Hi there! In this, my first blog, I'd like to share a little about myself and how I ended up doing this blog for Experience Life magazine.
I was on the cover of Experience Life twice. The first time was for the Power Aging issue in July/August of 2004. I was 54 at that time. The second cover was for their "Best Of" issue about a year and a half later (December 2005).
For that first cover shoot in 2004, I flew out and met Pilar Gerasimo, Experience Life's editor in chief, at the Minneapolis airport. By the time we got to the location for the photo shoot I had fallen in love with her and what she told me about the magazine.
I thought, "Wow, finally a health magazine with integrity! A magazine willing to do the research and really test what they were reporting."
Of course, I was also delighted that they were acknowledging the whole concept of power aging, and giving baby boomers some visibility in their pages.
The boomer generation -- my generation -- is 76 million strong. That is a huge audience. And certainly a large percentage of people in our generation are living lives very different from the previous generation. We have pioneered the way to new health and vitality, among other things -- embracing natural foods and exercise, seeing the mind-body connection, and more.
From our teens through our so-called old age, we boomers have redefined every decade of our lives. Never accepting the status quo, we have been rebelling, inventing and reinventing our lifestyles, discovering new and better ways to keep both our physical and spiritual vitality. We are running marathons, teaching yoga, going back to school. You name it, we're doing it!
We're certainly not letting any idea of age hold us back from doing what we want.
The experience I've had at this time in my own life has been very different from what society has presented as a model of "normal" aging. The message most of us have received throughout our lives indicates that "old" is something negative -- something ugly, unpleasant and to be avoided.
The word "old" is practically synonymous with tired, sick, bored, cranky, close-minded. But the truth is, "old" just means you've been around more years. Simply that.
Society illustrates life in a graph with an upward line during our youth, stopping at a peak and then falling in a sharp downward motion until death. No wonder people have such a negative viewpoint about being over 30! And with advertising continually selling youth, youth, youth, we have no indication of what the real possibilities are.
My experience of aging has been so much better and more rewarding than what I was led to expect. As I've aged, my life has become more interesting, more exciting and richer in experiences. My life graph seems to just keep expanding outward to encompass more and more. I have more knowledge, more curiosity, more health, and more strength and vitality than ever!
So I think it's time to redefine what aging is all about. If we choose, we can make "old" translate as wise, mature, sexy, vital, energetic and discerning.
I am 58 1/2 years old, and for me, life has never been better. I've been working as a model since I was 49, an age at which most models have long abandoned their careers.
Ten years ago, about the time I was "discovered" as a model, I was just closing a career in the fashion and beauty industry as a makeup artist, working around the world with the celebrities of the time.
I worked with a lot of famous fashion models. But it never occurred to me that I could end up modeling myself. When I was younger, I would have been way too self-conscious to even consider it.
It may seem strange that I gained self-confidence and comfort about my appearance as I aged, but that's just another one of those positive things about aging no one ever seems to hear about.
Today, I'm still modeling (you've probably seen me in ads for Oil of Olay and J. Jill catalogs, among other things). I live in a big, old Dutch Victorian overlooking the Hudson River north of New York City. I have two grown children living near me in New York City, and a wonderful, diverse circle of friends.
I have had many and varied interests throughout my life. However, nothing on this planet is more compelling to me than my fellow man.
I will never tire of the many different lifestyles, view points, philosophies, skills, talents, melodramas and chaos we create and experience on this planet. Oh, the fun and troubles we make for ourselves! It's a never-ending topic of discussion and exploration. And I think a lot of it will make for great blogging.
I've shared some of my viewpoints on aging, health and living well in previous interviews with Experience Life magazine. And now, I'm delighted to have the opportunity to share more of my perspectives through this blog.
If there's something in particular you'd like me to address, just let me know! (You can post a comment here or email me at cindyjosephis@mac.com.) Otherwise, I'll just keep writing about what I know and love.
Which brings me to one last point: I'm not a doctor or scientist or nutritionist or fitness expert. I don't pretend to have all the answers or a monopoly on what's right and true.
I'm just me. But I take my health and happiness pretty seriously. And I have learned a great deal from living, studying, experimenting and figuring out what works -- at least for me. That's why I'm calling this blog "Just Cindy."
I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing about your thoughts and experiences, too!
I was on the cover of Experience Life twice. The first time was for the Power Aging issue in July/August of 2004. I was 54 at that time. The second cover was for their "Best Of" issue about a year and a half later (December 2005).
For that first cover shoot in 2004, I flew out and met Pilar Gerasimo, Experience Life's editor in chief, at the Minneapolis airport. By the time we got to the location for the photo shoot I had fallen in love with her and what she told me about the magazine.
I thought, "Wow, finally a health magazine with integrity! A magazine willing to do the research and really test what they were reporting."
Of course, I was also delighted that they were acknowledging the whole concept of power aging, and giving baby boomers some visibility in their pages.
The boomer generation -- my generation -- is 76 million strong. That is a huge audience. And certainly a large percentage of people in our generation are living lives very different from the previous generation. We have pioneered the way to new health and vitality, among other things -- embracing natural foods and exercise, seeing the mind-body connection, and more.
From our teens through our so-called old age, we boomers have redefined every decade of our lives. Never accepting the status quo, we have been rebelling, inventing and reinventing our lifestyles, discovering new and better ways to keep both our physical and spiritual vitality. We are running marathons, teaching yoga, going back to school. You name it, we're doing it!
We're certainly not letting any idea of age hold us back from doing what we want.
The experience I've had at this time in my own life has been very different from what society has presented as a model of "normal" aging. The message most of us have received throughout our lives indicates that "old" is something negative -- something ugly, unpleasant and to be avoided.
The word "old" is practically synonymous with tired, sick, bored, cranky, close-minded. But the truth is, "old" just means you've been around more years. Simply that.
Society illustrates life in a graph with an upward line during our youth, stopping at a peak and then falling in a sharp downward motion until death. No wonder people have such a negative viewpoint about being over 30! And with advertising continually selling youth, youth, youth, we have no indication of what the real possibilities are.
My experience of aging has been so much better and more rewarding than what I was led to expect. As I've aged, my life has become more interesting, more exciting and richer in experiences. My life graph seems to just keep expanding outward to encompass more and more. I have more knowledge, more curiosity, more health, and more strength and vitality than ever!
So I think it's time to redefine what aging is all about. If we choose, we can make "old" translate as wise, mature, sexy, vital, energetic and discerning.
I am 58 1/2 years old, and for me, life has never been better. I've been working as a model since I was 49, an age at which most models have long abandoned their careers.
Ten years ago, about the time I was "discovered" as a model, I was just closing a career in the fashion and beauty industry as a makeup artist, working around the world with the celebrities of the time.
I worked with a lot of famous fashion models. But it never occurred to me that I could end up modeling myself. When I was younger, I would have been way too self-conscious to even consider it.
It may seem strange that I gained self-confidence and comfort about my appearance as I aged, but that's just another one of those positive things about aging no one ever seems to hear about.
Today, I'm still modeling (you've probably seen me in ads for Oil of Olay and J. Jill catalogs, among other things). I live in a big, old Dutch Victorian overlooking the Hudson River north of New York City. I have two grown children living near me in New York City, and a wonderful, diverse circle of friends.
I have had many and varied interests throughout my life. However, nothing on this planet is more compelling to me than my fellow man.
I will never tire of the many different lifestyles, view points, philosophies, skills, talents, melodramas and chaos we create and experience on this planet. Oh, the fun and troubles we make for ourselves! It's a never-ending topic of discussion and exploration. And I think a lot of it will make for great blogging.
I've shared some of my viewpoints on aging, health and living well in previous interviews with Experience Life magazine. And now, I'm delighted to have the opportunity to share more of my perspectives through this blog.
If there's something in particular you'd like me to address, just let me know! (You can post a comment here or email me at cindyjosephis@mac.com.) Otherwise, I'll just keep writing about what I know and love.
Which brings me to one last point: I'm not a doctor or scientist or nutritionist or fitness expert. I don't pretend to have all the answers or a monopoly on what's right and true.
I'm just me. But I take my health and happiness pretty seriously. And I have learned a great deal from living, studying, experimenting and figuring out what works -- at least for me. That's why I'm calling this blog "Just Cindy."
I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing about your thoughts and experiences, too!
Leave a comment: 26 Comments