Fitness Over 40Something - Before and After

It's Friday! I changed my profile picture. That is a picture of when I worked out, not now. I often wonder how people have "before" pictures. I have had many "befores" but never any pictures. I don't like taking pictures when I don't feel good about the way I look. It's kind of sad when I look at the past two years that me an my fiancé have been together. Pictures of the dogs, the cats. Pictures of him at places we went. Pictures of him with the dogs and the cats. Come to think of it I look more like a creepy stalker then his fiancé. I put that picture up to remind me. Remind me that it is not age that matters but health. I was more healthy then and I am on my way now!
Worked on Biceps today. I was able to do 70lbs assist on pull-ups! Just one and not quite to my chin but I am getting there. The mindset changes I have made are working very well. I noticed the only time I note the time is on cardio. I have to make sure I stick to my miles and not time. Time can hurt me. I am the type of person who puts emphasis on what I am told is the magic time. Instead of quality I become fixated on quantity.  Minutes cannot define my workout, that is a prison I must not lock myself into again. I do, however, note the time for my Cardio Bank. Since I am clearing 2 miles in 30 mins, anything after that goes into the bank. With my mindset changes, my love for the gym is returning and a bonus that comes with that is feeling great. Feeling great? No, I meant feeling awesome!

Fitness Over 40Something - Cardio Bank

Worked out legs today. My leg workout is the absolute most important workout for me. Many women who ask me about it say that they don't want to workout their legs because they are afraid they will get bulky. I have found the results the opposite. Born with "junk in the trunk" and "thunder thighs" bodybuilding makes my legs sculpted and appear thinner. I noticed in my two year break from lifting that inevitable sound of "swish, swish" as I walked. In just three weeks that sound is gone. I was worried for awhile that I would start a fire which would only come handy if I was lost in the woods. I also started what I call a "Cardio Bank". Any time over 30mins on cardio I store in this bank for days that I am sick, days I have to cancel the gym, or simply a day when I want to just get home and relax. I figure if I do just 5 mins extra each day that is 25 extra minutes a week! Today I went for 7. My fiancé will laugh when he reads this because I have some fascination with the number 7 when it comes to amounts of things I want. I like to go to a local famous pizza place and order "just 7" of their garlic dipping sauces. I always get a curious look and a comment of "just 7?" or "exactly 7?" The cashier yells it to the back and usually the person back there comes up to the front and asks, "exactly 7?" To me its more then the normal 5 and who knows when I will be back, it's all I can eat there anyway. So today I have 7 minutes stored in my "Cardio Bank". I worked even harder in this seven minutes so I remember when I take a day off  it was stored returning higher interest. And if I never use the Cardio Bank? Well then its an extra bonus on the way to a healthier heart.

Fitness Over 40Something - Old School

Excellent workout today! I worked on chest. The incline bench is my challenger and I was able to up the weight by 5lbs. I read somewhere that on the second set to attempt an increase of 5lbs even with lower reps. All of my exercises right now are 3 sets of 8 with an increase of 5lbs on the second set. I went from the incline to the bench and then fly's. I ended the workout with pushups. I believe strongly in the old way of lifting. Before there were machines people did pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc. I try to incorporate as many "old school" exercises as possible just to satisfy my own personal feelings.  I kept the treadmill at a low pace again today. I felt like a racehorse trapped in the gate and ready to fly. I needed to make sure I was fully recovered though so I am really looking forward to tomorrow. As I was leaving the gym I realized that I am in the third week. It's possible that this is still just a surge of that January madness but it feels familiar somehow. For the twenty two years I worked out it never occurred to me to "get to the gym", I just did. It was a part of my life as necessary as eating. This morning, leaving the gym, I noticed I felt that way. It felt similar to taking that morning shower or walking the dogs. A thing I simply just do because it needs to be done. That feeling this morning made me hopeful that my relationship with the gym is here to stay.

Fitness Over 40Something - Taking it Easy

The more I change my mindset, the more I consciously think about what my body really needs, the more I want to workout. As I think about it I realize it is the opposite of what I had done in the past. Sure, what I did in the past lasted for 22 years, but I am living longer then 22 years. Not only am I living longer then 22 years but the want and the need to be fit is now and as I get older. In the past, I would have forced myself to get to the gym when sick, forced myself when tired and pushed beyond limits that were not healthy. And then? And then I would hate working out. I would have to force myself on happy healthy days filled with time. Now? Now that I am forcing myself to rest when sick, when I took a day off when it was snowing, I not only long to workout but I would have to force myself to stay home. I find this opposite reaction intriguing. Is this what I should have read in the magazines? Is this what the posters at the gym really mean to say? I would hope so because this is different. It is strong, powerful and doable. Todays workout was back. I chose back because it is the most relaxing for me. Sounds weird since it is bodybuilding, but when done on low scale weight it feels like a massage. When I got on the treadmill I walked a nice slow pace. The purpose of today's workout was to satisfy both the mind and body. After being ill for three days I took it easy keeping in mind that my body needed energy to fight and heal and my mind needed understand that. Maybe I am getting wiser as I am getting older. Maybe parents are right when they don't let you have that expensive porcelain doll when you are young for fear you wont appreciate it enough to take good care of it. Hmmm , makes me wish I was given my body when I was old enough to appreciate it and take good care of it. At least I realized this now and I am fully grateful for that.

Fitness Over 40Something - Day Off

I did not go to the gym today. I have a cold. Back in the day I would have forced myself. This was not a hard decision for me as one might think and the reason is due to experience. In all of those hit the gym, hard push days, I went only three times with a cold. They say the smartest dog learns in five try's and the smartest one by the first. It took me three times. I was told by many that when you work out a cold will spread. It made sense. The blood pushes harder, turning the virus's mode of transportation from an old Chevy to a Amtrak at rush hour. But, of course, I did not listen the first time. The first time I lifted for 45 minutes and then finished with one hour of cardio. A cold that would have taken a day or two turned into a week. Same with the second time. The third time, the charm, turned into Bells Palsy. I was unaware I had Mono and my lovely "healthy, look at me" workout turned that Mono into Bells Palsy. Great. I learned though. I learned that it is not tough, not strong, and not smart to push when I knew I had a cold. That one day or three days that I forced my body, caused my body to shut down for weeks. I remembered, my body is separate from my mind and it tried to warn me it could not do it. I should have listened then but I am listening now. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow.

Fitness Over 40Something - Not Good for My Age..., Great for My Age!

It's Friday!!! Typically this would have been my biggest motivation day. My sister and I would go out on a Friday and Saturday night each, taking turns as a designated driver. I loved working out but towards the end of the week that Monday high would become a Thursday low. (The graph would look like a bowling ball rolling down a hill). But then on Friday my motivation would come bursting out so I looked good in those new jeans I just bought. But now, I am 40something, living with the person I love, and all I love to do on a Friday night is watch some cool show on TV. So what motivated me this Friday? Looking in the mirror and saying I look good for 43. I never wanted to look good "for" any age. I wanted to look great period. I had used this positive attitude for the past two years but it never made me feel good. It has been my understanding to accept the things I cannot change. But, my body can change and therefore I don't have to accept it.  I don't want to look "good for 43" . I never said when I was 18, "I look good for 18". What I do want is to be unable to tell I am 43. I don't want to run like I am 43, I want to run like " a bat outta hell". I also don't want to breathe like I am 43, I want to breathe like my lungs are newborn. That was my motivation for my Friday. To the gym I went.
I did triceps today. Love triceps . Easy to build and no granny arms! Granny arms are one of the things that made me go back to fitness. I was pointing down the hall to someone at work and saw my underarm jiggle . That was not a sign of age. It was a sign of a passion I let go . I feel that passion coming back. I missed it, I really did. Only knew how much I loved it till I let go. Makes me realize that things do happen for a reason.

In the middle of dips I was up to three, wanting to do just one more. I thought I needed a spurt of energy.....I must have something to be mad about and all at once with no label it came and I did two more reps!!! Neat trick:)
PS. My body was right yesterday because it gave me all it had today.

Fitness Over 40Something - Listen to the Body

Learned something new again today! Listen to my body. It scares me when I think about it. My body is completely seperate from my mind. The organs, the cells, they all do their own thing. I can't point my finger and and say " stop that, behave" or " I don't like that, so don't do it". They do their own thing. But instead of scaring me why don't I just listen to them? They know what to do. They know how to fix themselves and what to do with the nutrients I give them and the workouts I do. So today at the gym I did just that. I felt body tired. Not mind tired. My mind wanted to lift more, walk more, run more but my body said please no. I tried to ignore it's pleads and let my mind say things like it's not enough, keep going. Stupid old mindset comes out like extra bread at a diner. Constant and nagging. So, I thought that since I am trying new things why not try listening to my body? Ignore all of the articles that say push it, take it to the limit, come on just do it! I promised my body we would do just what we can today. I was working on back and stayed at the weight I did last week. No more, no,less. I almost got caught up in 5 more minutes on the treadmill but I asked my body and it's response? "You promised!" I got off the treadmill. Funny thing happened. I did not feel bad, I felt good. I actually felt great. Before I would have pushed and pushed and you know where that got me? Quitting. You see it was not my mind telling me to stop it was my body. And for thousands of years this human makeup learned what is good and bad, not someone's article that sounds like pummeling myself to near death. I am working with myself and not against myself. Best part is, I am looking forward to going back tomorrow.
P.S. Thank you to those who are reading my blog. You inspire me!