Half Time: The New 50
People always say the only two sure things in life are death and taxes. I think that phrase needs an update. The other certainty is aging. There is no way to avoid waking up the next day as a person who is one day older.
As a self-professed worrier, I should be happy that I wake up each day and get to spend another one with the people I love. As many times that I have thought a headache was a brain tumor, the turbulence on a plane meant it was going down, or that bump in the night meant there was an intruder and my end was near, shouldn’t I be happy with the slow certainty of aging?
Don’t get me wrong; I am a relentless consumer of eye creams and various lotions, potions, and exercises to try to defy gravity. But there is something to be said for aging gracefully. But what does that mean, really? Does it mean avoiding surgical face-lifts and not wearing clothing trends that were meant for a younger generation?
To me it is more of a state of mind or being than anything. I don’t have to look further than my 100-year-old grandmother to understand that state of mind. Up until a few years ago, she still went to a nursing home as a visitor to read books to the residents – people whom she, at age 90-something, still called “old people.”
This year two of my close friends are entering a new decade, the 50s. I can say without a doubt that I don’t know of two people whom look better with age than these two. Well, aside from maybe JLo, of course.
Luckily for all of us we know Adrien and Alicia well from the pages of Stylebook.
I met them both right before they entered their 40s and over the last 10 years I have watched them change the way they look at life, which I think has made them both reverse age. These new outlooks have in turn changed their businesses.
-
Alicia & Adrien - 20's -
Alicia & Adrien - 30's -
Alicia & Adrien - 40's
Adrien owns a gym, so working out is obviously a big part of her life. When we talk about our businesses I often times tell her she should just wear a t-shirt that says “I am XX years old and own a gym, call this number to sign up.” But since we met, her outlook on “fitness” has changed.
She isn’t about exercising all the time, she is about taking care of yourself and being able to move and enjoy life into your 50, 60s, 70s, and beyond. Yes, this mean lifting weights but it also means moving and living in the right way. Fitness on the Run focuses on the overall health of its clients through sleeping, eating right, and learning functional fitness that keeps you active — once again, making aging a state of mind, not a number on the scale or on your birth certificate.
I have seen the same type of mental shift in how Alicia approaches life and her career. She isn’t about more-more-more it is about less-less-less! That’s right, and this is coming from a lady who is a stylist by trade. She doesn’t say “buy more,” she says “buy smarter.” That means investing in pieces that can be worn often and withstand the test of time. I have seen this philosophy affect all aspects of her own life. She has committed herself to paring life back to make it simpler, so she has more time to enjoy the people and things she loves. It works for her! We have all seen her on these pages, she always looks “put together” – always, even when we meet for hot Pilates at 8 o’clock in the morning.
Alicia & Adrien – 2016
We should all take some notes from their playbooks because nobody is making 50 look like the new 40 more than these two are. So if in 2017 you are ready to have a new outlook on how you look — either how you dress or how you take care of yourself, I encourage you to contact Fitness on the Run or Tullebox.
- About the boutiques
Heard the buzz? The Shoe Hive & The Hive are a pair of luxury boutiques in Old Town Alexandria. Featuring both big name designers like Rag & Bone and Stuart Weitzman and smaller brands like AGL and L'Agence, our unique selection and impeccable service are what set us apart.
The Shoe Hive The Hive
127 S. Fairfax Street 301 Cameron Street
Alexandria, VA 22314 Alexandria, VA 22314
703.548.7105 703.548.7110
1 Comment
What a wonderful post about two beautiful women who are inspirations to embrace the opportunity we have to age with grace and confidence!