I'm feeling more reflective, 42 means I've decided I'm not even going to pretend to floss any more. Occasionally I'll buy some floss out of guilt, but I really don't like flossing. I have recently suffered a chipped tooth though, so maybe "at my age" it's time to start taking better care of my teeth.
The one I'm dreading is mammograms. Still a couple of years to go before they kick in for free for me. I don't know why I'm apprehensive as they are literally lifesaving. It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the message is to regularly check your breasts as, caught early, treatment is increasingly successful.
One change I am prepared to make to my lifestyle to compensate for my ageing body is better food, both for me and the planet.
At the Sustainable Business Network conference in Auckland last month, I attended the Good Food Feast. It was an impressive spread of "healthy rustic gourmet" food prepared by chef Ben Barton.
The concept was to provide top-quality food made from unwanted, low-value products, items that are normally thrown away. And it worked. The meal was delicious. It offered plenty of vegetarian dishes as well as rabbit alongside chicken plus less popular, sustainably-caught fish choices.
We also were entertained by the insights of The Food Truck chef Michael Van de Elzen. He talked to us about his concerns at our modern, time-poor lifestyles driving reliance on convenience food: highly processed, sugar-laden, with "numbers galore".
There's also the question of the affordability of healthy food, especially for our Auckland cousins. Rent and other fixed costs take a huge proportion of their incomes, leaving a tight budget for food.
Food is a political issue, whether it is claims of New Zealand lobbyists attempting to undermine health professionals or global questions of whether we should tackle hunger or inequality first.
I've discovered a great series on www.grist.org called Hungry Hungry Humans, written by Nathanael Johnson, who looks into the complex web of issues around food. He summarises it in a few sentences: "We produce enough food to feed everyone, but the market distributes it inequitably.
"Ending poverty and hunger are preconditions to ending population growth. For that reason, environmental efforts have to be, first and foremost, a social justice campaign."
As Johnson explains, consensus on these issues starts falling away after this point, with different viewpoints varying from those who say we need to limit the power of big business and give people more control over food to those who believe that market forces already give people all the power they need to control the food system.
I am a fan of building local food resilience and Whanganui features in a New Zealand movement aiming to empower communities to do just that. Check out www.localisingfood.com for inspiration. There are short videos showcasing food projects from around the country.
The theme "think global, act local" kicks in here and I am not awaiting my birthday to make a change. Don't tell my husband, but there's quinoa in the cupboard and more vegetarian recipes on the menu.
Nicola Young is a former Department of Conservation manager who now works for global consultancy AECOM. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.
