Meet Julie

I am a Christian, married empty-nester who’s trying to figure out how to get serious about fitness yet not let it take over my life.

I’m a professor, avid runner and textile hobbyist who’s fast approaching 60. I love sewing, like reading and will tolerate long car rides if I feel the destination is worth the trip. How did I end up here, in the Blogosphere? Here’s the short version.

I like working out, I really do! I’ve been a long-distance runner since my early teen years. Hmm…sounds like I should be at about 16% body fat and 5 lbs underweight. Nope! I am a typical American woman, so I struggle with 5-20 lbs depending on my current season of life. When I see a woman over 50 in great shape, I often think,

Wow, she looks great. But I bet that takes all of her energy, focus and time…

and I’ve got X, Y and Z as my priorities. And so, I walk away satisfied. Until the next time I am confronted with a healthy looking 50+ year old woman. And I repeat the whole monologue again. Somewhere in my subconscious, I’m not really satisfied with my defensive argument.

After our son left for college 2 years ago (I take time with these things!) I began the typical empty-nester soul searching. One area where I did some focused excavation, was my health and fitness. I am rapidly headed towards 60 and I don’t want to go there quietly. I want to arrive happy and energetic and ready to tear up the next 20 years. So what’s holding me back? I headed to the Internet to find the perfect recipe for success! I entered over 50, fitness, woman and Christian. I found some good stuff. Walking several times a week; our body is a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19); “Is 50 to old too start Botox?”; anti-inflammatory diets; and so on…

But those resources left me dissatisfied. Either that wasn’t the direction I wanted to go (“Is 50 too old to start Botox?”!!) or it lacked the depth and intensity I was looking for (Walking several times a week). And most didn’t have the Christian emphasis that colors every major move in my life.

So here I am, diving in to the great wide open. Can I pursue a body-changing level of fitness, dedicate the hours it may take, and yet still claim my priorities are God and family first? I believe I can. And that’s what I hope this Blog will bear out. Or, it will set me off in another direction, we will see.

Now, this might not be exactly where you are. Perhaps God is leading you to a place of walking 3 times a week and eating a more balanced diet. That’s awesome! Maybe you do need to consider a gluten-free lifestyle. That’s worth a look! My prayer is that you still find some parts of this blog that resonates with your journey. Are you Christian or married or empty-nested? Headed towards 60? Trying to figure out fitness in your life? “Yes” to any of those means you may find something here to encourage or help you. Please stick around and come with me!