So instead of a midlife crisis, I’ve moved to midlife blessings 😉

Looking back, this time of life seems kind of like a second teenage-hood somehow. Not in negative ways, but in the sense that I re-examine and re-situate myself in questions like my identity, my relationship to my parents, my appearance and femininity, my roles.

One thing I’m really enjoying at this age is the growth of self-control. I notice this especially in my eating and health habits. So I want to talk about this for a minute.

I really struggled with forming healthy habits as a teenager, though school sports helped me somewhat. Maybe it’s aging, brain development, hormone changes, etc., that contributes to the ability to work towards delayed satisfaction/happiness.

I’ve been working pretty hard on my weight and health habits since age 39. I have gone to Curves 3 times a week for several years now, especially once the kids were grown enough.

I use the Curves eating plans, their Food Marathons and Food School. I really like this because it’s real life for me, it’s real people, ingredients that are common here, and it focuses on losing fat, gaining muscle. And it’s very effective!

Yes, being “on a diet” or “eating plan,” as I like to call it, is not necessarily ideal and it’s hard to sustain. However, I am coming from a place of not having in-bred food controls (like Vitaliy has), and so I submit myself to external controls. Maybe one day it will become more normal for me (to eat intuitively, or whatever), but I’m not there, not anywhere near that point. Closer, but not there.

This semester I’ve also added Ballet Beautiful workouts (online), which have really helped me in shaping my muscles.

As a teenager, I thought self-control was the hardest fruit of the Spirit to gain. And what I want to say is that, with age, I’m gaining self-control. And this makes me very happy.

I’m also thankful that I have time to pursue this interest, since God has led me to say No to other desires. 🙂

My Food School/Food Marathon trainer took this photo (she likes to photograph us at our workouts 🙂