My Body is 50. Now What?
What the heck, I’m 50?
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2026 has been chaotic for a lot of folx. In the middle of a political situation somewhere between an Onion article and The Hunger Games and a cultural landscape that wants you to inject unregulated "peptides" into your body...
My body has turned fifty.
Raise your hand if you actually know a peptide is, by the way.
Every once in a while, when I have to say my age, it sounds weird coming out of my mouth. 50. What is 50 supposed to be and feel like? At 50, my mom was married with 3 grown children, owned a home, and worked a 9-5. As I’ve gotten older and decided having children is not for me, I feel so free at the age of 50! Making my own schedule, deciding for the most part how I spend my time and how I organize my life, I'm realizing how much wisdom I've gained over the years.
In the next few newsletters, I want to share some of the things I've learned - and learned again! Today, let's start with a big one...
Day one is always going to humble you.
Whether you're starting again after a week off or a few years off, day one is going to feel a certain type of way. I recently got into a training program that kicked off with front squats and yes, I felt it the next day going down the stairs. That first movement experience after a break might even feel good when you're doing it!
Last week, we talked about how feeling "weaker" is valuable bodily intelligence. On day one of a new routine, you're going to learn a lot about what you're carrying lately. That might come as a shock. It might feel disappointing. That's why you're there - to process those emotions and whatever else you might be dealing with that needs addressing.
This is why so many folx describe strength training as meditative. We know that when you challenge your body, you clear the way to move stuck feelings and stress through it. But on day one, you're making a real physical adjustment too. So when I went down the stairs the next day noticing my quads, I reminded myself that this is how day one is supposed to be. I was adjusting. My body was doing exactly what what it was meant to.
I've needed this reminder a few times over the years, so I hope hearing it here helps you out next time you start again, too.
With you as we trust our bodies' wisdom,
Dana