How many posts? Forty-seven posts this month. The back-to-school rush turned into a back-to-the-blog rush.
Who blogged? Sam, Christine, Diane, Catherine, Nat, Nicole, Tracy, Cate, Martha, Mina, and guest blogger Winnie, who wrote for us twice.
September is the real new year. Christine opened the month with her September Circles, a tiny experiment: five minutes of circle-based mobility before bed. She closed it with an update reporting less twitchiness, less morning stiffness, and a plan to keep going in circles. Sam mapped out her fall fitness routine, which got off to a start when a fire alarm interrupted cocoon shavasana. Catherine wrote about fall transitions after a quiet summer and was surprised to find she loves the louder days of September. Christine was ready to head back to TKD and then reported that she was right about muscle memory. Mina came home from five weeks of hiking and retreats and found two words that changed her meditation practice, in I Begin. Again. Yet Again. Christine’s Go Team post told everyone they could forge ahead, pivot, or restart, whatever the date on the calendar.
Aging: what’s decline, and what’s a choice? Sam started a conversation with Subtle Physical Withdrawal and Gradually Declining Fitness and Strength, about how we narrow our range of movement without noticing. Winnie, our oldest blogger at almost 75, shared her take on aging and fitness, including 100-mile weeks and dance classes. Sam followed up with a study on hard workouts and better aging, and her search for an intensity level that works for her body. She also celebrated her left knee’s fourth birthday and her fitness age finally matching her actual age. Diane checked in on her heart health five months after surgery: she’s back at work and has passed her fitness tests. Later she asked what strength and mobility for grandparenting actually requires. Nicole wondered whether stretching while shaving your legs counts. Nat shared her surprises four months into retirement, including a big jump in daily steps and a new sense of calm.
The data and the doubts. Our watches had a lot to say this month, and we had a lot to say back. Sam asked what the heck heart rate variability is and whether she should care. Nat marked a two-year Strava streak while wishing she could switch off the sleep scolding. Later she went looking for what actually drops her resting heart rate. Catherine reminded us that science says lots of things about easy versus intense and short versus long. She also looked at a Finnish study suggesting coffee might be good for you in every way.
Use your voice, take up space. Gloria Steinem’s death on September 2 hit us hard. Cate wrote about her gratitude and sadness and what discovering Steinem and Ms. meant to her as a teenager. Martha drew two lessons for fit feminists in Use your voice, take up space. That spirit ran through the rest of the month:
- Catherine took on a weather outlet’s faceless fat-shaming stock photo and the Sydney Sweeney sports-betting ad.
- Nicole insisted that fitness is not sexy, because it’s so much more than that. She came back late in the month with Exercise of One’s Own, about protecting the workout that’s just yours.
- Diane traced swimming’s history of exclusion, and the more inclusive pools she sees today, in Shifting Currents.
- Sam took down a post after learning that an “expert” she had quoted was an AI-generated hoax. It’s a good reminder to check our sources.
Bikes, bike lanes, and getting there. Diane asked why anyone would want to rip out bike lanes. Sam asked readers how they were celebrating World Car Free Day. Diane marked Bike to Work Day by riding in for the first time in over a year. Sam reported on the Spinning Wheels Tour for Parkinson’s, which ran from London to Stratford with wind and a trumpet fanfare. Winnie returned with thoughts on cycling and distance and a possible Transamerica ride, peanut butter sandwich required. Sam also wrote about two Montreal road trips in Fitness, food, and charging the electric car, and about why an old post on unlikely sports heroes was suddenly getting so many readers.
Finish lines and small joys. Tracy ran her 5K, a year in the making. She finished in 36:40, twenty seconds under her goal, and raised over $500 for Sea Paws Rescue. She then reflected on evolving goals and how her feelings about speed have shifted. Nat looked back on 10 summer swims. Sam got a fitness duck for her birthday, marked World Gratitude Day with a #ThreeGoodThings round-up, and posted August’s month in review. Catherine shared sage advice from animals (the goose says to honk if it helps) and wrote about a good week. Diane admitted that her funny old body needs to move, even when her brain says rest.
What kept us writing? Partly it was the fresh-start energy of September, the academic January. It gave us new routines, restarts, returns to class, and a lot of beginning again. Partly it was Gloria Steinem’s death, which reminded us why this blog exists: women’s bodies, movement, and space matter, and saying so out loud still counts. Mostly, though, it was each other. Winnie wrote in response to Sam’s post on physical withdrawal. Sam’s knee anniversary prompted Diane’s heart-health check-in. Sam sent Tracy an old quote that became a post about changing goals. And Diane was at the finish line cheering Tracy home. It was a month of small things done consistently: five minutes of circles a night, two years of logged activities, and a year of training for one 5K.
See you in October!
Month-in-review posts are assembled by Claude with prompts from Sam and edited by Sam. If you spot any errors, let us know.
