A Lady Never Tells

Up here in Alta I usually keep my age to myself, but I’ve decided it’s time for me to reveal it.  

I guess I’ve always been worried about appearing immature for my age, or something? Most of my friends are at least a couple years younger than me, and ALL of the guys I’ve dated have been younger than me (I’ve even dated a couple guys 10 years younger than me, but not on purpose. Unintentional cougar, that’s me. Rawr). Not sure what this says about me, if it says anything about me.

I’ve been thinking about some of my younger girlfriends who have expressed that they “hope they look as good as I do” when they are my age. First of all, insulting. I’m not THAT old. 😉 Secondly, here’s the ridiculously long list of the things I do that keep me “looking young”:

1.)    I run for (at least) an hour a day, six days a week. I’m currently training for the Boston marathon, and my first 50K a few weeks after that. I plan on running a few ultra marathons and running/biking a duathlon next summer. So yeah, lots of running.

2.)    I do weight training, HIIT, and/or kickboxing 5-6 days a week, on top of running.

3.)    I practice yoga daily.

4.)    I try to drink 64 ounces of water a day.

5.)    I didn’t start drinking alcohol until about 7 years ago (when I left Mormonism), and still don’t drink very often. Once or twice a month, maybe.

6.)    I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life.

7.)    I very rarely drink soda, only when I’m visiting home because the Coke Zero is everywhere!

8.)    I get 8-9 hours of sleep a night.

9.)    I get into nature every single day, whether that be through running or hiking or some other activity.

10.) On top of my normal workouts, I go climbing and skiing when I can as well.

11.) So, yeah, I GET A LOT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

12.) I don’t wash my face with harsh cleansers anymore. I have started oil washing and moisturizing (Crude is a brand of oils made locally in SLC and they are awesome). I also treat my face with a clay and green tea mask weekly.

13.) I don’t really wear make-up. I wear blush, mascara, and lipstick (that’s just a shade or two darker than my lips [so what’s the point, you may ask]) when I’m getting “fancy.”

14.) I don’t dye my hair (cuz I’m cheap), I only wash it a couple times a week, and I treat it with essential oils.

15.) I have a mixture of other essential oils that I use to moisturize my body.

16.) Besides my aggressive chocolate chip cookie habit, I eat as cleanly as possible. My diet mostly consists of avocados, cooked spinach, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, beans, nuts, eggs, rice, oatmeal, plain Greek yogurt, berries, bananas, the occasional salmon or other type of fish, the occasional almond butter and honey sandwich, lots of popcorn (my snack of choice) and, of course, chocolate chip cookies. I cook with olive oil usually, and love using different spices. My diet rarely deviates from these foods. I love them, never tire of them, and they make my body feel great. It’s the Marie diet, and it works for me.

17.) I take a probiotic and multi-vitamin daily.

18.) I end my day either with mint tea or Bengal Spice tea (my faves).

19.) I try to take time for creativity, whether that be through writing or painting or playing music.

20.) I have a job I enjoy, that brings me relatively little stress, and also allows for creativity, which makes it really fun. I also get to manage great people, something I sincerely enjoy.

21.) I try to volunteer when I can, and I teach yoga classes, which brings my heart a lot of happiness.

22.) I go to concerts and festivals and go camping and travel whenever I can.

23.) I try to challenge myself with new goals often.

So there ya have it! The keys to staying young forever!

Okay, but here’s the thing: I am single with no children. So, anyone reading this who has children, STOP COMPARING. I have time to do all of these things, and most of them require the kind of time you mamas really don’t have. You are freaking superwomen doing the best you can and raising beautiful babies. There is no comparison. I couldn’t do half these things if I had kids.

I am also an incredibly disciplined person, I have been since I was a child (Capricorn Sun and Rising making me achieve, baby!). When I was four years old and my mom told me I needed to stop sucking my fingers, I stopped immediately, cold turkey, never looked back. Making, changing, or stopping habits comes pretty naturally to me. So, for those of you who aren’t like me and have to put in a lot more mental power into changing habits, STOP COMPARING. I am who I am and I’ve found what works for me, so do what works for you. And to be completely honest, genes have so much to do with how we age, what our bodies look like, etc. I mean, have you seen my mom and her sisters? They are gorgeous, and ageless, it seems. I’m lucky to have inherited some of those magical aging powers. LUCKY. I did nothing except be born with some of that DNA. Thanks, mom.

And to be even more honest, sorry to throw out a cliché here, but beauty is more than skin deep. No matter what I do, my body is going to get older, and my outward appearance will become less conventionally attractive to people. My outward “hotness” (if you want to even call it that) will diminish, but my beauty, and even my sexiness can remain in tact if I focus my attention on my internal rather than my external beauty. Some of the sexiest, most beautiful women I have seen have been well into their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and older.

AND, again, sorry to throw out this cliché, but age ain’t nothing but a number. You’re only as old as you allow yourself to be/feel. I really truly believe that.

So I feel pretty ageless. I am healthier than I have ever been, and hope to remain that way, and even improve upon my health. I feel a range of emotions, but I am overwhelmingly happy and content with my life. I am more spiritually awake than ever, and hope to cultivate that more deeply as well.

Oh shoot. I just realized I never said how old I really am. Hm. How’s this: I am (insert whatever age you perceive me to be) years old.