Baby Steps
Those of you who know me know I rarely do things halfway. I’m either all in or all out. A free trial often turns in to a year long commitment and testing the water usually means I’m in over my head.
My fitness life has been no different. I swam when I was younger- 52 weeks a year and often seven days a week. When I decided to quit swimming, I was “done with it” and I haven’t been in a pool more than a dozen times since.
The next time I picked up exercise, I was 39. I fell in love with feeling good and I wanted to share what I had learned with others. I opened a gym and fitness became my life for the next 10 years. And again, when I was done- I was done. Sleeping in, snuggling up with a good book and a nightly glass of wine became my go-to self help rituals.
Fast forward to today… I am 51. I’ve gained back ALL of the weight and added a few extra pounds for good measure. I’m not on any meds, but I have psoriasis and acute osteo-arthritis in my hands. These auto-immune conditions and never-ending fatigue have forced me to look at the way I care for myself. Add on top of that, my oldest son is getting married next spring- I know how I want to feel and look on that special day.
I joined a challenge two weeks ago today. Thankfully, I’ve survived the first round of aches and pains. I have perfect attendance but to be honest, I also have a perfect track record of lying in bed at 4:25 and wondering “what in the hell were you thinking”?!?
I’m educated enough in nutritional science to know good food and enough of it are key to my long-term success… as is water… and sleep… and stretching. But, most importantly I need patience. I didn’t lose strength and pack on the pounds overnight. I’m not going to fix it overnight either. I need to listen to my body, because quite frankly, my body is older and semi-broken. Everything in me wants to do more in the gym and restrict calories at home. I want to jump on the scale and “verify” my accomplishments… but how ridiculous is that? I’m a fifty year old woman and even though that shouldn’t limit WHAT I can do, it sometimes puts the brakes on how fast I can do it!! I’ve decided I will go to the gym to work my body and I will care for it when I’m home with good food and rest.
So, several of you have asked how I’m doing…
2 weeks in:
The negatives:
1. I ache
2. I’m tired
3. I feel uncoordinated
4. I don’t know a lot of the gym members
5. I’m hungry
And the positives:
1. I ache… that awesome warm, burn kind of ache that comes from doing good work. I know walking helps and I’ve been lucky to share several walks with my little sister.
2. I’m tired… but sleeping like a champ! Check out the photo I posted- 5:34 on a Saturday and ZERO steps. No peeing, no pacing, no glasses of water. How many of you 50+ people can say that?? My sleep has improved immensely in 2 short weeks.
3. I feel uncoordinated, but smarter every time I finish a class. My senior brain is working hard to keep up and keep in rhythm!!
4. I don’t know a lot of the gym members, but everyone has been very nice and VERY helpful. Instructors and coaches are moving around the room to check on form. AND I’ve been able to see several of my former gym members- I even got to work out with a couple of them, which is a joy I didn’t get to experience when I was teaching.
5. I’m hungry, but I’m active in the kitchen again. I have a great kitchen and sometimes I forget how much I love to cook.
I’m 100% committed to rocking this challenge, but I’m not ready to sprint just yet… I don’t know if slow & steady wins the race but I’m willing to bet on baby steps for the win.
