Better by 40

Friends, I've had plenty to share with you for the past two days but absolutely no energy or brain power with which to share. Modern (and green) Allie has stepped up to the plate to share her new campaign, which I think I'm going to have to mimic (but rename):

I have not aged gracefully, instead, I have (pointlessly) fought it every step of the way.

When I turned 20, I locked myself in my dorm room and had to be coaxed out by friends with promises of Chinese food in exchange for putting on pants. While most people were excited by the idea of getting closer to legal drinking age, I was terrified.

Twenty-five was hard. "I'm a quarter of a century!" I wailed to anyone who would listen. It was compounded by the fact that I was back in college, finishing up my bachelors, in classes with kids who were four or five whole entire years younger than me. I felt like an old lady.

Thirty was easier than I thought it would be, but of course I went through the mental list of things I thought I would have accomplished by thirty. Scuba diving and marriage were the only things I could check off. I'm not on the bestseller list. I don't have kids. I haven't instigated world peace or stopped global warming. I'm not a mermaid yet (childhood dream). I had a minor breakdown and threw out all my old underwear, but that's another story for another day.

Thirty-one -- well, now I'm in my thirties -- really IN them. That's a little freaky. Clocks are ticking. Time is passing. And we've already established that I still don't feel like a grown up. So, I've decided something. I may not have all the answers by the time I'm forty. I may not even feel like a grown up by then. But damn it, I am going to look fantastic.

I am starting my own personal campaign. I call it Better By 40. I am going to look better at 40 years old than I did at 30, simply because I have decided it will be so. I am being mature about my health and taking charge of my wellbeing.

When I turn 40, I will be physically fit and strong, and able to take on any activities I want to take on. I will have lost 5-10 lbs and maintained that loss. I will increase my flexibility through stretching, pilates, and yoga. I will find constructive ways to deal with stress. I will stop being critical of my appearance and accept myself. I will take care of my skin, take my vitamins, and eat healthy and satisfying meals every day.

When I am 40, I will be a sight to behold, because confident, vibrantly healthy people are beautiful. And I will not spend my 40th birthday fretting about what I haven't accomplished, instead, I will celebrate who I am.

Since I have 8 1/2 years to get there, I am confident that I will succeed. You should totally join me. It will be fantastic. Pants are optional.