Fitness After 40! My Favorite Place--The Beach!

My daughter just got the film developed on a couple of disposable cameras she took to camp the last few years.  It's so rare to see and hold an actual photograph these days! (We've vowed to take more "real" pictures and have them developed.)
Anyway, mixed in with the camp photos were a few others...This is one of them.  Even my daughter said, "looking good, mom."
And it just re-enforces my philosophy:
You can be fit after 40!   Of course I see things I don't like, things I'd like to look different on my body, but this is what a women over 40, after 3 pregnancies (gaining lots of weight!) really looks like if you make fitness and healthy nutrition a part of your lifestyle.  I don't go super crazy working out, and honestly the most important joy of working out for me is how it makes me feel...empowered, strong, more confident, and I love the endorphin rush. I eat well, but I have my sweets now and then and treat myself to my biggest weakness once in a while...french fries.
The moral here is don't give up.  Sure our bodies change, time marches forward and gravity pulls us down---but if you embrace who you are, and if you stay physically active and eat healthy, life can just keep getting better.

Eat Your Veggies! You may not even realize your body is craving them!

My incredible daughter has just returned from a massive sleepover party and I can see she didn't do much sleeping! We are both catching up on things around the house and trying to get a little rest.
It's a cloudy, snowy Saturday here in NYC, and we are home alone, enjoying some time without the "guys" around! (They are on an overnight rode trip to visit Carnegie Melon in Pittsburgh, we love 'em, but everyone needs a break now and then!)
While we were both doing a little work on the computer and chilling, she asked me for a "raw veggie plate."

I've been making my kids "veggie" plates for years and it's amazing that when she's obviously feeling run down and tired, her body is craving the vitamins and nutrients in fresh, raw veggies! That's my girl! I went into the fridge and took out everything in the crisper drawer (it needed going through, anyway, so I got that done!) And look what we came up with! A beautiful, healthy array of veggies! I like to dip mine in hummus, or you can use a healthy ranch, or any dressing you like.
Treat yourself to some fresh, raw veggies. If you don't have any at home now make a point of picking some up the next time your at the store. They are inexpensive, so tasty, and so good for you! They are packed and bursting with healthy energy! Veggies are low in calories for weight management, they keep your skin glowing and your body healthy and strong!

Visualize

Visualize----by Laura McDonald

“Everyone visualizes whether he knows it or not.  Visualizing is the great secret of success” - - - Genevieve Behrend (1881-1960)

Your thoughts and feelings are enormously powerful.  Your thoughts can run wild, provoke despair and anxiety, consume you and temporarily cripple you emotionally.  But, the powerful flip side is that you can become master of your thoughts - - -by seeing yourself with what you want, what you need, and how you want to look.

When you are visualizing, you are emitting powerful frequencies. You are transmitting a strong signal to yourself and the Universe, which will come back to you, just as you see it in your mind.