4 steps to pump up your stamina!

Stamina.

Leading up to age 50 this June- I'm experiencing what stamina really means.

In my twenties, I worried about the future: would I find a husband?  Would I own a house?  Would I have a perfect figure?  Would I have children?  Would I have a job that I loved?

At that age, stamina is no problem.  Three jobs, still made it to the gym.  Gigs all weekend until 3am, still had time for a date. Hungover, still able to work a double the next day.

I had stamina in spades, I didn't have to think about it.

Enter Age 49.  I worry about the future:  will my husband and I stay healthy?  Will I be able to hang on to my house?  Will I get rid of the inner tube around my belly?  Did I make a mistake choosing to not have children?  Will I be able to sustain myself in retirement?

Stamina is now a conscious effort.  I have to make it to the gym because my hormones need it.  After 19 years together, a date night with hubs is necessary fun.  I schedule in friend time, because I work all the time.

The older you get, you have to work at stamina- it doesn't bubble up naturally anymore.  In part it's because the machine (your body) is older and needs attentiveness to keep it purring along.  The other part is mental.  Reality is, you have less life force time in front of you so you'd better not waste a second.  Remember that "clock ticking" from your twenties when you anguished about having a child?

Well- the clock is still ticking, only now it isn't the maternity clock...it's the eternity clock.

My dad, who is 76 and a poster child for stamina, ends his motivational emails to me with "keep going".  Living fully requires sustained engagement through thick and thin.  Living fully requires stamina.

Here are four steps to pump up your stamina:
Mindful eating: choose foods that encourage energy, clarity and strength
Challenge yourself at the gym: book a private training session
Study history: pick a woman in a leadership position, how did she achieve her full potential?
Meditate- practice mindfulness for three minutes everyday

Is there a person in your life who models stamina?  I would love to hear about them!  Email me at nanetteperrotte@gmail.com