Via Zenhabits.com by Leo Babauta

I don’t have health insurance, so I have a big investment in staying healthy.

And so I did a little research today — I found the top causes of death, then created a spreadsheet for the controllable risk factors for each.

Some things can’t be controlled (your age, family history of diseases, gender). But others can. And those things aren’t a huge surprise — you already know not to smoke, drink too much, or eat crappily.

Via She Knows.com by Joanna Mazewski: Teresa Giudice first made waves when she famously went off on her Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 1 co-star Danielle Staub, and while she is no longer flipping tables at dinner parties, she has instead used all that energy in writing bestselling cookbooks, selling her own line of cosmetics at CVS stores and starring in multiple reality television shows.

Giudice, who has four daughters with her husband Joe — Gia, 10, Gabriella, 7, Milania, 5, and Audriana, 2 — says that she simply doesn’t have time for negative energy in her life, including the gossip rumors about her and her Real Housewives cast mates. Instead she prefers to focus on her family and her career.

With so much going on for her right now, including juggling her career and taking time out to spend with her family, Giudice says she doesn’t even have the time to sleep. “I can sleep when my kids are gone and gown. For now, I’m up with them in the morning, I send them to school, I work out with Audriana at the gym, then I work, run errands, work some more, pick the kids up for school, make dinner help them with their homework. Joe and I get alone time once they’re in bed,” she said.

Via Bella’s Black Book

So 3 months into this being 40 thing and I am learning so much about becoming an “older” woman. Well, if I’m being honest, I have been privy to a lot of this for a while now, but it seems that somehow when you actually become 2 scores, everything is magnified by 10 like the ugly side of those vanity mirrors and no matter how hard you try, you can’t make it stop. So here are a few things that you discover once you start to crest the hill (which incidentally I will be doing for at least another 10 years).

1. Your body makes lots of new and strange noises. Now one could ask, “how is that any different than being a teenaged boy?” Well, I am happy to answer. You see, teenaged boys are usually making these sounds on purpose, either with their mouths, or other body parts. But a woman over 40? She is usually just as surprised as everyone else when a joint creeks or her behind suddenly learns how to play the trumpet. Most of the time, if you ask her what that sound was, she is just as clueless as you are.

2. You suddenly develop the ability to REALLY multi-task in some new and exciting ways, for instance, you can gain an obscene amount of fat/weight, while simultaneously being able to build massive muscle in a very short amount of time. I have completely stopped using weights when I workout because I don’t want to end up looking like a chubby linebacker.

By Consuela H. Wilkins M.D.

It finally happened. I knew that it would and I couldn’t stop it. But I wasn’t ready. It had already happened to many of my closest friends, but that didn’t make me feel any better.

On the first of July this year, I turned 40 years old. Yes, the BIG 4-0. I started thinking about this birthday around Christmastime last year. I wasn’t dwelling on turning 40 but wrapping my mind around the fact seemed somewhat challenging.

When I shared this with some of my close friends and family, I usually got some variation of the same comment. Their responses were mostly encouraging and related to physical appearance and professional achievements relative to my age. But my mixed emotions about turning 40 were not due to concerns about my appearance or worry about my career.

Well, I’m 40! (With an exclamation point no less!) Yes, I turned 40 a few months ago. I have to say until my dr. appt. yesterday I really embraced 40, last night I didn’t and today.. even worse.

Let me start at the beginning.

For my 40th birthday, I had a birthday party. I have family and friends around. My husband, son and 2 step daughters (kids are 7, 15, & 17 respectively) were also with me. I had a great time and really found myself embracing the 40 year old syndrome. I am reasonably active after work, but during the day, I have a day job and sit at a desk all day.

So, after my birthday, I continue with my life, but a funny thing started to happen, I started to feel more confident. It was like a revelation one day. I felt like I gave off an aura of confidence and I felt sexy!! I felt more sexy at 40 than I did in my 30′s. Maybe because I could flirt with younger men and know I could get away with it. (no sexual innuendo’s just flirt). Maybe I was embracing the cougar in me. I felt more comfortable in my skin. So, life is good…

Well then I started noticing little things, my size 8 shorts didn’t fit.. uh-oh I went to a size 10…o.k. I wanted to get back into the gym more often. I started doing the workout that I did at 37 and –oh my the size 10 shorts are getting..umm snug..I also added modifying my food intake–diet for all of the non-dieters–which is something i didn’t do before.

For an athlete, turning 40 can be traumatic. Jon Williams turned his first full season as a masters runner into the best of his career.

The Miami resident didn’t go quietly into the masters division. He continued to run at the front of the pack, winning 43 races in 2009 and recording personal-best times at several distances, including a 2-hour, 39-minute marathon at Chicago in October.

Sesame Street turned 40 yesterday, the Internet turned 40 last month, Diddy and Matthew McConaughey blew out 40 candles last week…guys, I think we’re on to something here. Turning 40 is as cool as it gets.

I was at work the other morning waiting for my relief to come on and the only thing I could think of was the line or two from David Lee Roth before the Van Halen song Hot for Teacher. You know the part where Eddie is twidling on the main guitar riff and David Lee ab libs, “I don’t feel tardy.”

I suppose that is sorta how I feel about turning 40. I don’t feel forty. A good point is that no I do not listen to Van Halen much but my Ipod is instead loaded with Sublime, The White Stripes, Shiny Toy Guns, Wilco, TV on the Radio and the like. I suppose I believed when I was a kid that forty year olds just listened to Paul Anka and were busy yelling at the neighbor kids to get out of their yard.

I suppose it is a blessing to feel more at ease talking to those younger then me then those older, but it is a bigger blessing that I feel I have more in common with the youth. Some of this youthful outlook is great. I love working out. Most folks my age seem to be less fit and as time goes on just give up being healthy. What started as weight loss morphed into weight training and now is taking on new avenues of fitness. I Loved bicycling into work the last few days and flipping off the gas sign on the way. I plan to do this until late fall (gas sign flipage contingent on future gas prices), but who knows we may have a mild winter. The point is that I am in the best physical shape of my life and I plan to improve to a higher excellence as time goes on and that is not the thinking of an old man.

I think it is very telling that there is a site started just two years ago called ‘turning40′. I think our generation is  “insistent”, in some ways, of not having the turning 40 stigma. I mean didn’t MTV just celebrate an anniversary?

I turn 40 in 5 days and I asked a bunch of people for a list of all the things I should do in the next 5 days that would be socially unacceptable for me to do after I turn 40. The only thing that came up was “take dirty pictures”.

I am very happy with how my life has turned out. However, one of my goals in life was to reach that point…. no matter WHERE I was in life at any given time. That’s all we all really want is to just be happy regardless of circumstances.

The only thing I am NOT happy with is my weight. I lift heavy weights alot so I have sort of a football player look to me, but, I do carry more fat than I want. But on the other hand, I think, WHY DO I CARE? I have the most amazing wife in the world, awesome kids, and a fun life. Why do I care if I’m ‘sexy’? BFD! Right? Now I just have to convince myself of that.

Physical Training

A way to break through any block is to create a vision board.  I have used this technique for over 25 years. What it does is focus your brain on what you want instead of what is holding you back. Then the mind will begin to find ways to resolve those blocks to keep you moving toward your vision. It is highly effective. I always seem to get what is on my board. If I don’t it is often because, I realized I really didn’t want it.

When I was losing weight I had images of lean and slender woman who looked fit. As I was turning 40 and I was at my ideal weight I changed my focus. I put on my board a caption that was on a magazine that said “40 and WOW”. Look for photos and phrases that are inspiring to you and make your goal real. Create a board of these images. This is a great thing to teach kids, my children and I have done this together as a craft project.

Place the board somewhere where you can look at every day. I have one right in front of me right now, it is focused on my business and has images of success. The brain unconsciously works on this goal even when you are not thinking about it. Give it a try.

Turning 40 may mean your youth is gone but it doesn’t mean that your youthful look has to go with it. Elle McPherson and Cindy Crawford are looking hotter than ever, and although you may not be a former model, there are some things you can do to help you stay looking vibrant as you age.

• Drink water: The more you keep your body hydrated the longer your skin will stay elastic and supple. Your inside will be happy as well and be less likely to hold on to water weight due to “water faminine” just like your body adjusts and slows down your metabolism for “calorie famine” when you severely cut back on eating.

• Create a support system of positive people: As you get older, life changes become far more stressful thus reeking havoc on your body and your appearance. Life is much easier and less lonely when you have a support system of really wonderful people who will back you up and remind you of your strength and lovability. Your support system will also help make you laugh which is something you need to do more of during those stressful life changes.

• Stay physically active: You don’t have to go to the gym more to stay fit after 40, you just need to keep moving and participate in activities that involve movement like dancing, kayaking, or dog walking. As we get older, we tend to sit more thus minimizing opportunities to burn calories and keep the muscles active. Joining activities that involve groups of people can also help you make new friends or make you feel like you belong to a group which leads to better overall happiness.

With the right attitude, this decade can be enriching and invigorating

“Your sex appeal is history.” “Might as well toss that sports equipment.” Your buddies are happy to pepper you with these myths as you approach the big Four-O, but here’s the truth: a man’s 40s can be a great time of life.

“These years are life-changing, not life-ending,” says clinical social worker Bruce Curry of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “You might not have the same feeling of invincibility you had in your 20s and 30s, but you can feel more confident and content.” Here’s how to reach that comfort level:

Pay attention to your health. “Young men tend to ignore it, but it’s important to focus on health now to prevent problems later,” says internist Gregory Stout, D.O., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. That’s especially true if you have conditions like heart disease in your family. Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked, watch your weight, and give up unhealthy habits like smoking.

I turn 40 tomorrow, and all the horror stories I’ve heard aren’t getting any credence from me. I am into bodybuilding, I have maintained my youth through good diet and plenty of sleep. I looked at myself at 30 and liked what I saw, and I am more buff and ripped at 40. Sorry, guys, but my life isn’t deteriorating any time soon. Oh, and time still drags for me. Seems nothing can get done fast enough. It just goes to show it’s a frame of mind as well as a physical condition.