I am turning 40 in April…hoping to be in the best shape of my life…it definitely is All About The Journey right now!!

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The Latest Health Craze

Sure, it’s not the most joyous of all occasions. But, turning forty needn’t be a harbinger of life on the decline. In fact, with just a bit of care, the decades beyond forty can easily be the most enjoyable period of one’s life.

Scientists continue to verify the health benefits of an active lifestyle. Especially as we age. A recent study by researchers at the University of Cambridge finds that even modest exercise helps those over forty prevent stroke.

A little background information will help us gain a bit of perspective. 15 million people worldwide suffer strokes each year. 5 million of these people die, and an additional 5 million are permanently disabled. In the United States, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds – someone dies of a stroke every 3 to 4 minutes. In 2004, females accounted for over 60% of the stroke deaths in the U.S.

Turning 40 is one of the key psychological milestones in a person’s life when they evaluate who they are and where they want to be going.

GEORGE NEGUS: Now, something just a little trickier and much harder to define – the psychological impact of hitting the four-score mark. It used to be summed up by the simple term ‘midlife crisis’. According to some of the experts, there’s no such thing – at least not in a quantifiable medical sense. On the other hand, there are self-styled geniuses out there who’ll tell you that psychologically, turning 40 is a major milestone. Confused? Well, here’s Dr Caroline West with some very thoughtful people who might be able to sort this out for us.

DR CAROLINE WEST: According to some psychological research, you’ll face two events that will change your life forever. The first crisis is adolescence and the second is, you guessed it, turning 40. So, what’s the psychology of a typical 40-year-old? Well, given that there are a few hundred thousand of us in this country, there are probably a few hundred thousand different answers to that very complex question. And if it helps any, I’m 40 – well, just – and if I think about it, I don’t know if my psyche’s changed that much from when I was 30…or has it?

JULIE McCROSSIN, RADIO NATIONAL: 40 was good for me. I was full of that Sophie Tucker ‘Life Begins At 40′ and it felt like that for me. I felt physically fit and intellectually confident.

By Linda Miller
Fashion Editor -NewsOK.com

Gigi Levangie Grazer writes about women — their strengths, their struggles, their insecurities.
She especially knows a thing or two about women in their 40s — their celebrations, their confidence, their successes.

Grazer, in her mid-40s, wrote the screenplay for “Stepmom” and is the author of three books, including “The Starter Wife,” a novel about one woman redefining herself after her movie-mogul husband dumps her. Grazer also was executive producer for the television miniseries, based on the novel, that is airing this month on the USA Network.

As an outsider’s insider (she’s married to a producer), she sees many challenges that Hollywood women 40 and older face, but she also knows those are challenges shared by many women everywhere.

USATODAY.COM

They love the game, they love the camaraderie, they love the money. So why stop?

Major League Baseball has more 40-somethings on rosters than at any time in the last half-century, and that’s even without 44-year-old right-hander Roger Clemens, who is deciding whether to play this season.

While every franchise searches for the next young box-office hero, it’s the sport’s senior citizens such as John Smoltz, Jamie Moyer, David Wells and Moises Alou who still play for postseason glory.

Some of the biggest names in the game are on the far side of 40, such as Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. They remain well-conditioned and well-compensated. Together, those five have more than 55 million reasons for continuing their careers in 2007.

“The carrot that dangles before them is bigger, shinier, more valuable and richer,” Atlanta Braves general manager John Schuerholz says about why more 40-somethings commit to stay in top physical condition and continue sacrificing family time. “The next year they play might mean another $10 million or more.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, 24 players 40 or older played in the majors in 2006. This season, 25 players who will be at least 40 during the season were on opening-day rosters or teams’ disabled lists. From 1962 until 1980, there were never as many as 10 major leaguers 40 or older.

How many of you are turning 40 this year? How do you feel about it? Everyone perceives their birthday differently, with celebration, disdain, or indifference. This year I am turning 40. That might seem insignificant to some, but it is a big deal to me, because I am healthy, happy, and – alive!

To mark my birthday, I was inspired to organize a fundraiser in memory of two women who didn’t live to see their 40th birthdays. They died from ovarian cancer, leaving behind friends, mothers, fathers, siblings, husbands, and young children. “F.I.T. to Fight Ovarian Cancer” is a memoriam to my friends, Elka Klein and Sima Goldfarb, and an honorarium to everyone turning 40.

Health and being physically fit are very important to me, so I chose exercise as my venue. Most new research is showing that exercise can help us fight just about everything associated with getting older, proving to be a veritable “fountain of youth.” Exercise is also empowering, uplifting and enlightening. It connects us with our bodies in every way and makes us more aware of it. Some of us don’t like to think about our bodies, but that is a big mistake. It could literally be the difference between life and death.