What happened to my curves? What happened to that flat stomach between low hung jeans and a midriff? What happened to the bikini body?

Perhaps this is wishful thinking for some whose body never looked like the women in the magazines. Perhaps this is how you fondly remember your own body as you have now begun to feel that soft spread. “I used to be a runner,” “I used to be so flexible,” I used to be…but what are you now? Not dead yet! But your body feels alien, perhaps, not the way you want it to be. Flabby underarms, dimpled thighs, multiplying chins, and sagging behind. I get it.

I started my Fit Life Journey as a way to get off meds and from a growing desire to be free from any pills. My doctor told me “to get off meds, go to the gym.” I did and a remarkable experience ensued. I got off and have stayed off medication which I also credit in part to having created a Fit Life. My own Personal Trainer daughter, devoted to weights and strength training, has patiently worked with me and lovingly supported me on my journey. She, herself, has begun to create a new thesis. No longer just about Fitness, getting to the gym, or being strong and fit, but rather she says: “Having a healthy life is the way you cross the bridge to having a Fit Life.” This is a transformative thought for her as a trainer, and for me as a coach for women in midlife.

As I have come into my own middle years, I have seen in my family and friends the frailty of the human body. It ages! Yes, our parts might begin to give out, but to be fair, how did we treat our body during the first five decades? If you always treated your body well and it has still begun to give way to human frailty, be kind to yourself and appreciate your breath. Just appreciate your breath. 

‘Whose alien body is this?’ Consider, what do you see in the mirror? Move from self-loathing to self-love, not ‘whose alien body is this’ but ‘whose beautiful body is this?’ This body that supports my life, that birthed my children, held my mother as she passed, walks the dog, leads the team...whose beautiful body is this? Look in the mirror and say the words out loud: Whose beautiful body is that? Getting calmly comfortable in your own skin, what does that feel like?

You will find the answer as you reframe the question to this: “Whose beautiful body is that?” and ask yourself, “What can I do to support that beautiful body that will support me for the rest of my life, even in its frailty? How can I create a healthy outlook, a healthy mindset, and healthy habits to create the life I want that will allow me to more easily live the Fit Life I yearn for?