Turning 40? No Big Whoop.

People keep telling me how turning 40 doesn't change anything.

Can someone tell that to the insurance company? Since renewal comes up weeks after the big 4-0, the same plan will run us an additional 17%.

Damn. Getting old sounds expensive. 

Spinning Out of My Comfort Zone

With only 19 days til I hit the big 4-0, one thing I'm working on each day is pushing myself to try something a wee bit out of my comfort zone.

So today, I hit the gym and took a spinning class with my girlfriends, something that has intimidated me since the last time I took a class over seven years ago... and vomited. I won't even get into how I refused to take the class again until I was done having children. Seriously, you can put a man on the moon but you can't invent a cycle seat that doesn't feel like you're giving birth?

While I'd like to think I looked like this...

I think I probably looked a little more like this...

I may not have been the fastest, and I even had to sit down a few times while the rest of the class was standing up to pedal, but I stayed for the whole hour and never stopped moving -- logging 23 miles and burning over 350 calories. So I'd say mission accomplished. Yay, me.

What have you done today to flex those out-of-the-comfort-zone muscles?



 

Does Motherhood Do a Body Good?

"Youth is wasted on the young."

The first time I heard those words (originally said by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw), it sounded like just one of those old people sayings, repeated by those mourning the loss of their youth.

Little did I know, the next two decades would zip by in a flash and that saying would eventually make so much sense. 

Take body image, for example. 

The Chuck It List

You've all heard of the Bucket List, made famous by some actors that used to be insanely respected. According to IMDB, the movie is about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward (who knew one had to "escape"?) and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die.

Back in 2001, I had a similar list. Before I turned 30, I wanted to live on the edge a little. I made decisions that were normally a bit out of my comfort zone, took my little sister on a quick cruise to Mexico and treated my brother to a sky diving excursion, which was made that much more incredible (and terrifying) by the breathtaking view of gorgeous green broccoli-like trees on the way down.

Now in 2011, my lists have been tweaked a bit. There's really only one thing on my list to do before I'm 40, something I will share very soon. But for the most part, I'm more interested in recognizing the things in my life that make me feel super happy inside (look for my Top 40 list coming out February 21) and working on making positive changes in order to create that same feeling in other areas.

I'll first work on what I want to remove from my life before I turn 40.

Pardon My (Dis)Appearance

Remember those stones from a few weeks ago? Tomorrow, they'll be removed from by body -- along with my gallbladder -- by who I can only imagine is a Luke Skywalker-channeling, saber-toting surgeon who uses boring surgeries like mine to brush up on his Star Wars skills. I told you he's young and cute... he's probably still into Star Wars, right?

Anyway, so my lying around in bed for a day or so could do one of two things: A. actually force me to do the one thing I've avoided over the past few years -- rest... or B. make me crazy and force me to blog all the craziness that I've been meaning to tell you about over the past couple of months.

It's anybody's guess, wouldn't you say?

Doogie Howser Lives

When I was in my 20s, I had a rude awakening. I was looking through the stats of the Red Sox starting lineup and realized that more than half of them were younger than I was. When did that happen?

Yesterday, it was even worse. As I met the doctor who would be performing my gallbladder surgery, I found myself wondering, "how old is this guy?" After a little talk about my stones, I had the gall to ask him straight out.

"37," he informed me.
"37? You're younger than I am?"
"Just by nine months."

OMG, I am having flashbacks to my childhood. Did he just say he's only younger by nine months? Is he about to call himself 37 and a HALF? Is he going to use crayons to mark my chart?

In all fairness, he's a great surgeon. I've gotten referrals from those in the medical profession AND his mommy. He does approx 150 gallbladder surgeries a year. This is old hat for him. But I'm still wondering if that's the way I should go. An alternative procedure was presented to me that seems a bit more...

Exclusive Photo: Ladies Weekend

Move over Girls Gone Wild! When two moms take off for the weekend, leaving the men and kids behind, it can get pretty crazy. Just click on "read more" to get the surprising photo!