Last night on television I saw actress Jamie Lee Curtis advertising a yogurt that helps keep you regular. It happens to everyone. Change. The change from young to old, glamorous to everyday looking, skinny to overweight (and the list could go on and on), etc. is a part of life.

There is no way to stop the clock and keep the years from going by. We all get older or we pass on. You can grow older gracefully, happily… and healthily. With a lifestyle that includes a good diet, an exercise regime that keeps you supple, and good emotional health you can go a long way down the road of life. And enjoy it!

Physical beauty as defined by our culture is fleeting. Haven’t you ever noticed a child actor that is so cute and pretty when young, but loses that which makes them cute and pretty as they grow up? It does seem that older women are judged more harshly than older men, but in the end gender really does not matter. People age. And in our culture, youth is more coveted than wisdom. As the baby-boomer generation gets older, there have been a whole industries created to keep the look of age at bay. But true beauty, the down deep type, endures as long as the person does without any injections, pills or surgery.

Becoming overweight happens to most people sometime in their lives. Some of us gain weight in middle age, and some are overweight even as children. Then it seems that we spend all of our time and money trying to lose this weight. It becomes a crusade, an obsession. We buy books, pills, meal plans, videotapes, and supplements (this list could also go on and on), etc. to help us get back to a size that we can be happier or healthier with. These external props won’t work forever. Stop the props, stop the weight loss, and regain the weight. That’s the way it goes - over and over again.

It all comes down to the idea that you, yourself are the one responsible for what you do and who you are. If you change the inside, the outside will follow. Change your lifestyle to one that watches calories and fat intake, and you will be come thinner. Change your lifestyle to one that exercises regularly, and you will become stronger, more supple, and healthier. Change your outlook for the better and you can become happier. You can’t do much about the getting older part, but maybe the acceptance of age and humor will help that too.

Maybe what we all need to focus on is this; get healthier, get leaner, get happier, and most of

One of my favorite sayings is this:I am not as good as I should be, I am not as good as I could be... but thank God I am better than I used to be!

I wish all of you the courage and desire to take that saying to heart and make it your own.

Take care and love yourself.

Frances Lewis