I actually do have a lot to say!

I made a promise to blog more so here you go. I hope this can apply to everyone, not just those of us in our thirties!

30 is the new 30- because it's so much better than 20. I was afraid that turning 30 would make me feel old, and that all of a sudden my life and new wrinkles would flash in the mirror in front of me. That I would have to face the decision of retirement from being a professional athlete and start using my brain more than my body to make a living. But as those who have turned 30 before me, I am starting to realize how amazing life is. 30 is just a number, and I'm realizing it better and better every day. Training is easier because I've learned so much from all my mistakes in my 20's. I've learned to listen to those signs telling me to take it easy or push harder. I've become more comfortable in my own skin. I feel a thousand times better in a bikini than when I was 20. I've learned to do things for me, and that makes it even more satisfying when I accomplish my goals. I know I am lucky to achieved so much in my twenties; 4 Olympic medals, 5 world championship medals and over 1 million miles flown on airplanes... Well the latter is the accumulation of my whole life, but I still made it to that milestone in my twenties. And why I mention that, is because now that I'm 30, I can't fall back on my twenties and just cruise. A couple things happened recently that make me a little confused about how people think in our society. I was told investing in someone in their 30's is uncertain, and as an athlete I am on my way out. Well hmm, I guess maybe it's more appealing to sponsor some up and coming young athletes that might make it instead of a "has been" like me. So what does that mean for us 30 year old women. Are we told old to inspire and represent companies?? I refuse to believe that! My age definitely doesn't define who I am, and as far as I can tell with my friends it doesn't define them either. As a matter of fact, we defy age, just like we defy all boundaries in life. Trust me! Anything is possible. Live your life by how you feel and what you dream, not by the boundaries that society or anybody else might place on you.

Xo julia