fitness, strength, and wellness over 50
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 →
OK, that sounds a little melodramatic. But my half-marathon walk at the US Air Force Marathon event last weekend was kind of a reckoning, when I was forced to admit that not only is running way, way, way out of the picture, but until I go forward with knee replacement, distance walking probably is, too.... Continue Reading →
More evidence that it's almost never too late to start running. In this most recent study, individuals who began running in their fifties exhibited - within ten years - similar lean muscle mass, body fat, and running speed to same-aged runners who began running decades earlier. That's encouraging!* I'm having to contemplate either proceeding with... Continue Reading →
We're a little more than halfway through June, and I'm a little less than halfway through my Great Cycle Challenge commitment of 500 miles! Yikes! But I think I can split my rides - morning and evening - in order to catch up fairly quickly (and not be late for work every day!). While I'm... Continue Reading →
Forget all that "beach body" nonsense. I simply need to get lighter and faster on my feet! In some sort of post-50K "I did it!" delirium, I signed up to do a 50-miler this coming October. 189 days from now, to be precise. I will probably walk it, although - currently basking in the chemical... Continue Reading →
February turned into a pretty good month. For the last five years, during the weeks leading up to my annual mammogram, I get a little bit crazy. My sleep - which is never good - gets horrible: a series of short, light naps interspersed with a dozen or more full-wake-ups every night. I become forgetful,... Continue Reading →
I met Suez Jacobson when I sat (briefly) on the board of directors for Great Old Broads for Wilderness, at the same time she did. We bonded immediately over our shared commitment to wilderness preservation, writing, outdoor sports, teaching, and hand-written letters. When I started thinking of “everyday athletes” in my circles that I would... Continue Reading →
If I'm being totally honest, I'd have to say that after the "high" of completing that 50K walk with my cousins and friends in early October, things have been a bit bumpy. I had a crazy string of colds, flus, and minor mysterious infections, my workout discipline ground to a near halt - partly because... Continue Reading →
♥ An article in the New York Times summed up research showing that the muscles of long-term regular exercisers in their 70s are virtually indistinguishable from those of twenty-somethings. In general, it looks like aerobic exercise keeps us physiological "younger" than weight training, but let's face it - any exercise is better than no exercise!... Continue Reading →
Do you ever have the sense that your body doesn't fit right? I've been thinking about this for several days, since gathering with the family for Thanksgiving. After the main meal, and before dessert, my nieces and nephew went outside to toss a football around. Eventually I went to join them. Tossing balls, shooting baskets,... Continue Reading →
(Update: no idea how that weird Facebook link got into this page, but it's gone, now!) One full year ago (October 30, 2017), I told you about a health assessment I took that estimated my biological age to be five years older than I actually was. The estimate gave me some extra dings for having... Continue Reading →
Despite being somewhat debilitated and dilapidated from the running perspective, I still read “Runner’s World,” “Trail Runner,” and even “UltraRunning” (a dilapidated girl can dream!) every month. The October issue of “Runner’s World” features a wonderful profile of 58-year old Edison Eskeets and his recent 330-mile tribute run, retracing the route his Navajo ancestors were... Continue Reading →
