Christine Retakes The Floor

March 4, 2025March 3, 2025 Christine Hennebury

Ok, for a change, this is not referring to me taking charge of the meeting or the performance, this is a much more literal situation.

Not completely literal, of course. I am not actually reclaiming floorboards that I once owned. Anyway, let’s carry on!

Have you ever heard the quote, attributed to various writers, about how the goal of writing is to figure out what we already know?

Today’s post is a prime example of that.

I started out writing a post about my Monday morning exercise and then discovered something I hadn’t realized I knew:

I haven’t been spending enough time sitting close to the floor in the past few months and it is having a negative effect on my whole body.

Before our Christmas tree went up in December, my living room floor featured a huge blue exercise mat with a big, green, circular cushion (over 3ft in diameter) on top of it and a bolster cushion on top of that. (Yes, in case you couldn’t guess, my house is much more functional than pretty.)

And, in general, when spending time on the main floor of our house, I would either sit at the kitchen table or I would sit on on the big cushion, the mat, or on the bolster. (Our main floor is pretty open and the living room/kitchen are kind of in an L shape so it’s equally possible to watch tv, hang out, or do whatever in either location.)

I really liked having both options and I found the mat/cushion combo much more interesting than sitting on a couch or chair. (Yes, my ADHD insists that even sitting must be interesting to my brain.)

And when I chose the mat/cushion combo I was always sitting in different positions, at different heights, and either completely relaxing (i.e. lying limbs akimbo like a pile of goo) or doing some stretches/moving around a bit.

Having different resting positions as part of my routine was really good for me.

Not only did it tend to make me aware of which parts of my body needed some extra attention but it also made using a variety of muscles a much more automatic part of my day. It was a low-key use of those muscles but I was still using them.

However, when we put up all the decorations this past Christmas, I put the big cushion and the mat down into the basement hallway to keep the living room from feeling too crowded.

And, unfortunately, I really liked the way the room looked without those things in the middle of the floor so…

Both the mat and the cushion stayed downstairs for ages and I didn’t really think about the things I *wasn’t* doing because they weren’t in their usual spot.

A couple of weeks ago when I was having people over and I wanted an extra place to sit so I dragged the big cushion back to the living room. It didn’t seem to take up as much space without the mat under it so I left it there in the living room.

I quickly noticed that the living room felt more inviting to me and I was choosing to sit on that fairly low cushion instead of on the kitchen chair that I had been defaulting to over the last few months.

It was pretty good for a while, even without the mat, but then Khalee went from occasionally climbing on the cushion to deciding that this circular chummy was actually *hers* instead of mine. So, instead of lying on it for a few minutes here and there, it became her first choice of resting spots in the living room.

A dog resting on a large circular cushion — Poor KP looks worried in this photo but I think she got her taxes done after. (Ha!) image description: a photo of Khalee, a medium-sized, light-haired dog, curled into a semi-circle on a large green circular cushion with a rectangular bolster cushion (in a blue pillow case decorated with green frogs) behind her. She looks a little worried or sad but not actually in distress.

Now, as much as I love KP, I am allergic to her fur, even with an allergy pill. Thanks to the increased time she was spending on the cushion, my allergies would arise in a fury if I tried sitting on it.*

So, I went back to not using the cushion at all but the fact that it is in the living room keeps drawing my attention. (FYI, the fact that it was behind me when I was exercising this morning actually led to this post.)

And, now that I think of it, my body has been pretty cranky lately and some of that crankiness is definitely related to the fact that I am just not getting that same range of motion and variety of activities/sitting positions in my day-to-day over the past few months.

And that happened because I changed the seating ‘geography’ of my living room

When the cushions and the mat were there, it was an automatic thing for me to choose to sit low to the floor in a variety of ways for part of every day.

Sitting low meant that I was doing a lot of getting up and down from the floor, shifting into different positions, doing a bit of stretching, and just generally not staying in the same spot for a long time.

But, for a while now, I have been mostly staying on the kitchen chair and staying relatively still. (Why aren’t the living room chairs or couch interesting? No idea! It’s a mystery to me, too.)

Right now, in order to comfortably sit low to the floor, I would have to make a conscious choice and move things (and a dog) around and as someone with a busy brain who has trouble prioritizing, it’s pretty hard to choose to do that because there are extra steps involved.

It’s annoyingly easy to get out of the habit of doing things, isn’t it?

I had noticed that my body was cranky but I hadn’t noticed the change in my habits.

What if it had taken me longer to pay attention?

It seems like a really slippery slope to becoming the kind of person who doesn’t get down on the floor at all.

And that, in turn, could be a slippery slope to becoming a person who *can’t* get down on the floor.

I mean, I understand that our mobility changes as we age and that not all movements will continue to be available to me but I sure as hell don’t want to lose any everyday mobility options just because I left a mat in a different room.

So, I have to remove the obstacles between me and my plan to spend more time sitting close to the floor.

I have to move the mat back upstairs.

I have to put the bolster cushion back in the living room.

I have to wash the cover on the big cushion and once its clean, I need to put a blanket over it so most of the dog hair will be on that instead of the cushion cover.

I must retake the floor!

PS – I was singing Was (Not Was)’s Walk the Dinosaur in my head all while I was writing this post. I may open the door, I will get on the floor, but I will probably just walk the dog. I don’t have a harness for a dinosaur.

*And that doesn’t even address the fact that she now considers it her space and will stand there staring at me if I sit on it. Yes, I am a people and she is a dog so I can technically overrule her on the question of cushion ownership but it’s very hard to enjoy sitting cross-legged on the cushion with her staring woefully at me – or worse, poking her nose into my face – from the side. I’ll have to figure something out. 😉

fitness · fun · mobility · self care

Wiggling

January 31, 2025January 31, 2025 elan.paulson1 Comment

Most online dictionaries describe wiggling as something like “movement from side to side or up and down in short, quick movements.”

My wiggling

I wiggle for reasons ranging from self-care to pain management to fun. I wiggle while in bed after I wake up, to wake up my muscles. Sometimes I like to wiggle right after a shower, waterdrops flying. I have some L4, L5 issues in my back, so I will wiggle to relieve tension and pain, especially after sitting. And of course, I definitely wiggle when I dance.

I’m trying to identify when I wiggle, it led me to think about my body movements that would not be considered wiggling, such as jiggling:

The difference between ‘wiggle’ and ‘jiggle’ is the control had in the movement. If something jiggles it is uncontrolled… how far it moves, which direction etc etc may be constrained, but are essentially random. If something wiggles then the movement is controlled.” (English Language Learners)

While I am fairly sure my wiggling is controlled and therefore not jiggling, I also cannot easily sit still (as my partner often reminds me). My body seems to need to be busy. So, I present many wiggle-adjacent behaviours as well.

Synonyms for WIGGLE: fidget, twitch, squirm, toss, jerk, twist, fiddle, wriggle (Merriam Webster Dictionary).

My mind is as wiggly as my body. I enjoy wiggling around in topics that pique my curiosity. I pride myself on being able to wiggle out of problems I get myself into. I seem to thrive—physically and mentally—when there is plenty of wiggle room:

Wiggle Room: the freedom or opportunity to do something or to change your mind and do something differently if that is what is needed (Cambridge Dictionary).

Wiggling through this post

When I was first conceiving this post, but my negative inner voice dismissed the idea (too silly, too childish), I knew I needed to find a way to wiggle out of this thinking.

And what better way to do that than to use a generative AI chat bot to think for you? 😉 So here is Copilot on the matter of how wiggling relates to feminism:

Wiggling can be seen as a feminist act for several reasons. 1. Body autonomy: it promotes the freedom to move naturally, rejecting societal pressures on how bodies should behave. 2. Reclaiming space: it allows individuals to assert their presence and write to occupy space, number three joy and faithfulness, engaging in playful movement. Resist the control often imposed on bodies, especially women’s. Number four intersectionality at highlights how different bodies experience, various forms of oppression and liberation. — Screenshot of Elan asking Copilot how wiggling is a feminist act, and its brief responses.

Copilot doesn’t think. It doesn’t understand it’s own generated text. This last algorithmically predicted suggestion is a word salad. But the first three ideas make sense to me: I see my wiggling as helping me feel free, be in control of my body, and express joy.

Your wiggling

Do you wiggle? Would you consider your wiggling an empowering act? Is it time to get wiggling a little right now?

A child of the 80s and childfree today, The Wiggles, an Australian children’s entertainment group from the 1990s, never made it onto my radar until recently. But I was happy to discover that another fellow blogger, @isekhmet (Christine) knows about The Wiggles!

So, whether you are well-acquainted with this song, or you are just hearing it for the first times (or few dozen times—it gets in your head), here is “Get Ready to Wiggle” by The Wiggles (song lyrics). This is the “OG Wiggles.”

Get Ready to Wiggle by The Wiggles

Get Ready To Wiggle” is the very first song performed by The Wiggles. The song inspired the band’s name because they thought that wiggling described the way children dance.

disability · fitness · Guest Post · inclusiveness · mobility · strength training

Becoming a gym person (guest post)

January 9, 2025January 8, 2025 Sam B

by Leela MadhavaRau

I have never seen myself as a “gym person.” Long before I developed the chronic disability trifecta of rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and degenerative disc disease, this was not a place where I felt at home. I have long been uncomfortable with my body – size and type – and being in a gym seemed to be a form of public exposure.

This, it must be admitted, is hypocrisy of the highest order. For most of my career – over 30 years – I have ensured that the universities where I worked held sessions for those who might feel uncomfortable in a communal gym environment. I have run numerous workshops on respecting and honouring all body shapes, sizes and weights. All that time, and I have never admitted this in such a public forum, I have hated how I looked.

At the same time, I was doing numerous rounds of physical therapy, which often seemed indistinguishable from what people might be doing in the gym. I remember working on various pieces of equipment and making this comment. The physio said, “It is exactly what you would do if you were paying for Pilates classes.”

In my first decades, I walked everywhere, and at a rapid pace. My only previous gym membership was to use an indoor track for walking in the winter. In May 2021, I became a dog parent for the first time, to rescue husky Atlas. He gets me walking about 13,000 steps on a weekday (I work from home) and up to 20,000 on the weekends. This has been helpful for my health generally but has also led to several injuries requiring more physical therapy. After the last one – a partially torn rotator cuff caused by slipping on the ice on one of those Atlas walks – I began to wonder whether I should be doing something to strengthen my body.

However, searching for a trainer and gym seemed a scary proposition. Fortunately, before I got far in my search, I saw a Facebook notice from a colleague in another part of my life.

This seemed perfect timing – someone who met all my exacting criteria had space. Without giving myself time to doubt, I made contact. When I asked my rheumatologist if I could try strength and conditioning classes instead of the physical therapy he was recommending for yet another joint issue, he looked somewhat surprised but said as long as I was sure to do stretching beforehand and be careful to stop if there was pain.

So, in September I made my first entrance into a gym as a client, entering into this new setting with some trepidation in spite of my trust in trainer Laura. It was not dissimilar to walking into any new culture – ignorant of the purpose of the many machines and sure I wasn’t going to be able to make use of them.

However, very quickly, I was immersed in my new environment, learning the language thrown around casually – Romanian Deadlifts, Dead Bugs, Superman, Plank, Bird Dog, Leg Press, Leg Extension. Bands, Around the World, Kettlebell Farmer’s Carry and so on. It must be said that many of these challenge my mind-body coordination but I have managed to complete all – increasing numbers and weights each class.

I find most classes hard work and it would be easy to give up, but I try to make it a point to never stop unless it is clear that I am moving into the area of disease pain rather than exercise pain. This is the type of distinction for which there must be absolute trust with the trainer. Laura will listen to what is happening with my body and suggest variations on the exercise, or a different one. I appreciate that she doesn’t let me off completely but takes the risk to my health seriously.

There are obvious similarities with physical therapy – including working toward achieving the same goal of strengthening body parts and enhancing quality of life. However, I find upper body, core and leg training far more holistic than physical therapy on individual body parts. I get through both in a similar manner -much as I cope with painful medical procedures – muttering in my head, “It will soon be over and things will be better.”

And I do feel better. For the first time, I care less about how my body looks and more about gaining strength and capacity that will be of assistance as diseases progress.

So, what make a gym comfortable for me, a 60-year-old British South Asian Canadian woman living with disabilities?

This gym is small, located in a local strip mall. In large gyms I have visited, or been on the periphery of, the feeling of entering an alien culture has always been reinforced. The spaces are often cavernous, with sound echoing (Tinnitus is a side-effect of my diseases so this is always disconcerting), people moving from machine to machine, none of which I know the purpose of or how they are used. In addition, the majority of those present seem in great shape already. I rarely see the very fit but larger physique individuals I know exist. There is also often a notable lack of clothing which enhances the feelings of inadequacy for someone already concerned about their body. As I mentioned, it is a small gym. In my timeslot, there are never more than three individuals working with different trainers – we are all at very different fitness levels. Still, there is no air of competition, something I perceive in other gyms I have been in.

The trainer’s description of herself is not hyperbole and speaks to what makes me so comfortable to enter the space, as well as sometimes fail in the space:

Laura has been a beginner in the gym. She’s been the only woman in a gym. She’s had aggressive coaches and trainers who made assumptions (over-estimating and under-estimating) about what she could or could not do. She’s felt unwelcome and uncomfortable, and she’s been made to feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.

And she doesn’t want any of that for you.

Training with Laura means training with a trauma-informed coach in a supportive environment where she meets you where you are in your health and fitness journey. It means being encouraged to try new things and do more while being listened to about what you/your body can do that day. It means learning that you’re stronger than you know while being motivated by a compassionate and knowledgeable coach/trainer.

So, this January I don’t need any resolution (not that I make them) to keep me going to the gym. At least to this gym to work with this trainer!

Leela MadhavaRau is the owner of LMR Human Rights and Equity Consulting. She has spent her working life in the field of equity and inclusion, working at universities in both Canada and the United States. Her academic background is in Social Anthropology, with a specific focus on the transmission of culture across time and space. Her degrees are from McGill and the University of Cambridge. She has lived a life between cultures and countries, one of the few multiracial children born in 1960’s London (UK). Leela immigrated with her family to Canada in the 1970’s when “Where are you from” was one of the most common questions. Her career has been one of working to create dialogue; wanting all of us to be able to maintain curiosity and be independent thinkers. This responsibility has been inculcated in her four children, now ages 24 through 31. She adopted her Siberian Husky, Atlas, in May 2021 and her life hasn’t been the same since!

aging · fitness · functional fitness · mobility · yoga

Coming soon: Tracy’s big 6-0

September 21, 2024September 21, 2024 Tracy I3 Comments

Image description: Black and white photo of Tracy, short-hair, wearing wide jeans, sneakers, a black jacket and sunglasses, with a camera and a bag slung across her body, walking along a walled pier with a cargo ship in the background. Photo credit: Roben Bellamo

Back in January I wrote a post about how approaching 60 feels different from approaching 50. I breezed into 50 feeling strong, energetic, and at peace. On my 50th birthday, I wrote about beautiful September days where everything felt perfect and effortless. I had pushed myself into my 50s, with what, in retrospect, seems like a punishing training schedule to prepare me for two Olympic distance triathlons that season. But at the time it didn’t feel punishing. It felt invigorating and exhilarating. At that time of life, training hard clearly agreed with me.

Things have changed since then. Today it’s more about sustainable routines that can take me through the next decade(s) without injuries. I’m back to yoga, resistance training, walking, and some very light (read: slow) running. These are all things I still enjoy and that make me feel energized and strong. I almost never sign up for events anymore, though I do succumb to peer pressure once in awhile, especially if I like the t-shirt. Hence an 8K trail race next weekend (The Howling Ghost Trail Run) with my running group.

I’m not really in the mood to have a big decade birthday this year. It’s not that I object to turning 60. I just don’t feel like having a great big party to mark the occasion. And it’s not that I’m doing nothing at all — I have a couple of upcoming celebratory meals at my favourite restaurant. Today it’s lunch with Samantha and our friend Rob, for our annual get-together in honour of our birthdays, all in 1964 within the same 25-day span. Then on my actual birthday early next week I’m going back there to have dinner with a few friends. That day will include cake. Sometime this fall there will probably be a spa getaway to St. Anne’s with another longtime friend whose birthday falls within two weeks of mine.

We don’t get to plan when we’ll be in a mood for a big party and when we won’t. And if I’ve landed anywhere at almost-60, it’s at a place where I do what I want, not necessarily what’s expected. I’m feeling more confident about my choices these days, and deciding not to have a party despite this being a “special” birthday reflects that confidence.

When we first started blogging back in 2012, Sam started a thing where she would post “Six things” about whatever. I revived that on her recent 60th, and I’m going to end my own “60 is coming” post with six things I feel good about as I get really close to 60:

No longer experiencing the need to explain myself or my choices to people.
Physically, I can still push myself but I don’t push terribly hard anymore. I’m happy with my chosen activities and I take lots of rest that I don’t feel guilty about taking.
Instead of acquiring more stuff, I’ve turned my attention to getting rid of stuff.
Great relationships with family, partner, and friends. I’ve got excellent, supportive, loving people in my life and I feel incredibly fortunate about that.
My cats, daily meditation, photography, and my vegan blog.
The future looks bright as I look ahead to retiring in the not-too distant future and building a life in a new city with my partner. We are poised for the next adventure!

All this to say that though I’m not in a party mood, I’m quite chill about the upcoming BIG birthday.

advice · fit at mid-life · fitness · health · hiking · holiday fitness · mobility · traveling · vacation · walking

5 ideas for self-kindness and midlife backpacking

June 28, 2024June 28, 2024 elan.paulson

I grew up with the romantic trope of the adventurous, rangey 20-something backpacker who freely wanders the world for months at a time. I stayed home for grad school in my twenties: the only backpack I carried was with my library books or my groceries. Then, last year at 44, I bought my first travel backpack (a Tortuga 35L), and so far I’ve done two short overseas trips with it (and smaller local trips).

What I lack in experience with worldly backpacking I make up for by watching others. These small midlife backpacking ideas gained learned from my more well-travelled midlife friends have made this style of travel kind and supportive for me. I acknowledge I use them as a privileged, white English-speaking woman travelling to urban and semi-urban places as a foreigner and a guest.

My friend Marnie and her 40L pack, while we were about to leave our guest house in Istanbul.

Lightening the load

My first lessons of midlife backpacking were: pack light (if you wish to avoid luggage checks on planes) and be ready to carry what you pack.

Many travel backpacks today come with a few different clips—across the chest and across the stomach—to distribute the weight of the pack. On my recent trip I left my waist clips at home to reduce overall pack weight; however, I regretted it, as without them the full weight of the pack meant my shoulders got tired faster.

In my pre-travel preparation I saw for sale many funky and clever but bulky and expensive smaller bags and bottles for stuff within the pack. My more experienced travel buds showed me that ziploc bags and plastic water bottles were much lighter, had many different uses, and could be re-used multiple times.

Medicines and their containers

Last time I travelled abroad I got a cold, and it was miserable without the medicines I use. So I was not going to leave them at home again

On my recent trip I kept with me at all times a small key ring capsule with emergency over-the-counter meds, and in my pack I had a larger fold up storage pill container with enough for the whole trip. Some of my friends even travel with (doctor-prescribed) antibiotics and medicines for UTIs, just in case of an emergency.

It may be extra planning and cost, but it is worthwhile to me to bring a range of medicines that can make me feel better if I feel unwell, even if it is unlikely I will get sick.

Foot care and hydration

This year I followed my friend Marnie’s lead and took extra care of my feet: I brought moisture-wicking hiking socks, KT blister prevention tape, moleskin, wound cleaning wipes, waterproof bandages, and foot cream for quick at-night foot massages. When I scraped my foot raw on the submerged rocks while swimming at the beach in Greece, I was able to care for my feet the days following.

As well, I brought a water bladder and water purification tablets. I used them first as a water station in the places we stayed; later I took them along on hikes in 37 degree Celsius weather. I also brought electrolyte tablets, using half of one at a time. As a result, I was never dehydrated and I felt really good at the end of the day. I didn’t need expensive water bottle purchases in remote locations, and it kept my hands free.

Elan at the Saklikent Gorge, Turkey, wearing a bucket hat, sunglasses, shorts, and a backpack with a bladder and hose for hydration.

Apps and digital tools

My friends showed me how to up my mobile game when traveling internationally.

Our trip planner, Kim, checks not only directions but also the Google satellite and street views of the places she is going. That way, she can marry written or oral instructions with visible paths and landmarks to confirm wayfinding.
Upon Kimi’s recommendation, I used the free version of the DeepL app for real time written and audio language translations. We used the app to chat with some local women on the train as we played cards, and it was a great way to pass the time and make new friends.
After I accidentally gave the wrong amount and currency to a store vendor, a Sheila suggested her free version of Units Plus, a currency exchange app that converts two currencies quickly. This app was helpful in places with multiple currencies to avoid overpaying.
I used to travel with print books, and I appreciate the serendipity of leaving or finding good books where backpackers stay. However, this time I used Apple Books for a novel, a library travel audio book, and podcasts to pass the time while traveling.

Every app saved pack weight and made the trip a little safer, easier, and more fun.

Give myself and others grace

My midlife-friendly learning on my recent backpacking trip: do what I need to be a little easier on myself and others. Stop and take the pack off. Invest in quick-dry underwear (that really does dry super quick on the line). Take a break for another coffee before I get tired and grumpy later in the day.

Always try to be patient and kind with others, especially those in the travel service industry. Take the time to ask a hotel owner about their family or a server about what they would recommend ordering on the menu.

I learned to embrace the fact I don’t have anything to prove on my backpack travels. Instead, I could exercise the self-understanding that I have acquired by midlife (compared to my much less self-aware self in my 20s). Being a midlife backpacker has helped me to be not only kinder to myself as a traveller but also to the locals who shoulder many burdens put upon them by travellers (most of which I do not ever see).

Elan’s legs and feet over a concrete walkway on our way to Fethiye, Turkey. We stopped for a break, so I used my pack to elevate my legs and give my feet a much-needed rest!

What small ideas or tips (for backpacking or otherwise) have you learned that make your travel journeys a little easier for you in midlife?

ADHD · fitness · goals · habits · mobility · motivation · self care

Christine Promises Herself That She Will Move More in March

February 27, 2024 Christine Hennebury

February is not quite finished so I will save my final Feb 5 update until later but suffice it to say that the knot in my shoulder created some complications and I had to shift my plans a little.

Speaking of shifting, for March I am moving away from the specificity I used for my February plans and trying a really general approach.

Instead of listing specific types of exercise/wellness activities, I am rolling with the fact that I have a busy schedule this month. So, I am just seeking more movement overall instead of specific types and I am aiming for at least 20 hours throughout the month.

By choosing a time-based goal this month, I make it even easier for literally any movement to “count” – 5 minutes of stretching before my meeting, adding 10 minutes to my walk, a dance break while my tea steeps – am free from other constraints of specific times, places, or equipment.

(After all, to do a specific amount of rowing I have to be where my machine is. Stretching or walking or dancing doesn’t have that limitation.)

A small painting of the words March and Move More in bright comic book colours. — A small painting I made as a goal reminder. Image description: a painting of the words March and Move More against a blue and yellow background. The word March is large and in pink letters, the words Move More are in green and they are overlapping the bottom quarter of the the most of the word March. The bottom half of the background is yellow with green vertical pinstripes and the top half is blue with small green dots.

Adding up my hours will be pretty easy because my watch will keep track of my daily exercise minutes. I’ll just have to add up the hours every week or so in my exercise journal.

Right now, my body feels a bit cranky and tight on a day-to-day basis but I know from previous experience that more daily movement will change that.

Updates as events warrant. 😉

aging · fitness · mobility · yoga

How approaching 60 feels different from approaching 50

January 11, 2024January 10, 2024 Tracy I7 Comments

Image description: Tracy, smiling and wearing a winter hat, black winter jacket, black pants, and mittens, standing beside a trail map and a sign that says “Altberg Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Reserve.” Dried leaves and trees in the background, with a little bit of snow in the foreground. Photo credit: Leslie Orr.

Sam and I started the blog way back in 2012 because we were approaching our 50th birthdays. We launched it as a place for us to talk about our “Fittest by 50 challenge,” which we later documented in our book Fit at Midlife: A Feminist Fitness Journey (2018). Lately I’ve been reflecting upon how different I feel now, in the year that I am about to turn 60, than I did 10-12 years ago, in that exciting period of trying to be the fittest I had ever been in my life.

Back then I was training hard for my goal: an Olympic distance triathlon. My life revolved around swimming, biking, and running, trying to get comfortable with the requisite distances (1500m, 40 km, 10 km) and with that distinctive element of any triathlon, the “transition” from swim to bike, bike to run. Looking back, I don’t even know how I fit all the workouts and training sessions in each week.

Now, with my 60th not quite nine months away, I’m not swimming, I’ve given up cycling, and after a spate of injuries that started in 2019, I’m on the fence about running. My goals for 60 are more about sustainable routines. I want to do things that I can realistically expect to be doing for at least another decade and likely more: yoga, walking, and weight training. I am aware that I can put swimming back into the equation at any time and likely one day will. But right now I have settled into a good rhythm with yoga, walking, and weight training (the EPIC program I blogged about recently).

The main difference between approaching 50 and approaching 60 is that my focus has shifted squarely onto sustainable activities. By “sustainable” I mean things I can keep doing well into my later years. I am not trying to be “the fittest.” When I was training for the triathlons I was in really strong form with a capacity for endurance that I’m not sure I will ever again attain. For some years into my 50s, even after I gave up triathlon to focus mainly on running, I kept increasing my distance (with several half marathons, a couple of turns at Around the Bay 30K, and even doing one dreaded marathon in 2015).

I realize that lots of people do continue to do those things into their sixties, seventies, and eighties. But I came to realize that I’m not interested in that kind of activity anymore. And though I may re-introduce running at some point, if I do, it will be for moderate distances, maxing out at 10K. For now, I’m enjoying walking, yoga, and weight training at home. I have a good set of dumbbells ranging from 2 pounds to 25 pounds, a couple of kettlebells, and a great solid rack to keep them all off the floor. My set-up for home workouts is great. The majority of my yoga is also at home, with occasional (sometimes weekly) trips to the hot yoga studio. Every Sunday I go for walks with my running group (some of us run, some walk, and we all go for breakfast after).

It all feels very integrated into my lifestyle. Yes, I need to carve out the time, but it’s time I’m enjoying carving out. I love going on trail hikes, whether locally or abroad. I can maintain a decent pace but being in nature has other benefits so I’m rarely in power-mode when I’m hiking.

When I was approaching my fifties, I had an intensity and focus around my fitness activities that was extremely goal-oriented. I had an eye on one thing and one thing only: the Olympic distance triathlon. Though of course the goal yielded some internal change (mostly in the form of perseverance), the goal itself was external.

Looking ahead to my sixties my goals feel closer to home: I want to live with ease, joy, and energy. My word of the year this year is “STRONG,” and I do feel super-energized with the reintroduction of challenging weight routines that are once again making me aware of my muscles. Instead of “product” goals, you might say I’m entering my sixties with the idea of “process” goals about how I see myself living my life.

I don’t think I was worried about turning 50. Nor am I worried about turning 60. It’s an exciting time, with retirement in view, and an evolving vision of what that will be like. In every scenario I am imagining, walking, yoga, and some resistance training are an easy fit.

In the end I’m not sure I’ve successfully articulated the qualitative difference between the last time I was a “nine-ender” and now. But what I can say is: it feels more peaceful.

Who else is approaching a new decade? Do you have a different attitude about it today than you did ten years ago?

fitness · injury · mobility

Endings can be difficult, even good ones

October 15, 2023October 15, 2023 catherine w2 Comments

About a week ago, I had my last physical therapy (PT) session for the sciatica that had been troubling me since late July. They started me out with deep tissue massage, two sets of 10 bridges, two sets of 10 clamshells, and a number of gentle hamstring and other stretches to do on my yoga mat at home.

We progressed to several sets of 10 bridges, some with my thighs strapped and some with a ball between my legs. I began doing three sets of four weight training exercises with a machine, increasing the weight as my strength improved. Also core exercises, from lateral pulls with cable weights to heel touches from an on-my-back chair position (those were in pretty gut busting). And knee bends from steps, touching my heels to the next level down.

This machine was awesome for all kinds of hip-strengthening exercises. You can buy one for $2.545, just FYI. — This machine was awesome for all kinds of hip-strengthening exercises. You can buy one for $2.545, FYI.

After seven weeks of working with trainers twice a week and at home (just about) every day, I’m better. By “better”, I mean no longer having hip, glute or lower back pain, able to drive without pain, not being woken up during the night by pain—generally not in pain anymore. Yay!

There ain't no party like a pineapple-with-sunglasses/party hat/balloon party. — There ain’t no party like a pineapple-with-sunglasses/party hat/balloon party.

On Wednesday October 4, I decided it was time to end PT. My excellent physical therapist Julien and I talked over why I was making my decision, and he concurred. We talked about how I could and should continue exercises at home to maintain the strength and flexibility I had gotten back, what to do when, how often, and so on. He praised me for the work I’d done and the progress I’d made (aww, shucks—thanks, Julien!). And he ended by saying, “We’re here when and if you need us again.”

Honestly, I can’t imagine a nicer and warmer handoff from PT to at-home maintenance. And yet. Endings are difficult for me. They’re difficult in as much as I fear and loathe them.

What’s that about, you might ask? For me:

Endings can mean an immediate change, and change is often hard
Endings often feel like loss—loss of familiar patterns, activities, people
Ending of PT feels like a particular kind of loss—having to go it alone after regular support and company in my recovery, fitness building and maintenance

Making the transition from physical therapy or working with a trainer or coach to self-initiated maintenance and exercise regimens is very familiar to just about everyone who reads this blog. There’s nothing like being accountable to a professional one is paying, or a coach for one’s team to kick one’s keister into gear to do prescribed exercises and training activities. I’ve had experience with both, and also benefited from the company of teammates and also other PT patients doing their own workouts, wherever they were in their healing trajectory.

But afterwards, I often feel alone and on my own, without that support and company in maintaining my fitness and strength.

Yes, I am lucky to have friends who do all the physical activity things like yoga, cycling, going to the gym, walking, etc. And they’re really happy when I join them, which I do from time to time. I can do that more often.

But still there’s this feeling– a mixture of vulnerability, uncertainty and doubt. It’s the “what’s next? How can I get to the next thing?” worry. Another bridge to cross. But maybe there’s a way to reframe this.

Scary narrow walking suspension bridge across a deep gorge. — Scary bridge across a deep gorge.

Bright red-painted friendly wooden bridge over a calm pond. — Scary bridge across a deep gorge.

Can I choose to think about change in the friendly way rather than the scary way? Maybe. With some help from friends, scheduling and of course not forgetting to breathe, maybe I can shift from adult-supervised strength and fitness training to self-instigated strength and fitness training.

I’ll report back in a month or so with an update. So readers, what has it been like for you when you’ve moved from very structured training or recovery to regular-life maintenance or training? I’d so love to hear your stories.

Category: mobility

Christine Retakes The Floor

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