Fitness Over 50 Update

Hey everyone! I wanted to give a quick update on my training for a fitness competition now that I’m 50, but first I wanted to share some good personal news.

Remember how I told you I wrote and published my first novel, “To Rescue a Witch”? Well, it was named a Next Generation Indie Awards finalist for fiction, which is pretty cool. With that came the opportunity to do a book signing at the American Library Association conference in San Diego this week, so I jumped at the chance.

When I get back to Texas, I’m going hardcore bodybuilding training again. My goal is to compete in November. (This week, however, I’m enjoying vacation! We are staying with friends, drinking wine and eating out.)

Back to the competition training…

I must confess that fitness after 50 is proving to be a real challenge. It feels like I have to work twice as hard just to maintain, especially after menopause. Here are some changes in my training routine:

Switching cardio machines

I’ve injured my calf multiple times and it has left me pretty spooked, so I stopped running both in the neighborhood and on a treadmill. Now, I’ve switched to using a stationary bike or the elliptical machine for my cardio because it’s easier on my calves and knees. And damn, I feel old having to write that.

Reducing cardio time

Back in the day, I could run for hours, particularly when I was training for a marathon. Now, I’m using cardio machines for 15-30 minutes tops. This is part of adapting to who I am today, not pushing myself to do what I used to do and risking an injury. It’s been a humbling, but necessary change.

Increasing strength training

As we age, muscle mass naturally decreases, a process that can be accelerated by hormonal changes during menopause (which I’m dealing with.) To counter this trend I’ve been lifting weights consistently at least five days per week.

Switching to a lower carb diet again

Everyone has their own unique metabolism and mine seems to want to turn every carb I eat into fat storage around my hips, as though a famine lurked around the corner. As mentioned earlier, I’m on vacation right now (hello, pasta!) but I’ll be reducing the portion size of my carbs (oatmeal, rice, sweet potatoes) when I get home.

Working on flexibility

Now that I’m 50, I notice a decrease in my flexibility. I’ve been taking a flexibility class twice a month, but honestly I need to be more consistent, especially since I sit at my computer writing all day. (Speaking of writing – I’m currently writing the prequel of “To Rescue a Witch” – it’s going to be called “To Reclaim a Witch”…)

That’s what’s going on with me. How about you? If you are 50+, have you changed your fitness/wellness routine? If so, what have you changed?

Lisa 😉

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