(Photo above of 80-year old Jacinto Bonilla borrowed from Men's Fitness magazine online. See details below.) I'm not going to change the name of the blog, but I've entered a new decade! And while I ended my 50s in a fulfilling place vocationally, fitness-wise I need to step up my game. It took a couple... Continue Reading →
Everything is totally under control (not)
We’re closing in on nearly three months since my last blog post. Three months during which life zoomed along, barely under any kind of control. (Seriously, I even had dreams about trying to maneuver an out-of-control car: one night, it was rocketing down a winding ramp from the upper floor of a parking tower, with... Continue Reading →
“You can’t turn back the clock but you can wind it up again!” – Joan MacDonald, #rolemodel
At 70 years of age, Joan MacDonald was overweight, badly out of shape, in pain, and on blood pressure medication. Her daughter Michelle was deeply concerned, and challenged her to start working out, and to join an online group of women trying to develop healthy habits. I'm now three years into my journey and I... Continue Reading →
May madness
I seem to have misplaced the last three weeks. Has anyone seen them? I was certain my April streak would carry me right into May, marching along with focus and discipline. Instead, I've been completely out of control of my days, and sometimes not even sure which day it actually is. My longest walk was... Continue Reading →
Here comes the sun
Actually, I don't really believe spring is here, yet - where I live, we're guaranteed to get another blast of cold and snow in April - but in theory, we'll be seeing a bit more of the sun for the next few months. (The pretty picture above is not mine; it's a Creative Commons image... Continue Reading →
Let’s get physical
How many of you remember Allison Roe? Though her reign as a leading female distance runner in the early 1980s was brief, it was impressive. She won the Boston and NYC and Seoul marathons in 1981, and broke Mary Decker Slaney's course record in the iconic Atlanta Peachtree (10K) road race the same year. This... Continue Reading →
Stranger in a Strange…Body
As I hope I've made clear since back in the early days of this blog (we're one year old today!), I'm not a fitness expert. I'm just a person trying to stay fit and healthy while navigating some of the typical hurdles of middle age (slowing metabolism, muscle loss, new distributions of fat cells), as... Continue Reading →
10K tune-up
My 10K tune-up (walking, not running) was a comedy of errors. The parking lot turned out to be nearly 1.5 miles from the starting line, and I pulled into the lot with just 15 minutes to spare. My best walking pace lately has been around 15 minutes/mile, so I was already in trouble. When I... Continue Reading →
Midlife tune-up, some interesting research, and other stuff
This New York Times feature on conducting a midlife tune-up has some great information about fitness at midlife, including some short, smart workout routines, nutrition recommendations, and a few recipes. It also includes a link to a modified version of the popular 7-Minute Workout routine (which I have used in hotels with no fitness center,... Continue Reading →
#NeverTooLate #StartWhereYouAre
If your 50+ year-old self needs a little motivation to start something new (or maybe restart something you gave up long ago), I give you Dr. Josefina Monasterio, and Julia Hawkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HuM2QlQDSY Dr. Josefina Monasterio took up body-building at age 59; at age 71, she looks fitter and stronger than most folks 50 years younger.... Continue Reading →
A Supreme Workout
In the matter of Marmat Forte versus The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong... and You Can Too!, written by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's personal trainer, Bryant Johnson, I've reached a verdict: RBG's notorious workout is legit. Supreme, you might say. Bryant Johnson, who "daylights" as a court clerk and 30-year Army reservist,... Continue Reading →
A brief review of “Just Move! A New Approach to Fitness After 50”
If you're reading this blog, you probably don't need to be convinced that exercise is a life-saver. You know that, or you likely wouldn't be here. But for some readers, getting back into a fitness routine after many years away, or perhaps starting one for the first time, is a daunting proposition. "How do I... Continue Reading →