So this is what 41 feels like -The Swimsuit Edition

I’m turning 42 this weekend! How does it feel? Actually I’m laughing my ass off and smiling a lot too! Why do I laugh every time I say I’m gonna be 42? Disbelief, I guess. Because I feel like a kid again, actually. (Although I haven’t been counting down the days in anticipation like my daughter who turns 5 two days later.)

Being 41 sure feels a lot different now than it did when I celebrated my birthday last year. I’ve never really been hung up on age, but I never imagined I could feel this great and have such a STRONG feeling that 42 is going to be even more awesome than 41.

I couldn’t just let 41 slip away without a proper send off. It has been the very best year of my life!! Seriously. Not to minimize the significant life events which have all happened in other years; this has been a year of the non-event. A year not of graduation,  landing a dream job, moving, marriage, starting a business, birthing babies; but of waking up and taking action to make a change and then stringing all those days of waking up and taking action together into what has become my new way of life. 

Since January, I’ve been searching for my new wild goal, but nothing has grabbed me. I’m working toward a pull-up; that’s damn hard, but not really wild. At one time I toyed with the idea of committing to posting a bikini shot on my birthday, but decided against it. So here I am posting this photo on my birthday anyway, why? Well if I would’ve made a goal of it, I would’ve felt a lot of pressure to look perfect for it, which duh is part of the reason to set a goal. But knowing me, I would’ve obsessed over everything in addition to my workouts and diet; the location, the suit, the pose, visible signs of motherhood, etc.

Instead, this photo was just snapped (with no intention of posting it!) by my 8 year old son last Sunday on a morning that I hadn’t even combed my hair or applied any makeup, immediately following a rare deviation from my regular greek yogurt & blueberry breakfast, petit dejeuner that included “pain au chocolat”. In other words I was happy, and relaxed, enjoying a long weekend in France. Yes, I know I’m cheating by having a cute accessory draped around me in the photo;-)

So while I don’t feel I have the perfect bikini body, and I can’t yet go so far to say I am perfectly happy with everything about my body today, what I can say is that I am surprising perfectly happy to post this photo publicly. I am damn proud of what I’ve accomplished at 41 and my body is damn strong too!

41 is the perfect age and I want you to know that whatever age you are is the perfect age too. I have three new clients this week, ages 49+ that I will be working with to make the necessary lifestyle changes to get fit. (I screen for serious commitment). Right now, this feels like the work that I’m meant to be doing. I believe so STRONGLY in “the how” I did it and I am very excited that Justin Thacker is making a virtual version of his training program accessible to you wherever you might live.

Everyone loves a fat photo, when it is not of you;-) so here is my birthday present to you…a reminder of what is possible!

This “before” swimsuit photo was taken in Sardinia a year and a half ago. When I look at this photo, I can hardly believe it is me. We had a great trip, but I distinctly remember how relieved I was that we had the beaches all to ourselves!

“Fat and Happy” is a myth, don’t believe it! You deserve to wake up feeling like life just keeps getting better every day regardless of your age! This year I’ll celebrate a very happy fat-free Birthday, and I don’t mean the cake;-)

Tagged as: Bikini, Birthday, fat & happy, forty & fit