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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.

And I see a real trend in how people are celebrating. Gone are the “over the hill” parties; today 40 year-olds look more like characters from “The Hills.”

From safaris, to surf school, to costume parties, Botox bashes, girl getaways, Vegas, and Paris, people are celebrating 40 in bigger and better ways than ever. And why not? Forty is fabulous.

With that, I recently adventured into blogland to launch My Fabulous 40th Birthday. I hope all of you 40 year-olds and almost 40 year-olds will drop by as I spend the twelve months leading up to my own 40th birthday blogging about fabulous 40th birthday ideas, real birthday celebrations, and a few musings on what it means to turn 40.

Glad to be in such good company as all of you!

http://www.myfabulous40thbirthday.blogspot.com

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.

The down side was I could of accomplished much more if I was not so immature in other areas of my life. My youth was not filled with sex, drugs, and rock and roll but two out of three ain’t bad. I would of took them all but their is no accounting for taste in the fairer sex. It is sorta silly to look back with regret. I mean the first time I benched four sets of 10 I did the bar alone. The next week I improved. We all start somewhere and when we start is different for all of us. Why did I wait until 38 to get healthy? The only thing I can come up with was I was resting from what I thought was an overwhelming life. Now I workout to get more from life.

All and all it is a beautiful life. Their is plenty of things to work on but I suppose I feel rested and ready for the challenge. I keep my eyes open for the wonder and never say never. It is like Dylan sang, “Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger then that now.

Read more from Augiegus

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

Read more from Todd at his site

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.

If you do create one show it to me! Here is the one I created when I turned 40, I wanted to workout with weights and reduce my body fat. I was also focused on my ebusiness and writing a book, so this helped me to stayed focused on my goals.

Rosa is a life coach  with a speciality in wellness and weight loss. She is certified in Hypnosis, NLP, EFT and Success Coaching. She is the author of Mind Over Platter: Train Your Brain to Think Thin, as well as the creator of Hypnosis CD’s for weight loss. Her site is www.mindoverplatter.com

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.

• Bask in the sun sparingly: If you’re over 40 and have a hot bod, by all means you should show it off at the beach or the pool, but do it sparingly. Basking in the sun for hours and days will only increase the rate at which your skin wrinkles, shows spots, and mature faster than your actual age.

• Stop taking yourself too seriously: Because we’re grown-ups now many of us feel the need to always act like a grown-up and be serious all the time. After all, we’re now parents, leaders, business people, and the “example to the younger ones,” so with all that seriousness you smile less and feel more stress. Phewy! You can be the adult and still radiate some kid-like vibrance. So much of your life is spent on the serious things going on that you forget to have fun and be playful along the way. When you lighten up, your whole glow lightens up too.

More about Stephanie and her blog – Back in Skinny Jeans