I'm Getting Older - Yikes!

Guess I have to face the fact that I am getting older. The inner child
in me is stomping her foot and throwing a tantrum saying, "I don't want
to!" The reality doesn't change though. Some mornings I really feel
it. I sleep like a baby some nights. If you have little ones, you know
that "sleeping like a baby" isn't always a good thing. Babies often are
awake every few hours throughout the night. Next year, I will be 50
years old. When did THAT happen? I may joke around about being ready
to be able to use the senior discount, but I feel blindsided at times
about my age. There have been plenty of indicators along the way. I no
longer bounce back as quickly from the little bumps and injuries that
occur in life. A simple cold can take longer to recover from. I
remember when I could be sick with flu-like symptoms and still be
active. Now, that same illness would lay me out, or at least wishing I
could draw the blankets over my head and hibernate until it has passed.

I think that what has surprised me the most is that to lose weight, I
have had to get even more active than before. I would have thought that
my lifestyle would be enough to keep my weight at a good level. I carry
an extra 30 pounds. Physically, I feel great, but I know that as I age
the weight could increase more unless I get a good handle on it now. I
have been gradually changing my diet over the past couple of months. I
am going to a more raw foods and vegan diet. That has been effective,
but yet I felt the need to do more. That sleep issue? I found that in
spite of my lifestyle, I needed to bump up the activity level more to
get tired enough to sleep through the night. So, at night after the
kids are sleeping, I have some time to myself and do belly dancing.
LOL I can only imagine the shock some may feel at that idea. I started
belly dancing years ago when I was just beginning to no longer need a
walker to get around. I found that the moves of belly dancing are
really gentle and were able to help make my body limber again. Now, the
exercise is becoming a part of my nightly routine. The past couple of
nights I have slept well. I haven't awaken during the night at all. On
a side note, I bought a dress at a church rummage sale for $1.00. It
was in beautiful condition, looking like new. I brought it home and
tried it on. It fit perfectly! With great hesitation, I looked at the
size. The dress fit so comfortably that I was afraid that the size was
a bit larger. The last time that I bought clothing, I had to buy size
x-lg to 2x. I was shocked to see that the dress is a size medium! I
haven't worn that size in many years. I guess the diet change and belly
dancing is having an affect.