Aging

I had a conversation with a good friend of mine whom I went to Mexico with 2 years ago. We were lamenting how our age is catching up with us and our new need to avoid the sun & all it's destruction! The hot Mexico sun seemed to hit us both... I have had age spots on my chest ever since and the skin on my face just seems to have lost it's youthful glow. She simply hides from the sun, but with my kids, I don't have that option. So, I have resorted to 70 SPF sunscreen... no exaggeration! Thank goodness I have never been a smoker, I can't even imagine how my face would be affected by this point! I am trying really hard to instill a sense of responsibility in my girls with regards to the sun. It is so hard when they are so carefree and with my complexion they don't really burn, so it is hard for them to realize that there are negative affects even from day 1. Ariana was at a friends house all day yesterday in the pool... when I asked her over dinner if she had applied sunblock all day, she replied "No."!!! Ahhhhh, that was around 6 hours of direct sunlight! We'll keep working on it though.

In a conversation with another friend, we were saddened about the age we are feeling in our bodies. We were discussing our husbands hiking 4000' mountains and how it would be hard for us. It was only a few years ago that I could hike 5200' Mt. Katahdin without flinching! And although everybody assumes that because I don't weigh a lot, I am healthy... that is far from the truth. I am in the worst shape I have ever been. Life is so different with children, it gets so hectic & it is so much harder to fit in time for myself to exercise. This pregnancy has showed me how my age is catching up to me. When I was pregnant with Ariana at age 23, it was so much easier, I worked out until 7 months and just seemed to be able to stay active. Now, at age 32, I feel so tired, I look at my stairs with dread every time I have to walk up them! And when I take the girls for a bike ride, I am tired after a few hundred yards. And to think I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle. I don't smoke, I don't drink heavily, I eat fairly healthy. I cannot even imagine people who are overweight, smoke, eat fast food, etc... they must feel like ass all the time.

I am definitely going to work on this issue as soon as Acadia gets here. I will not let myself feel like I am twice my age... I want to be vital & active for all my my girls & set a good example.