Why I’m not afraid of getting older

I turned 30 this week! And just like that, it seems, an entire decade has come and gone. It’s like you close your eyes for just one moment, and when you open them back up everything’s changed. Can anyone relate to that?

Highlights of my last ten years include:

• Graduating from undergraduate and graduate school (Go ‘Dores!)

• Landing my first “big kid” job, where I worked for almost five years before moving on

• Starting CrossFit and embarking on a health and fitness journey I never imagined

• Dating - and then marrying - the love of my life 

• Finding the actual love of my life, my dog Huck (just kidding, Ben…mostly)

• Becoming a certified nutrition coach

• Nurturing existing friendships and making lots of new ones 

And then heck, even the last year alone meant:

• Quitting my job to work on building fuelED full-time 

• Moving to a new state

• Becoming a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

• Bringing two new nutrition coaches onto the team

And yet, even with all of this, I don’t feel like I’m saying “goodbye” to my 20s. Instead, it feels like a big, warm “hello” to my 30s - my best decade yet. And I think a lot of that has to do with how I’m taking control of my life.

Many of us are scared of getting older. But in my experience, the fear is not of age itself, but of what we think aging brings. Weight gain. Brain fog. Wrinkles… The list goes on. And what I’m coming to understand is that a lot of aging is what you make of it.

Will I still get wrinkles? Almost certainly. (I love the sun too much, and I’m not disciplined enough with my skincare routine.) But a lot of what’s typically written off as the inevitable consequences of getting older we can actually influence, at least to some extent, by how we live our lives. Things like:

• Getting daily movement/exercise

• Reducing sun exposure (like I said…I’m working on it)

• Getting enough sleep

• Drinking enough water

…These things aren’t as sexy as “solutions” like Botox and juice cleanses, but they work.

If you know me, you’ve heard me say this before: but the more passionate about fitness I became, the more I realized that it mattered what I was putting into my body. For appearance, sure (because who doesn’t love to see some abs?!); but also for how I could perform. And if I wanted to keep kicking a$$, I learned that I had to give my body the nutrients - and the fuel - it needed. Not only for tomorrow, or next week, or even next year; but for 40 years from now. I love hiking, kayaking, long walks with my dog, and lifting heavy weights - and I want to develop and maintain the habits now that give me the best shot of doing all these things for years to come. No matter what age I am.

So I’m excited about this next chapter of my life, because I know that the habits I’m working hard to develop are going to help me become my best self. And, I know it’s never too late - so here’s your sign. :)

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