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Have a nice day, Ma’am

I’ve crossed a threshold…I am now a “Ma’am.”

After I’d bagged my groceries the other day, the lovely young cashier kindly told me to have a nice day…but then…at the end of her salutation…said…and I quote, “Ma’am.” Yup. I’m now THAT old! LOL

I mean, I know I’m not young, but I hadn’t really thought of myself as a “Ma’am” just yet. I’m in my fiftieth year, have a head sprinkled…I mean “sparkled”…with grey, eyes that have spent more time smiling than serious (I’m trying to tell you I have wrinkles LOL) and I do hobble a bit when I get out of bed in the morning…but Ma’am? Ya…not yet LOL

I was surprised her comment caught me off guard as much as it did. Am I really THAT afraid/concerned/annoyed with aging? I didn’t think I was, but…maybe there’s something underneath it all…I dunno…gonna have to sit with and chew on that one for a bit I think…

Anyway, if you’ve been following my life outside of this blog, you will know that I’ve set up a challenge for myself for the next year. I’m calling it “50for50” – setting out to complete a total of 50kms of activity each week, over my 50th year.…and yes, I’m aware of the fact that we get about 4 months of snow and ice here…should be interesting eh!?!

I’ve always been an active person…always! Even as a kid, my favourite things to do involved some sort of movement; riding bike, playing sports (pick one!), building forts in the back 40, and tag at recess…you know…the kid who doesn’t sit still well…still don’t! So, you can imagine when I began to experience debilitating joint pain and swelling in my early 30’s, and then becoming somewhat incapacitated, was a big struggle not only physically, but emotionally for me as well.

I’m happy to tell you, that because of the excellent care I received, and the fact that my body responded well to the treatments, I have experienced remission for over a decade and have been able to remain active and enjoy many of the activities I love. #grateful

My active lifestyle did not come without resistance. Although I was never discouraged by my physicians to be active, my friends and family were not initially supportive, believing that if you have joint disease you need to limit your activity and live a much more sedentary life.

Yes. One does need to be mindful to choose activities that are right for their ability, their disease activity, their tolerance, and their capacity. BUT! Being active and staying active – insert “keep moving” – are vital for joint health…not to mention all sorts of other physical and mental benefits that come with it.

There are many reasons why I’ve set up this 50for50 challenge. I want to find creative ways to add activity/movement to life, learn how to carve out time for activity (often the most limiting factor is time am I rite!?) and I want to share with you some of the incredible research that’s being done related to activity and joint health, introduce you to some of the incredible people in the Arthritis World who are working tirelessly to bring hope and wellness to those of us who live with musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases…and if I’m honest…I want to enter my 50s with active “habits.”

So please…join me on this journey because I’m going to need cheer leaders!!…especially when the weather is nasty, when fatigue hits, when I can’t seem to muster up the motivation to get going, and when life gets busy and overwhelming.

I’d also love for you to learn and discover along with me; all the interesting and exciting discoveries researchers and clinicians are uncovering that will change how MSK diseases are understood and treated now and for years to come.

Oh! And if you feel compelled to add a few more steps to your day or need a reason to crank up the tunes and dance your way through your housework, adding a bit of wiggle to your week…yes, yes, yes!! Join me in the challenge!

Here’s how you can follow along:

Let’s get moving together!

Carrie

person with rheumatoid arthritis