Let’s stop acting as if life ends after 40

My parents followed a path towards ‘old age’ – work until you are 60. Stop working and sit in front of the TV all day and night until you die. In fact once you get to 40 stop moving, stop eating well, continue to eat and drink the same amount you did when you were younger and generally wait for the body to age and fall apart.

But then something happened. People over 40 took up exercise. They ate well and looked after their body, and thanks to the explosion of social media they taught my generation (Gen X) that getting older doesn’t have to mean disease, lifestyle illness and medication.

So, at 47 I decided it was time to stop and change lanes.

I was on the lane towards lifestyle illnesses and saggy bits. My bits are still saggy but I am a whole lot healthier and I am working on the saggy bits. I stopped renting a house and bought myself a camper van (not sure how I feel about that yet) in an attempt to save more money.

I spend more time out now than I ever have in the last 20 years.

I am not looking to live to be super old. I just want the years that I live to be healthy ones where I can move and have fun and enjoy living. I want to redefine what it means to be over 40 and most of all I want to stop acting as if my life has ended now that I have hit my 50s.

So ZESTIZM is about my attempts to change lanes, to live more and fear less. To regain my health and work on my saggy bits so that I am fitter, leaner and stronger.

If I help a couple of people change lanes as a result of following my journey – well that’s just a bonus. 🙂