There was a time when I might miss a session or two at the gym, and I would feel relief and then dread. The time never got wasted—life demands have a way of filling calendar vacuums without issue—but the original purpose never got slotted in anywhere else, hence the later dread.
These days, I miss the gym if I skip a week. I miss the chalk, the warm-up, the feeling of strength as I approach the bar. Powerlifting training days anchor my week. As an independent consultant, my schedule is my own; there’s no nine-to-five at an office to provide structure to the week.
The two mornings I spend in training offer space to focus on physical effort vs. mental effort. That isn’t to say there’s no thinking involved in training. There is; it’s the proportion that is different.
I love the freedom. Outside of work deadlines, I am free to complete work at whatever time of day I choose. I learned early in my career as a consultant to block time for specific purposes; otherwise, it was too easy to fill my days with work and leave little time for family, fitness, leisure, and rest.
If I have to miss a day’s training, I try to make it up. Weather is an occupational hazard where I live and it’s not unusual to have late winter (or early spring) storms force schedule changes. Vacation periods are different; I’m usually travelling and walking thousands of steps a day compensates reasonably well for the lack of time at the bar.
As I contemplate retirement in the next six months, I’ve been thinking about how I will structure my week. Will I take out a membership to carry out self-directed workouts? Will I add something else to maintain cardiac health? Is it time to rescue my bike from its exile in the garage?
Or will I end up like the Dowager Duchess in Downtown Abbey, asking, “What’s a weekend?”
I know I will have more time to try different things, and I’m looking forward to reengaging with activities I love but don’t have enough time for right now, like swimming, biking, and practicing yoga.
How about you? Have your fitness goals changed with retirement? Or are you thinking about the opportunities and delights awaiting you as you think about this next stage of life? Let us know in the comments.
MarthaFitat55 is looking forward to still being Fitat65!
