I’m Turning 40 STRONG This Year
I’m turning ’40 STRONG’ this year.
It’s more than just a milestone birthday. It’s a declaration of intention.
And to understand what this intention grew out of, I’m going to need to back up a little bit…
Sport and movement have always been a really big part of my life. My teen years were spent on fields and courts - chasing, diving and running around after balls of various shapes and sizes. I bounced back from ankle sprains and jammed fingers faster than you could shout ‘GAME ON!’. I celebrated huge wins with my teammates, commiserated together over our losses, and generally L-O-V-E-D being an athlete. I absolutely thrived in community, and being part of a team. I loved what my body was able to do.
My 20s were for giving back, and sharing my enthusiasm for sport with others. I graduated from University and Teacher’s College, and couldn’t believe my luck when I landed my first adult job as a Teacher Intern in the Physical Education and Athletics Department of an Independent School on the other side of the country. I spent about half of that job on busses and planes, shuttling high school students to and fro, from practice, to game, to tournament, to championship… absolutely pouring myself into the roll of Teacher Sponsor, or Team Cheerleader, or whatever else those student athletes needed me to be. Over the next few years, I went on to teach sport and physical education to hundreds of kids, and coached multiple teams at multiple schools… I even managed to find enough time to join a few Rec Leagues of my own! I hadn’t forgotten the absolute JOY of chasing a ball, and scrimmaging with my teammates, and feeling absolutely ALIVE as my body moved freely through a space.
Then came my 30s, which were full of big life changes… and injuries. Not the big, surgery-requiring kind - like torn ACLs and blown-out knees - but the niggling aches, the chronic back pain, and the inability to sneeze, laugh, or yawn without somehow pulling a major muscle somewhere in my body.
Seriously, who knew this was going to start at such a young age?!
I started the decade off on the other side of the world, teaching at an International School just outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One evening, I decided to tag along with a colleague of mine who had joined a new sport in the area, and found myself at my first ever Gaelic Football practice. Gaelic VERY quickly became my new favourite sport. And with my newfound love, I also immediately inherited a team of kick-ass men and women from around the globe, who loved sport and competition and movement as much as I did. At the age of 30 I had discovered an instant-family, and re-discovered the competitive nature of my teen years, all in the span of a few weeks.
I loved to play. And I wanted to be good. My instincts and competitiveness and athleticism helped me learn the sport quickly… but at the ripe old age of 30, I was regularly sidelined by back problems and other injuries. I physio-ed as hard as I could, and did all the stretches and strengthening I was told to do at the time - and I managed to play in a few big tournaments… but my time playing Gaelic Football was short-lived. A few years later at the age of 32, I moved countries, and life got really busy.
Throughout the rest of my 30s, I dabbled in sport and fitness. I began a strength training routine at 33… until I put my back out again and fell out of the habit. I started training for my first ever Sprint Triathlon at 34, and then stopped when the Global Pandemic and pregnancy sickness kept me home and in bed for a few months of 2020. I got the shit scared out of me as a 35-year-old mom when I learned that I had a weak pelvic floor after the birth of my child, and suddenly became afraid of doing ANY kind of low or high impact exercise. And at 37, I woke up one morning with a ‘crooked’ back after a day of strenuous lake surfing… a muscular imbalance issue that I have been dealing with on and off ever since.
So, yeah. Here I am - 39 years of age, preparing to turn the big 4-0. And I’m TIRED of feeling like my body is slowly starting to fall apart.
I’ve got the second half of my life to lead… and I want it to be full of movement, and sport, and adventure, and limit-pushing, and stepping outside of my comfort zone.
I want to feel strong AF this decade. And in every decade beyond it.
One of the biggest benefits of being ME right now, is that I have the time to get really curious about my health at (and after) 40. As a result of life circumstances and language barriers and being an expat mom abroad, I am no longer a teacher in the international school system. I am a part-time freelancer, and I work from home… which means I have the time to learn something new. I’ve signed up for an intensive certification course to become a personal trainer, and I’ve decided that I’m going to learn how to become 40 STRONG.
I’m going to begin with myself. I want to be my own first client… and then I want to help any other kick-ass 40 year olds (and beyond) who are tired of feeling weak, or imbalanced, or trapped in a body that doesn’t let them do the things they want to do for the NEXT 40 years of their lives.
When I was studying Sport Psychology in University back in the early 2000s, I had to write a thesis in my final year. It was titled, ‘The Effects of Making Public Statements and Receiving Reminders on Exercise Efficacy and Adherence’. Wow… it still just ROLLS off the tongue, doesn’t it? I wrote it almost 2 decades ago now, but the guiding principles remain the same…
When we announce to our ‘people’ that we are going to commit to doing something, we are MORE likely to do it.
And when we are REMINDED that we committed to doing that thing, we are EVEN MORE likely to do it.
So… consider this me officially announcing my commitment to becoming 40 STRONG. Strong back, strong core, strong pelvic floor. Strong in body and strong in mind. Strong in motivation, strong in discipline, and strong in my ability to be CURIOUS about what this body can accomplish in the second half of my life!
Can I let you in on a little life goal of mine? When I’m 80+ years old, I want to compete in the World Senior Games and win a medal. So, I guess I better start training now.
What do YOU want to accomplish in the next decade?
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(She/Her)
The gal behind Held In The Heart. The Community Journal is a space for those who feel deeply to express freely. We explore all sorts of things here, from the real & raw healing stories & creative writing, to the funny & fleeting moments of everyday human life. I warmly welcome you and invite you to explore with us!