It’s Just a Number

I’m looking at you. Yeah, you, 59. Just hold your horses cuz I’m not there yet.

A great deal of my CrossFit journey has been focused on aging more gracefully. Actually, that’s a lie, it’s focused on not aging at all. But since that’s a farce, I will cop to focusing on battling the signs of aging that a “normal” body might go through – loss of strength, loss of tone, overall reduction of fitness. That’s not for me. I want to thrive.

As I enter the final year of my fifties…….holy shit how did THAT happen….I want to feel better and stronger than I did ten years ago, because quite honestly, ten years ago I did NOT feel healthy. I was slipping into this decline where my weight, my cholesterol, my liver…they were all showing signs that I was abusing them. The liver wasn’t from drinking because I don’t really drink, but the weight and cholesterol were affecting my liver and starting to indicate that I would need medical intervention. It took a record high cholesterol reading (I think 224/200) for this vegetarian to realize that something had to change. I didn’t know what but when my doctor told me I needed to start on a statin I said, “Hold up…that is NOT for me!” And I tried to figure out a way to fix the problem.

It’s only been 3 years doing CrossFit and sometimes my body is REALLY mad at me for the things I do to it. And quite honestly, I look at other athletes and think, “WHY can’t I do those things?” But then I follow the program I am working….and I push myself….and sometimes I catch a glimpse of the work I’m putting in…just a glimpse. And it makes me smile.

Those arms! I’m finally getting biceps and triceps. Before my 59th birthday! Happy Birthday to ME!