Category: Fitness and lifestyle

My Journey from Treadmills to Dumbbells

A number of years ago, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. I knew very little about bone density at that time. But I was approaching 70 and knew I needed to take it seriously.

Women lose significant bone mineral density with hormonal shifts during menopause years. Fractures are a major cause of morbidity in postmenopausal women, and bone density is the big factor here.

When I got my diagnosis, I was handed the typical prescription. Doctors provide invaluable service to us, but I also think they can be shortsighted when it comes to solutions outside of pharmacologica. I began by following the protocol, but also started researching alternative pathways so I could get off it.

I learned that muscle mass is directly tied to bone strength, and muscle mass decreases as we age. For many years I had been aerobically active but not necessarily strong. I had run a marathon and taught aerobic classes for years. It was a formula for disaster as I was getting older. 

The weight section of the gym always intimidated me. But this past January, I was in Palm Springs with my daughter. She wanted to find a gym so I went with her.  As I stared blankly at all the weights and machines, she stepped in and began helping me. 

After that, I had the courage to continue the journey on my own. As I gradually increased the weight, I began to see small changes in muscle. The picture above is not going to win any awards for muscle but, compared to where I was, I am happy about it. Motivation comes as we see the effects of our hard work.

So “lift heavy things” became a mantra for me. Below are some recommendations I implemented to address bone density. It is never too late!

Start small

  1. I bought a 10-pound weighted vest and began wearing it for short intervals around the house. Then I took it for a walk. I was amazed how heavy an extra 10 pounds felt. Some people have found change by doing nothing other than that.
  1. I purchased some light dumbbells, (3, 5 and 8 lb weights to start) and began with some basic exercises. Tricep extensions, bicep curls, and shoulder presses were where I started for upper body. I also did body weight squats and lunges for lower body. I have since added much heavier weights (I’ve added 10, 15 and 25 lb weights) and purchased a barbell, but it has taken time to get there.
  1. Whenever I wasn’t sure, I would google “how to do a proper” whatever. I discovered many free YouTube programs, and after getting familiar with the exercises, landed on Caroline Girvan’s Iron Program. It is definitely challenging but very adaptable to beginning levels.

Supplement

  1. I started regularly taking Vitamin D3K2 as it is essential for bone density. It helps the body absorb calcium, which is crucial for maintaining strong bones.

  2. Creatine helps build bone density and muscle mass, especially when combined with resistance training, so I added that to my daily supplement routine.

Eat for strength

Protein needs go up as we age because muscle mass is declining. I aim for 1 gram of protein for every pound of ideal body weight. Because that is a high number, I have to be intentional about it. It’s not a number I always hit, but if I aim for that, my numbers are higher than if I was just hoping for the best.

Just move

The whole “motion is lotion” is true. We do not stop moving because we get weaker, we get weaker because we stop moving. Aim for whatever is possible and go on from there. When I was at my worst with Rheumatoid Arthritis, I could only walk to the mailbox. So I did that. 

Let’s not just hope for the best and wait to see what happens. I have another dexa scan next month and am hoping I see improvement. But either way, I am getting stronger.

We are not only getting older, we are hopefully also getting wiser. That’s our portion. Let’s lean into it.

Rating Our Health

I was at the doctor’s office with a form asking me to rate my health from poor to excellent. That’s always a tricky one.

The obvious choice to me is excellent. But then I wonder what the doctor would think. I have a couple of “conditions” which might suggest otherwise.

  • High blood pressure since I was pregnant with Hunter, my fifth born son who turns 30 this year

  • High cholesterol and a scan confirming I have a bit of arterial build up
  • Ten years of living with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease involving a lot of pain and a long healing process. And many life changes.
  • Osteoporosis, which the doctor said requires drugs. “You’re a small framed older white woman. It is inevitable,” she said.
  • Three melanoma moles, gratefully discovered early and removed. Thank you New Jersey shore and baby oil.

Knowing those conditions would be revealed on the form, I still checked “excellent.” 

When I check excellent, I do it because I am the one that gets to decide what my health looks like. Not the doctors, not the labs, not the test results. I get to decide.

I definitely have not ignored doctors, labs, or test results. On the contrary, I have taken each one very seriously.  But I recognize the responsibility I have to be involved in my healing process.

It’s certainly not the case I have it all figured out. Or that I won’t be affected by any of them. Or that I’m never in fear about them. I just want to be assured that I have done the best I could with the one body I have been given.

Getting older takes a lot of work. It might be “easier” if we just let life happen and accept aches and pains and conditions as part of it all. But my philosophy is to believe we don’t just get older, we also get wiser. 

I’m going to be looking at what I’ve learned from each condition, beginning with bone health and muscle loss. If there is one person that can benefit from this, it’s worth putting it out there. There are principles that apply to more than just a diagnosis. They apply to life.

Older and wiser. That’s our portion. Let’s lean into it.

January’s Quieter Voice

January can be pretty loud. For many, it seems demanding. Get a resolution, a word, a challenge, a life. Make some damn changes, it yells. After all the excess of the holiday season, we often welcome this voice. I have heard it for years and usually stood at attention when it spoke. I needed some directional change.

But this year, it sounds a lot like a selah, a sigh. Have a seat, it says.

For so many years, January’s demanding voice led me to agree with the “New Year New You” theme. And I made lists and came up with words and set intentions. After all, how do we make changes if not intentionally?

But this year not so much. There’s a boatload of things that get harder as we get older. But there are things that get easier, more uncomplicated, as well. 

So if I had to choose a word, it would be one that didn’t demand anything. It would be the quiet, softly spoken word, CONTINUE.

Continue what you’re doing. Continue to put love as your highest priority. Continue to laugh, encourage, and be kind. Continue to eat well, lift heavy things, move. Continue writing.

I am realizing it’s time to enjoy the fruit of all those resolution years. Being content with where we’re at doesn’t mean we stop growing. But when we’re happy with who we have grown to be, we can be assured that “we can stay in motion with the same speed and direction,” Isaac Newton (in his not really written book), How to Enjoy the Aging Process.

So at this start of January, if we are prompted to make a change, we can trust that it will move us more fully into who we want to become. But if we don’t hear anything, maybe we simply accept who we have become and add it to the list of “Benefits of Growing Older.”

Maybe it’s time to focus on making THAT list bigger.

4 Keys for Getting Back to Fitness After a Setback

I felt like I was standing still. Not because of choice, but because of change. For most of my life, I had been active. Sports in high school, 10K’s in my 20’s, a marathon at 33, aerobics instructor, avid hiker, and a gym membership even with five kids. I was always in pretty decent shape. Until a whole bunch of life hit.

That kind of thing happens as we get older. Life takes turns that we didn’t plan for. How do we regroup when any number of possible setbacks interrupt our lives?

Sometimes we just have to start over. But that can be hard when we are not really a beginner. “But I used to…” Those words can sabotage us; they certainly tried to get me. I have had to embrace the fact that I am a beginner, again. I finally bought a program called Power Body Program: Beginner. I found these adjustments helped get me started again.

IT STARTS WITH OUR MINDS

Fitness begins in the mind because fitness is not just exercise. It’s a general state of well-being and affects every part of our lives. Although getting older is inevitable, there is much we can do to enhance our overall health. We begin by acknowledging that our mind has more of an effect on our bodies than time.
 
IT STARTS WITH AN HONEST ASSESMENT

We have to be honest about where we’re at. I had to acknowledge that I wasn’t going back to where I was. My goal became to get in the best shape I could today. I want to do the big and little things of everyday life: hike with my family, paint the guest room, yank weeds out of the garden, get the dogfood home. And just generally feel good every day. 
 
IT STARTS WITH REALISTIC GOALS

We need the details. It could be walking a number of steps, or gaining a certain amount of muscle, or stretching for a specified amount of time. It doesn’t matter where we start. We start where we are and go from there.

IT STARTS WITH A SCHEDULE

We determine realistically what works for us. What days and times work for us? We don’t let the day order our commitment. We make our commitment order the day.

When we have setbacks, it is easy to settle for a new reality. And we may have to do so for a short time. But we have to remember that what we think determines our reality more than circumstances. I hate that I had to get a “beginner” program after being on the other end for so long. But i’d rather be a beginner than a settler.

Cheers to being a beginner. Even if it’s beginning again.

Beating Yesterday?

“You need to ignore what everyone else is doing and achieving. Your life is about breaking your own limits and outgrowing yourself to live your best life.  Push to outdo your past, not other people.”

I just saw this on Instagram and definitely agree with most of it. Paying attention to what everyone else is doing only serves to make us feel insecure. Or superior. Both of which are unhealthy. 

But as we take the focus off other people, do we turn our attention to beating past versions of ourselves? As we grow older, we have so many versions of that person. We have the past version that was 24 hours ago. And the one that was 24 years ago. As we get older, we can forget the yesterday we can still see and remember the yesterday we can’t.

When I was in my worst days with rheumatoid arthritis, I didn’t remember that yesterday I didn’t so much as go for a walk, but I clearly remembered the double workouts from my 20s. I remembered the marathon I completed, the weights I lifted, the mountains I climbed. Beating yesterday can be overwhelming if those are the yesterdays we are trying to beat.

A while back I decided that instead of “beating yesterday” I would “befriend today.” Beating implies a competition while befriending suggests an alliance. When we befriend today, we enter into an amicable relationship with the day. We are able to show up and do what is best for our bodies where we are at now. Not where we were yesterday.

Being our best can’t just mean doing more than we did yesterday. Befriending today could be walking for an hour, meditating for 10 minutes, making a nice dinner, stretching, lifting some light weights. Or it could mean sitting outside with some tea and a good book. If I show up, fully present, and do what is best for my body today, I win.

All of us have yesterdays filled with both accomplishments and regret. They are valuable teachers, but poor monuments. Whether it is the yesterday we can see or the one that reminds us of who we were, today’s victories can be sweeter than yesterday’s accomplishments.

The best way to beat yesterday? Befriend today. It’s been my best ally and greatest treasure. 

Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month

This isn’t the typical post for me. But March is National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month, and it is definitely a topic that needs awareness.  I knew almost nothing before being diagnosed myself. With over 50 million people affected by this disease, and millions more likely undiagnosed, autoimmune disease is becoming a health crisis. Early diagnosis can make a significant difference in one’s ability to fight the disease with minimal damage to the body.

The problem with bringing awareness is that, although there are over 100 autoimmune diseases, they are most often looked at as individual diseases, including Hashimoto’s, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac, and Crohn’s. But these diseases all have a common factor: the immune system is attacking a part of the body. The name of the disease depends on what part of the body is being attacked. For example, Hashimoto’s and Grave’s disease attack the thyroid, rheumatoid arthritis attacks joints, lupus attacks organ systems, Crohn’s attacks the digestive tract.

Autoimmune diseases target women 75% more often than men, and combined, autoimmune diseases are one of the top ten killers of women under the age of 65. According to American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), autoimmune diseases are on the rise. The reasons for that are not known, but as people become more aware of their own risk factors, they can seek a diagnosis and begin a treatment regimen as soon as symptoms occur. 

Some symptoms of autoimmune disease include joint pain, fatigue, rash, stomach issues, and a general feeling of unwellness. These conditions are present in other diseases as well, making it hard to diagnose autoimmunity, especially if it is one of the rarer forms. It is also likely a genetic factor exists, so if there is a family member who has had an autoimmune disease that is good to know and mention to a doctor.

Inflammation is at the root of all these diseases, so asking your doctor to run blood tests that check for signs of inflammation might be helpful. Since these diseases most often affect women, and it is easy to attribute fatigue to working and raising children, women are sent home with the “understanding” that their fatigue is normal. The kind of fatigue associated with autoimmune disease is anything but normal.

It is estimated that people with autoimmune disease will see up to four doctors before a diagnosis. It is important that people are aware so they can be their own advocate and understand risk factors and treatment options. These diseases can be game changers in a person’s life. There is often much pain and an inability to do business as usual. A diagnosis helps that person come to terms with what is going on in the body and get treatment.

Autoimmune disease has definitely affected my life, and I have more to say about that, but for right now awareness is key. Disability and organ damage are often a part of the disease, so early diagnosis and treatment can help people live longer and more normal lives. It is possible to be stronger than autoimmune disease…the first step is knowing what we are fighting!

Stay Active, Stay Curious: How Walking and Podcasting Can Help Us Do Both

I have always been an avid reader. Books opened up a whole new world for me, and I devoured them growing up. Today, I still love reading. And while a good “beach read” is a fun escape, I don’t so much want to be entertained as I want to be provoked. I want to be challenged in the way I think, or understand something more fully.

As we get older it is so important that we stay curious, that we allow our worlds to expand. It is also important that we stay active. I have discovered a way to do both.

When I was diagnosed with RA a number of years ago, it was challenging to stay active. I loved to run, hike, and weight train. But for a while, I couldn’t even walk. Just getting to the mailbox was a stretch. But as my body began to heal, I was able to go farther. Sometimes I wanted a distraction from some discomfort I still had.

Enter the podcast. I love the long format style of discussion, and after this year’s election cycle, I can’t handle other news sources. Sound bites never tell the whole story and often suggest something that is far from truth. Context is king, and sound bites offer none of it.

At first, I just listened to episodes that were inspirational. I needed encouragement, motivation, and hope poured into my soul. I almost always came back better than when I left. Because I believe that truth is truth, it didn’t matter if someone’s belief system was different than mine.  I learned to look past some of the things I might not agree with and grab the good.

Honestly, anything that sounds interesting usually proves to have some element of inspiration in it. Interesting people inspire me. Below are some of my favorite podcasts, along with a few specific episodes that I really liked. 

Super Soul Conversations Oprah Winfrey

  • Lady Gaga: “Heal through Kindness”
  • Bryan Stevenson: “The Power of Mercy and Forgiveness”
  • Michael Singer: “Free Yourself from Negative Thoughts”
  • Paul Coelho: “What if the Universe Conspired in Your Favor”

Tim Ferris

  • Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: “Powerful Books, Mystics, and the Dangers of Safe Spaces”
  • Lori Gottlieb: “The Power of Getting to Unknot Yourself”
  • Jocko Willink: “On Quitting, Relationships, Financial Discipline and more”
  • Jim Collins: “The Value of Small Gestures, Unseen sources of Power and more”
  • Jerry Seinfeld: “A Comedy Legend’s Systems, Routines, and Methods for Success”
  • Harley Finkelstein: “Tactics and Strategies form Shopify, the Future of Retail and more”

Joe Rogan (on Spotify)

  • Edward Snowden
  • James Nestor
  • Brett Weinstein 
  • Neil de Grasse Tyson
  • Elon Musk
  • Tulsi Gabbard

These are just some that I have enjoyed. The podcast world has exploded over the past few years and there are so many out there. Get good walking shoes, grab earbuds, and head out the door.  You just might come back better than when you left!