daily fitbattle #1136 (is it a midlife crisis?)

16Jun10

I’ve been in battle for 1136 days. Here are my daily nutrition stats for Monday:

NUTRITION	CONSUMED	GOAL	VARIANCE
calories	1411	1425	<14>
protein	130 grams	150 grams	<20> grams
carbs	139 grams	150 grams	<11> grams
total fat	37 grams	25 grams	+ 12 grams

Here are my other stats for today:

DAILY STATS	DETAILS
Workout	MORNING…stretching, treadmill for 8 min at 3.5, elliptical @ level 6 for 21 min, and stairmaster @ level 6 for 15 min. EVENING…plan is stretching, a quick warm up and chest and back with Chris
Successes	Good overall calorie day yesterday and had a good workout this morning
Opportunities	Protein a little low and fat a little high. I’m gonna have to stop eating on the go.

Midlife crisis? Yes, no, maybe..

I’m not sure why I decided to go down this road tonight, but it’s too late I already did the research so here you go.

I’ve consulted google and determined that I am indeed in the midst of a midlife crisis. I thought I’d share some excerpts from three articles that support my assessment.

Here are some highlights from Wikipedia:

• Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the “middle years” or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age.
• The result may be a desire to make significant changes in core aspects of day-to-day life or situation, such as in career, work-life balance, marriage, romantic relationships, big-ticket expenditures, or physical appearance.
• Researchers have found that midlife is often a time for reflection and reassessment, but this is not always accompanied by the psychological upheaval popularly associated with “midlife crisis.

Yes, I’m in my “middle years” and yes I’ve experienced a few changes, not all self-inflicted, but none the less my life looks a lot different this year than it did the same time last year. How? Well I lost my job in October and have since been on a sabbatical and I’m really enjoying it.

I’ve now tipped the work-life balance scales in the other direction…let’s call it life-work balance with no work. No big-ticket expenditures or new boyfriends, but give me a little more time. Physical appearance? Check! Thinner and platinum blonde…that about covers it. No piercings but I am seriously considering getting a tramp stamp.

How about WebMD? They had a nice article on the subject too. You gotta love the title: “Midlife Crisis: Transition or Depression?” Here are some of the highlights:

• These days, the old midlife crisis is more likely to be called a midlife transition — and it’s not all bad. (I like this article better already!)
• The term crisis often doesn’t fit, mental health experts say, because while it can be accompanied by serious depression, it can also mark a period of tremendous growth.
• A midlife crisis might occur anywhere from about age 37 through the 50s, says Dan Jones, PhD. (check)
• In midlife, people often reevaluate their priorities and goals, Jones finds.

I like it! From now on I’m going to call what I’m going through a midlife transition. And I agree it’s not all bad, it’s actually empowering, exhilarating, scary, and exciting! Yes, there’s the reality that I have no job and no income but for the first time in a long time I feel like I can do anything!!!

Finally I took a look at an article in Time (well on their website). It was a rather long article so I only selected a couple of lines I liked and connected with. I hope you like them too.

• Researchers have found that the most profound difference in attitude between men and women at middle age is that women are twice as likely to be hopeful about the future.
• Nearly three-quarters of women from 40 to 54 in a Yankelovich Monitor study said life is “much too complicated.”
• Men wake up at 45 and realize, ‘I’m not 18 anymore.’ But women, their biological clock is ticking. They are constantly reminded that they are aging.
• Women, having fought so hard to break into fields that were once closed to them, often expect more from their jobs. If they are unhappy at 45, disenchanted with corporate politics or discouraged because they are not making a contribution to some larger good, they are typically willing to think of trying something completely new in a search for greater flexibility or challenge or satisfaction.

The last bullet from the Time article sums up how I feel about my career. I did everything I was supposed to do…got a college degree, got a job, had a successful career. Yes it was fulfilling in many ways, the money was good, but something was missing. I’m now on a mission to find out what. One thing missing was me…taking care of me, loving me, you might even say letting other people love me. That’s not all that was missing. I’m still figuring it out and I will figure it out!

So yes…bottom line…I’m having a midlife transition and I’m willing to admit it. I’m finding myself in this process and it’s really nice to peel back all the layers that have suffocated me over the years and expose me…me to the world and the world to me.

Okay…if you are still with me…thanks for sticking it out! I realize I got a little philosophical on you…I do that now and then. Here are links to the three articles I sourced for today’s blog:

Wikipedia – “Midlife Crisis”

WebMD – “Midlife Crisis: Transition or Depression?”

Time – “Midlife Crisis? Bring it on!”

Until tomorrow! Kathi

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