I know I haven’t written for a while – I’m sorry. To get you started, I’ve written a piece for the comment section of the Guardian website. You can access that here.
Anyway, turning to my real point… I’m turning 26 on Saturday. This is kind of a big deal for me. I know that traditionally there’s no significance about age 26 (unlike 16, 21 30, 40 and so forth) but for me, it’s HUGE. You see, all through my adult life, I have been disgustingly unhealthy, but have always said that I’ll change my lifestyle at 26.
Anyway, turning to my real point… I’m turning 26 on Saturday. This is kind of a big deal for me. I know that traditionally there’s no significance about age 26 (unlike 16, 21 30, 40 and so forth) but for me, it’s HUGE. You see, all through my adult life, I have been disgustingly unhealthy, but have always said that I’ll change my lifestyle at 26.
Friends will tell you that I eat like a pig. I admit that I can’t remember the last time I ate a piece of fruit and ‘Salad? I don’t do salad’ has turned into a bit of a catchphrase. I don’t do an ounce of exercise and am generally pretty damn unfit. The fact that I never put on any weight has only encouraged my terrible eating habits.
The thing is, I’ve been told many a time (by sisters, friends, colleagues) that I’m ‘fat on the inside’ and that ‘one day’ it will hit me; one day my metabolism will slow and I’ll wake up and suddenly find that I’m 16 stones. And I’ve never doubted that – in fact, I’ve always said, ’26 is when I’ll start being healthy. 26 is when it all starts to go south; 26 is the point of no return’. It is the age I said I’d get a pension, start exercising, start eating fruit, start recycling more and generally be more responsible.
And I’m really going to try and stick to it. I know I can’t cut back on the amount I eat – I love my food – so I will start exercising to balance out my slowing metabolism. I’m actually kind of looking forward to it. I’m generally quite good at sticking to things once I’ve made up my mind about them so we’ll see how it goes.
On top of all those changes, I have been in a contemplative mood, wondering what other things 26 will bring. You see, my debut novel was released on my 24th birthday. At 25, I became one of the youngest writers to have published comment in the Guardian newspaper (which was a pretty big deal for me) so the gauntlet has most certainly been set…
Here’s the year ahead; to getting older and getting better.
Kia
Good luck on your new resolution. Even if it is just to keep the weight off, regular exercise is such a good thing to do anyway. I recommend jogging or bike-riding – it’s a lot more fun then working out at the gym “x” times a week. Although I would be inclined to only start changing your eating habits when you actually start putting on a bit of weight. Now, I’ve put on a few pounds, I miss my early-to-mid twenties when I could eat virtually anything and come away unscathed. Now I ‘m on a diet, sadly things aren’t as much fun.
good to have you back kia, once agin provoking a thought and then another, and another. thank you.
re your Cif piece, (and this is copy-pasted from what i just posted over there, ‘cos i think it’s relevant to the whole damn thing) it seems that one subclause — ‘even good men’ — has gotten pretty much everyone’s goat, from the far left to the far right to the so-far-up-their-own-arses-
they-can’t-even-remember-what-they-
came-in-for…
for once tho’, i think they’re right to have their goats got. every last one of ’em.
there is no debate whatsoever about the fact that ‘honour’ can, has and will be used to justify many an act — by men, by women, and even by both — some of which may been despicable.
but a good man sacrifices the right to be referred to by that adjective when, in the name of ‘honour’, his actions cause harm to another person.
honour is about integrity, but the integrity of all; honour is about what’s fair, but fair for all; honour is about respect, but respect for all…
when, in the name of ‘honour’, one person deprives another of their life, their freedom or even the right to choose, then honour simply becomes a bad excuse. and a good man simply becomes a bad one…
as re turning 26, which, for someone of my advanced years, is just a vague memory, and the HUGEness of it all, i promise you by the time you turn 27 you’ll have forgotten all about it (or you might not have, but it sure won’t matter as much)…
while you might still be sticking to exercising more, eating fruit more, recycling more, being responsible more, and putting aside more for the time when you’re as old as i am (before it’s too late), you’ll also have lived more, loved more, seen more, heard more, felt more and, with every passing day, will come to realise you know less and less and that’s OK too…
getting old is easy: you just have to keep breathing and wait.
getting better isn’t, but learning to live with the fact that who, what and how you are is good enough means you won’t every have to worry about comparisons…
happy birthday for saturday!
Happy birthday for Saturday!
I’m so glad I came across your blog. I can identify with alot of what you’ve written. And you’re a published author & contribute to the Guardian-congrats!
Having turned 26 this year too, I feel it’s the only birthday where I can feel the change within. 26 is the new 21 in my book
I also eat alot, (but I do enjoy salad.I’m just lazy to eat fruit) & don’t pick up weight either. I used to very active, but have now become unfit too. Gym calls…
“26 is when it all starts to go south; 26 is the point of no return”
Ahahaha! I’m nearly 28, woman! In the light of the fact that my beautiful, full-of-life grandmother is all of 83 and still perky in many ways, 26 is very, very young, as are 28 and, for that matter, 35. You’ve got at least two more lifetimes to live – enjoy them, your birthday and the exercise! x