March is my Birthday month and, as I approach my 46th birthday, I feel better in my 40s than I did in my 30s or even 20s. I used to not embrace getting older; in fact, a few years back I joked to my children that we should start to count the years backwards. I regret that I said that to them, that I would even let my two daughters think that aging is somehow bad.
Today, I would never dream of saying anything like that to my girls as my eyes have been opened wide to all that getting older has to offer me. I have come to realize that with each year I become more in tune with myself than ever before. Each year that passes makes me feel more connected to my true self. Physically, I have learned the best way to work out for myself and to keep my body feeling younger. I am mentally more comfortable with who I am and less worried about what others think of me or what society expects of me.
This realization was not easy to come to, it is hard sometimes to not feel bogged down with the pressures of getting older, but aging is the reward we get in life. The passing of each year helps us develop ourselves for the better. A great example for me of how I have improved myself as I get older is with regard to fitness, my wheelhouse; I have come to understand and respect my body in a way that I could have never done as a young adult. What my body likes to do, what it reacts to, what feels good and what feels bad. What exercises are beneficial and which ones do I know to stay away from.
This understanding took many years of trial and error, but with this knowledge, I am empowered and confident in my physical choices. There is a confidence in what I do and how I do it that only comes with years of experience and experimenting – age and experience make us in tune with ourselves on so many levels. Whether in fitness or your emotional development, embracing each year of self-discovery is the best birthday present.