by Barbara Berkeley, MD
Over the hill? That just means you suddenly got a brand new view.
According to AARP, the next 15 years will find 8,000 people turning 65 every single day. Since I am about to hit that magic number imminently, it is a subject that's been on my mind. Actually, I find it both a source of curiosity and a chance for great creativity. Turning 65 is also an odd combination of sobering and a laugh. One thing is certain. Technological and computer advancements assure us that the coming years will look nothing like the years before them. We can assume, then, that those of us who are over 50 will have a very different experience of aging than our parents and grandparents. This provides us with enormous opportunity: the chance to re-invent the experience of being on the "second side" of the hill. Sign me up.
The large number of hits to Refuse to Regain that come from searches about "menopause" and "over fifty weight loss", speak to the fact that a great many of us are looking for guidance as we reach the Second Side. Road maps for ascending the hill (the first 50 years) are detailed and plentiful. Get to the top and you pretty much find just one well-worn sign. It reads, "Go ahead and coast from here." But coasting means getting pulled downward by gravity. Suppose we want to stay up at the top, enjoying the view? To do that, we've got to stay mentally and physically engaged. Medical technology will be able to help, but each of us has to lay the foundation in our own brain and body.
I am interested in working on a book about the ways in which people on the Second Side have preserved health and weight. I'd like to know how new habits and personal discoveries have enriched your life. If you are one of these people.... someone over 50 who has lost and maintained weight or changed your life in other ways that increased health and well-being, I would love to hear from you. Please send me your story and let me know if you would be willing to be profiled (either by name or anonymously) in a book.
We will all benefit from the discoveries of the group, so why don't we take this journey together?
Contact me at [email protected].