The year was 1976, the bicentennial celebration of this great nation. Bicentennial sounds so grandiose on the tip of your tongue or written on a page but for the most part, it conjures memories of my dad in red, white and blue striped bell bottom cotton pants and a Budweiser beer in his right hand which come to think about it matched his pants quite nicely. Commercially speaking anything you could think of was geared toward the bicentennial bash. Clothing, beach towels, bumper stickers, billboards, you name it.

I was 12 years old in 1976, a fresh faced 6th grader and a tomboy to boot. My elementary school held its annual Field Day. Of course this year's event was even more special as it was labeled Webber Elementary Bicentennial Field Day! It was also the year I learned I could run and run very fast indeed. It sparked my love of exercise and sports.

The foot races that unfolded on school playgrounds, the softball teams I played on and the track I ran in school fueled a love of exercise and the exhilaration it provided me. I feel fortunate that I have stayed healthy and that I still have the drive to exercise and push myself decades after school girl days and summers of Parks and Recreation softball. Exercise makes me happy and gives me a sense of accomplishment in my day. I have three teenagers. I feel the previous sentence speaks volumes as to how important it is for me to feed my own soul so that I can have the energy to be ready to deal with my offspring! Exercise is one way I feed my soul.

I am a healthy woman and I have a decent shape. I do not enter fitness contests nor do I run marathons. I just want to be the best I can be. I have experienced the ups and downs of staying fit. I have dealt with injuries, pregnancies, dealing with the insecurities about how I will be able to maintain my personal level of fitness and my personal expectations of and for myself as I move into the middle years of my life. I feel 25 years old body, mind and spirt for the most part-not the actual seasoned 45 years that I am. I contribute this largely to the exercise I engage in.

Ideally I would like this blog to act as a sounding board to women of all levels of fitness. Women come in all different sizes and shapes and it can be a challenge to find your personal fitness confort zone. One thing that keeps me positive and hopeful is that the 40’s are the new 30’s!

Bare with me as this blog may seem a breadth of a topic at this point. I am excited to narrow some topics down, hone in on some specific experiences and ideas. I am very excited about this new venture and very eager to my blog blossom this semester and hopefully into the future.