I’ve changed the name of my blog. The action may only have taken seconds but the decision to do so has taken a little longer.

I set up my blog 5 years ago at the age of 56. It’s purpose back then was to record the training I was to doing to become a Personal Trainer and to talk about all things fitness. It was a passion of mine which I wanted to share with others of a similar age to me.

Back in March 2015 I had qualified as a gym instructor and started a PT course. I was fit and healthy (or so I thought), employed with no thoughts of retirement and generally took a lot of things for granted.

Five years on a lot has changed. It turned out that I may have been fit but I certainly wasn’t healthy. The holiday that my best friend and I had started to plan didn’t happen. She died of cancer a few months after I had open heart surgery. Five years on I’m now months from retiring from full time employment and planning what a self employed life could look like.

I am tempted to say that I’m a very different person now but that sounds a touch melodramatic. But I have been affected by the events of the intervening years. And I am now into my seventh decade. Not a fifty something woman anymore.

Over the years I have written about more than fitness. On one occasion I even wrote about fashion. Even though my style like my taste in music is pretty tragic. It’s a shame really as that post got a lot of hits. If only I had style.

On reflection I have to conclude that much of my blog is about transition. Moving through a phase of life which brings exciting opportunities but with an increased awareness that if not now maybe never.

Lockdown has also focused my mind. With so many people dying in their 60s and 70s you can’t fail to consider that the time we have left is precious. And whilst the time we find ourselves in is awful I am enjoying a more relaxed life. A glimpse of what retirement could be like.

Bearing all this in mind a change of title and tag line seems appropriate. But why 60 is the new 60. Surely it should be 60 is the new 50 or even 60 is the new 40. Even I have on occasions found myself using these phrases.

I occasionally reflect back to what my own mother was like when she turned 60. She had to retire. It was the law back then. She didn’t wear Lycra, she didn’t deadlift or do burpees. She never thought about becoming self-employed (well at least I don’t think so). But she could have done all the things I now take for granted. My mother was a strong, attractive, vibrant woman but expectations and opportunities were very different back in 1979.

Spending time, money and dreams on trying to look a decade or two younger is a futile waste of a life. We can never turn back the clock. Our maximum heart rate drops as we age. There is nothing we can do about it. It starts reducing in our thirties which is why most athletes have long retired by then. Our skin loses collagen. We can have excellent musculature but we will still look as if we need ironing. Well I do. And cosmetic surgery is like decorating your home. Doing up one room only shows up what else needs to be done. Not that I’m opposed to such interventions. When lockdown comes to an end I’ll be queuing up to have my Botox fix. A necessity as I seem to have spent most of my life frowning.

For me it is about looking as good as I can as a 60 something. Although I concede that I will never win any style awards. To be as fit and healthy as I can. To make the most of my life and to be grateful for it. We have opportunities that our parents didn’t have. And whilst unfortunately we will continue to have to deal with ageism it remains an age to be embraced and enjoyed.

So the name has changed. I now have to think about the tagline. Any suggestions gratefully received.