aches and pains that are starting to be part of daily life that are harder to accept. The creaks and pops, and occasional gasp, that now come from an everyday movement have me reaching for heat-packs or pain relief more often than usual. Who knew that having a sedentary job can be as tough on your body as someone who works a very physical one. Back and hip pain, neck pain, headaches from eyestrain and poor posture are all fun things that are making pests of themselves lately. Luckily I work in a healthcare clinic and have access to expert advice on how to manage current ailments while keeping any new ones at bay. If any of this rings true for you here is the link to a great post with tips and tricks to help.

Ahhh sleep. I have, for as long as I can remember, had a love/hate relationship with sleep. I love nothing more than curling up in my bed for the night, problem is I wake up on average 2-4 times a night and am more often than not grumpy as a bear first thing in the morning. Until recently this has never been an issue, after a shower and a cup of coffee I was right as rain. Now though I am struggling to wake up, am ever thankful for snooze buttons, and find myself sluggish during the day. Through talks with my doctor I know that my anxiety is playing a huge part in this and as I age it gets a little harder to find the secret combination of activity and medication to keep me from getting overwhelmed. The word peri-menopausal was batted around, but I am still in denial about that, so we will leave that for another post. So yet another thing to thank the maturing process for.

I have made a promise to myself that when I reach that milestone birthday that I will have made huge strides in becoming a healthier and happier me. No one can stop the process of aging but we can help ourselves by combating the symptoms with a healthy diet and daily exercise. A healthy lifestyle full of love and laughter is what I hope to take with me into this new chapter and who knows maybe I can keep the clock from ticking at least for a little while longer.