The Road to Forty

Happy Birthday to me!! WOW! FORTY!! I can’t believe it! This is wild to me. I feel like I was just in my twenties yesterday. It’s amazing how time flies. One minute you’re twenty something, thirty something and BOOM the next minute FORTY! I am blessed though… to even be here. I recently lost someone close to me that was only forty one years old to heart disease… my cousin Kevin Bonner. He was a great person, father, friend and a die hard New England Patriots fan! This is someone I walked home from Middle School with. We took classes together. The original KB. I never would have thought he would not be here any longer especially at that age. I miss him and think about him everyday. It seems like many people, younger people, are getting sick and having major health issues. It honestly scares the heck out of me.

The road to forty wasn’t necessarily pretty I’ll admit. Over the last couple of years I’ve had my own medical issues to deal with. One being high blood pressure. I fought it for about a year or so without getting on medication until one day I felt like I was having an aneurysm and drove myself to the ER. My blood pressure was 160/105. If you know anything about blood pressure you know that is NOT good. My Internal Medicine Physician who was also my grandmothers physician and is my mothers said that it is hereditary unfortunately. I had to change my diet to a low sodium diet and also get an adequate amount of exercise. I was bombed about getting on the medication. I despise taking medicine because nowadays it seems like when you take medicine for one thing something else goes wrong. And just even remembering to take it daily was a bit of a struggle at first. Now I’m getting used to it, but still not happy about it.

One thing that does make me happy about being forty though is that people say.. “You’re forty? No! I don’t believe you!” Lol! It really makes me feel good about myself. It makes me feel like I’ve done something right in my life. I get asked all the time how or why I look so young. Well genetics for one! Thank you Mommy and Daddy! LOL! But for real in all actuality one is I stay drama free. If you LOOK like you’re going to bring drama to my life I shut it down immediately! I may not be able to control having high blood pressure, but I can control that aspect of my life. Drama free is the way to be!! Two like I stated earlier I had to change my diet. Even before the diagnosis I had started eating healthier and exercising. When I go to the grocery store I always read labels. This means my grocery store trips are pretty lengthy, but I don’t mind it. I actually like grocery shopping. I cut waaayyyy back on the caffeine. Caffeine is known to speed up the heart rate so I drink decaffeinated coffee. I know… BORING!!! I believe this was one of the hardest things for me to give up. Oh and Cherry Coke! AND Coca Cola Icy’s! Lol! Those are all my favs!! I drink a lot of herbal teas now which aren’t half bad when you add some organic honey or cinnamon to it. If I’m not drinking tea I’m drinking H2O. I like to drink alkaline or vapor distilled water. BUT in the event I don’t have a coupon for those (yes I’m the coupon lady lol) I will drink a regular bottled water. Even my dog drinks bottled water! LOL!

Another thing that helps me to keep looking younger is a solid skin care regimen. I use a lot of natural skin care products to cleanse, tone, exfoliate and moisturize. Side note: I plan to make this a whole blog post for you guys. Just bare with me! 😉 My plan is to switch my makeup routines as well to all natural, but that’s going to take time, effort, and money. Last thing on how I keep looking younger is trying not to worry so much. Worrying can bring unnecessary stress to your life. I’m not saying that I don’t worry at all about anything I’m saying I try to worry “less”. And I know that’s easier said than done, but when a situation arises I try my best to tackle it with logic whether than to obsess over it. I pray a lot! I talk to God daily! I have several apps on my phone with daily mantras that keep me focused. You may think that’s silly, but I say you do what works for you.

All and all I’m looking forward to my forties. I feel like I’m a character in Sex and the City lol! You know just out here living my best life! I looking forward to more wisdom that I am going to gain throughout these years. I can coach you twenty and thirty something year olds on a thing or two lol! I’ve experienced some things. My plan is to travel more. I want to see the world. Traveling makes me happy. I just recently went to New York for the first time and it was ah-mazing (another blog post coming soon for that too). I just recently purchased my passport so I’m looking forward to my first stamp. I’m excited! I know there are so many great things to come. Here’s to being Forty and Fabulous!