Me...Age Gracefully?

I recently had my annual exam, you know, that special exam women look forward to every year. That one.

While I was waiting for my doctor there was a computer playing small videos about women's health, and a video came up about the effects of menopause on women's bodies.

Reduced bone mass. Hair loss. Headaches and hot flashes. And what they described as the "inevitable" build-up of fat in the abdominal area.

That word, "inevitable." Sounds like a challenge to me.

I thought to myself, "You wanna bet?" 

Yet as I've grown older I've noticed that my metabolism isn't what it used to be, even though my activity level is higher than when I was in my 20's. I've creeped up in clothing sizes over the years, and am near the point where my current size is getting a bit too snug.

When I completed the women's mud run a few weekends ago my legs didn't feel it but my shoulders and arms ached for days afterwards. I realized I have no upper body strength -- and why should I? All my sports revolve around running or skating.

So when my friend Gianna invited a group of her friends to a 60-day fitness challenge, I didn't have to think twice.

Beginning July 1 (that's tomorrow) I am starting the Beachbody workout challenge called "Insanity: Asylum," There are 13 of us in total taking this fitness challenge, encouraging each other to push ourselves to the next level, no matter what that level is. Practically everyone in the group is doing something completely different. Some are making diet changes while others aren't. But we are going to  hold each other accountable and see what we can do to improve our overall fitness.

So I am sharing here one of the photos from my "before" photo series. Hopefully I'll be seeing some improvements in the next 60 days that I'll be sharing with you. 

Some women want to age gracefully, but I plan to fight it every step of the way. Not with botox and cosmetic surgery, but with increasing distance runs, inline marathons, squats and push-ups. I will not go quietly into that good night, thank you very much. 

Stay tuned for an update in about 30 days!