Hi Elizabeth, yes I can imagine that would have been frustrating. My point with this post was really that you don’t HAVE to work out, but that every woman can decide so for themselves. We should certainly not be judged whether we do or we don’t. Thanks for leaving your feedback!

While I understand saying things like “It’s only 30 minutes a day, every other day” doesn’t sound like very much, for some people, that’s genuinely more time than they have. When I was a stay-at-home mom with a toddler and an infant and no childcare, sleeping 4 non-consecutive hours a night, I did NOT have an extra 30 minutes in my day. Anywhere. If I had, I would have taken a nap. (And yes, I tried to come up with creative ways to work out with the kids in tow. Never found anything that worked.) Would I have been healthier, physically and mentally, if I’d been getting a little exercise? Absolutely. And now that they’re a little older I work out almost every day and I am absolutely reaping the benefits. But when people used to say things to me like, “Oh, you just have to find the time,” it used to make me cry.

Well said. I will keep doing my best to make this an inspiring website for women.
It seems you are very passionate about this topic. If you want to write a whole article on this subject (being the best you can be and going after your passions), you could always submit it to me and I can see if I can publish it on the blog! You may also be interested in this article: https://40plusstyle.com/what-is-the-secret-to-looking-amazing-and-youthful-at-40/ which was written by one of my readers as well.

Thanks for your feedback. I especially like your last sentence. So true!

Hi Genie, this is a very thoughtful response and I can totally see what you mean. I visited her latest concert and she put a lot of emphasis on the whole ‘sexy’ thing, even stripping on stage. So I can see your point about her needing to accept her age more, while at the same time I still admire her fitness. I think you are right that she looked more at peace with herself a few years ago. I love what you say: “Madonna is at her essence sexy.. why layer on all the ‘stuff’, just be.” If she did that, she could be be and look even more powerful.

I look at Meryle Streep, Jamie Lee Curtis, and a few others out there who are fit and beautiful…but, yes, they are aging, and accepting it. You can see lines, graying hair, and an intelligence in them that is brightly radiating through their smiles. And they seem to be working and winning awards, I think that says something.

Remember “Something’s Gotta Give” with Diane Keaton? She looked fit and wonderful, and the whole premise of the movie had to do with finding love at an older age. Diane Keaton in the movie is obviously unbotoxed. Helen Hunt also did not follow the Hollywood model of removing every trace of aging. The movie “Soul Surfer” shows Helen bikini clad and fit, but no overdone breasts, and she looks amazing. My daughters are young teens now and they saw that performance with Madonna at the Super Bowl. They both looked at each other and said “Ewwwww”, “why is she doing this???” All of the friends took to twitter baffled by the performance. My girls do not understand why she is TRYING so hard to be sexy. My opinion is that Madonna is at her essence sexy…why layer on all the “stuff”, just be.

When I saw Madonna on a magazine spread a few years ago she seemed to look much more at peace. She was living in England and had all these beautiful vintage clothes on, and she looked radiant. She also looked wonderful in Ray of Light, an album she did and you could see was aging and she looked great. So it is not so much for me the fact that she is fit and fabulous, it is the look of her now that disheartens me and makes me think “Geez this super powerful woman could stop buying into this madness, and be a pioneer in allowing the women of our generation and beyond the power to age with grace and dignity”. Of course, I respect everyone’s opinion here, and do not want to denigrate Madonna in anyway, she has a lot to live up to. Many are absolutely right about the health benefits of Madonna’s lifestyle. However, we have a soul, spirit….we have energy and matter….these things come through in performances and interviews. Nothing says sexy more than “self awareness”.

Excellent feedback. Thanks. Totally agree!

“At this age, you get a widening of the field, as it were,” James Pawelczyk, an associate professor of physiology at Penn State University. “People who have been taking care of themselves are relatively insulated from those [aging] changes compared with those who haven’t.”

Madonna’s exercise and diet both play a role. By mixing cardiovascular activity, strength training, and flexibility exercises, she has minimized her risk of heart disease, preserved her bone density, and likely reduced her risk of breast cancer.

Thanks for your feedback. Very true. So long as we do it for ourselves and not to please others I believe. But every woman should choose for themselves what feels right for her, for sure.

Thanks for your story Sandra and good to read you are in such good shape again!