sixty
I am approaching sixty, later this year will be my big number birthday. Sixty, how on earth did that happen? The years have flown by in many ways. I am convinced that the old lady that is in the bathroom mirror every time I go on there is stalking me. For goodness sake I cannot be any older than twenty nine, I refuse to turn thirty. But gradually bit by bit the old lady is escaping more and more and some weeks I really do feel the old lady is going to win.
So many things have changed since I turned twenty nine. All the children have grown and flown. All are settled in their own way. Four have other halves and three of them have children. Nine grandchildren for a twenty nine year old is a bit much.
Seems every good thing I try and do never works out the way I want it to. I went back to college/uni seventeen years ago and got a degree, but never actually done anything with it. Things dictated at the time that it was not practical to be looking for a new full time job and so that phase past me by. I have no regrets over the way it turned out and luckily enough enjoy my current job so no longer have any desire to change it. The lady in the mirror is too old now.
The biggest thing that is impacting on my life is allergies. They tell you that your children are likely to grow out of them. Rubbish!!!! Many do not, me and my kids included.
But the most annoying things with these allergies for me is the frustration over restricting my keeping fit ability. For the three years I was at college/uni and for two years after it I swam thirty to forty lengths of the pool five mornings a week on the way into town. I was passing the gym I was a member of and had the time so went for it. Have to say I did not lose any weight despite the activity but for the last six months I was plagued with sore throats and chest and ear infections and so after a visit to ENT they suggested I stopped swimming thinking it may be related and it was, so my swimming was over.
When I hit the menopause I developed allergies to raw fruit and veg, anything basically that came from a pollen, it is called oral allergy syndrome. Another spanner in my stay healthy works. I use to eat my fair share of fruit and salads for snacks and meals, but for all I can eat them cooked a cooked salad holds little appeal next to a nice piece of cold meat and some crusty bread.
I got back into cycling about eighteen months ago now, a great way to help stay healthy Even trained as a cycle ride leader to go out with groups of youths and adults as this tapped me into a free bike to ride when doing it. I do not own a bike and no where round here I could ride a manual bike but would love an electric bike of my own. The price of them makes that an impossible dream.
At the start of this year I signed myself up to #walk1000miles and have been doing really well at it. They recommend thirty minutes five days a week is good for you, yes even the old lady in the mirror can benefit. I have been doing five or more most weekdays since the beginning of the year. But o be honest in that time I been plagued with issues with my sinuses, lungs and breathing. Had more than my fair share of antibiotics and steroids in 2019. So having under gone various tests that rule out anything sinister with my lungs I have been advised to take it easy and let my lungs settle, hoping this will reduce the pain and the coughing. It is irritating me not being able to do my long walks, but no real point if I cannot walk without wheezing and stopping to get my breath back.
To be honest, and I am going to make an appointment next week, I am beginning to think this is also allergy related. Taking deep breaths and pushing myself uphills and on a bit further is drawing all the pollen into my respiratory system. I know I have always had hay fever, yes even as a kid and never out grew it. I also became asthmatic in my late twenties. Maybe I will need to stop walking as much and wander around with a space man helmet on with piped fresh oxygen into it!!
If this is the case then despite having achieved seven hundred miles so far this year and looking like I should well excel the #walk1000mile target but maybe now maybe I wont. Will still make it with a more sedate two miles a day for the rest of the year so may have to be happy with that.
I am thinking maybe my keep fit will need to move indoors. No room in the house for it to move into as my two spare bedrooms are not really spare as they are taken up with beds to allow visitors to stay. So looking at saving up and buying me a she shed. One in which I can put in some sort of multi gym, a treadmill and an exercise bike. Plenty of these things go for free and cheap all the time as people have bought them and no longer use them. We use to have a selection on pieces years ago when we lived on the farm and I did use them regularly, so maybe this is the way to go.
I can relate that feeling of still being younger inside than the age the mirror and time tells me I should be! How frustrating to have to slow down and stop doing activities that you enjoy doing because of allergies or repeated chest and ear infections. Well done on managing 700 miles so far this year - that's amazing and hope that you can still meet the target with some more sedate walks. #WotW
ReplyDeleteI am sure the target is still obtainable, just over half the year to go yet.
DeleteIt is a shame you are having to cut back the exercise that you seem to be enjoying. I like the idea of a she cave with fitness equipment. Brilliant idea to look for second hand. I'm sure you're right about people giving it a go and then moving the kit on. Happy searching. #wotw
ReplyDeleteif I ever get my she cave I will fill it quite quickly with freebies or bargauns
DeleteI think that when you approach a milestone birthday it does bring all sorts of thoughts to mind. In the end we are only here for a short time so it's best just to live in the day. It's bloody horrid when your health deteriorates though, you can only do your best. I hope you can meet your walking milestones and get those allergies under control. x Thanks for linking up to #Wotw
ReplyDeleteyes I don't think that matters whether you are 30 or 60 we all ponder what has been and what is in front of us.
DeleteAT age 62, I wonder how I got here also. It seems just yesterday, I was a young mother with 3 little boys in tow. The day before that, I was a tomboy, swinging on trees and riding my bike all over our neighborhood! :) Grandchildren are our reward for getting older.
ReplyDeletegrandchildren are a fabulous rewards, spoil them, fill them with sugar and send them back.....
DeleteIt sounds like despite all the setbacks you still keep trying to meet your fitness goals, well done you. Slowing down is something I dread having to do too but it comes to us all so they say. I hope you get your she shed it sounds like a great idea x #WotW
ReplyDeleteI do notice how much harder I find it to do the double shift at work especially doing the two days running.
DeleteAhh! I am feeling the same about being 40 later this year! How did that happen!
ReplyDeleteI think with the things that haven't worked for you out are an achievement! You have a degree. Not everyone does.
The allergies sound awful. I've been complaining about hayfever this past week but it's nothing compared to what you have.
I hope you do take things easy and let your lungs heal. I really hope you can continue to do your walking. x
thank you. I am proud of the fact I got the degree. Hayfever is a horrible affliction and people under estimate how horrible it can make you feel.
DeleteTime goes by far too quickly, I can't believe I've been with my husband almost 30yrs!? I know we have to accept changes, and adjust to them, but it doesn't make it easier, does it?
ReplyDelete