Tag Archives exercise for older women

Health, fitness, dogs, dancing and coffee!

I take my health and fitness very seriously. I am committed to healthy (and balanced) eating and exercising most days of the week. I love to run outdoors and I also love heading to my favourite gym and jumping into a weights, yoga or cardio class. I love my fitness instructors and my workout buddies.

I also love to dance and I have a whole community of dance friends, including my lovely teachers. The older one gets, the more important it is to keep moving, do some resistance training, stretching and balance work.

Sometimes you can get stopped dead in your tracks. I’ve had to take some time out from my fitness regimen as I’ve had a couple of health issues to deal with, including numerous tests, biopsies and a surgery.

When I say time out, I mean from my full on routine. I haven’t entirely stopped. Well, not until Covid bit me again – that stopped me for a whole couple days!

I had to slow down on the weights training after the surgery to give myself time to heal. No problem, I went for super long, brisk walks and a hike in the countryside. Then returned to dancing once the surgeon gave me the all-clear. Which was literally a week after surgery as I was healing so well.

That is why I stay healthy and fit. It helps my day to day life, eases life stresses, keeps me emotionally balanced and prepared me for facing a couple of health scares that I really did not anticipate.

I was back running and hit a cardio class last week. This week I was cleared to head back to weights training.

Then I got bloody Covid again! Seriously?!? I had it last July and not too bad, this time was about the same. I felt absolute garbage for a couple of days with a temperature/fever. Then that cleared and I started to feel better day by day and today I am feeling fine and dandy.

I know that restrictions and isolation rules have ended. However, I am mindful that other folk are more susceptible to getting really sick, so I have spent all of this week at home.

Yesterday and today I was able to get outside and go for a couple of long (6km) walks with George (my dog) and a quick car trip to the drive through coffee place. I took Georgie-boy with me, so he could get his dog bikkie from the server. The pic above is George waiting on his dog treat – that face!🥰

I also have a favorite YouTube exercise woman who does a weights workout that I enjoy. I have weights and exercise equipment at home, in fact, one of my spare rooms is set up like a mini gym. Useful when I can’t run in the dark or on heavy rainfall mornings.

So, for the first time in a while I did some weights training and oof! I am feeling it today, but you know what? I’ma going to do it all over again today. It’s such a wonderful feeling to notice my muscles are in action again!

I am giddily excited at the idea of going back to my full on training next week. Really cannot wait!

I tested negative to Covid this morning, and fortunately so, as I have an action packed weekend coming up. Two dances – tonight & tomorrow night💃🕺

Plus my gorgeous partner has booked us in for a private lesson to learn the Viennese Waltz tomorrow during the day. That’ll be a challenge for me. I can do the basic box step regular waltz. I’ve watched couples dance the Viennese Waltz and it looks so elegant and flowy! I surely hope I can channel my inner elegance and learn this lovely dance routine! I’ll let y’all know how I go…❤️

 

 

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Reflections on boxing for seniors…

My daughter convinced me to take up boxing!

About a year or so ago my daughter wanted to take up boxing as a sport and for additional exercise. She can be a little shy in new situations (she gets that from me, although I’m way less shy these days! Benefits of getting older! 😂) So she asked if I’d come along to a boxing gym near my place (she lives across town, so nice to be closer to mine).

It was a women’s boxing class and the first session was pretty intense. Skipping, short sprints and more skipping to warm up and get the heart rate up. Then drills in basic boxing techniques. Jab, cross, hook and upper cut, boxing stance and correct footwork (although that is still a work in progress for me!). At the end of the class is a short strength and conditioning session with weights and then usually finishing with a plank or other abdominal strengthening exercise.

Now you might think it odd that I am happy to pick up a new sport in my 60s and that is where you’d be wrong. I love trying new things and I have found I really enjoy boxing. It’s a great cardiovascular workout, you need to have great coordination and balance skills and if not, they certainly will improve!

After I started I did a little research on the benefits of boxing and found that it is recommended for older people, not just the young. It really is a great overall workout, good for your mind health as well. Research shows that heart health is linked to good mental health outcomes and boxing keeps your mind active too.

As with anything, check with your medical and/or health practitioner to determine if picking up a new exercise regimen will benefit your health.

My daughter has now joined another gym closer to her home and has regular boxing & sparring and strength and conditioning training, she’s no longer too shy to put on her gear and head to her gym, it’s a great sense of community and everyone at boxing (at her gym and our original gym) are super friendly and helpful. The coaches are fantastic and the workout is intense and fun!

She still comes along to our original gym with me for our weekly boxing session, followed by dinner and a catch up at my place.

The photo at the top of this post was taken by my daughter right after a training session, I edited the photo to just keep the reflection of myself in the mirror. I think it’s a great shot and captures the vibe of boxing perfectly!

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You do you and I’ll do me!

Unwanted 0pinions!

I was having coffee with a friend yesterday and we were chatting about our interests. I’d been to the gym that morning and he commented that I seem to go to the gym a lot. I’m like mmhmm and I run, swim and dance. I’m very active and I like to stay fit and healthy, for me it helps with the ageing process and I feel better for working on my fitness. He then asked if it was an “escape.” I’m like huh? I was feeling a bit annoyed at this stage as there was a level of judgement coming through. I said, no, it’s not an escape, I actually enjoy staying fit and healthy.

He then said that people can take it too far. I’m not sure what he meant by that, however I said what I do to stay fit and healthy and strong is for me. I don’t comment or pass judgement on other people’s choices, I’m not the “fitness or health police”.  But I was feeling like I had to justify what I do with my life.

He then told me a story of a dear friend of his who died suddenly (helicopter accident). He said his friend was really fit and only ate healthy food and didn’t drink alcohol. He then said “If my friend were still alive, I’m sure he’d say he wished he’d eaten more burgers and junk food!”

Alrighty. I offered my condolences, because it was sad that his friend had passed. I didn’t say anything else as it seemed as if he was using that story to again throw shade on my fit and healthy lifestyle. But I can for sure, hand on heart, say that if I died suddenly; I definitely would not think with my last breath on earth that I should have eaten more burgers! I would hope I had time to have a final thought of love for my daughter and gratitude for my life.

Find your own path in life and let me follow mine!

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Exercise surely does have benefits when you’re older!

I went for a 6km run this morning and when I was checking my Garmin app, I had a look at my VO2 max. Now I’m not convinced the app is entirely accurate, but even if it’s indicative at best, I am pleased with the data! My VO2 max was 41, which for a woman of 64 is pretty darned good! It also said I had the fitness age of 22. So, yeah – I’ll take that as a compliment.

Your VO2 max is how much oxygen your body can absorb and use during exercise. According to Healthline – as you breathe in oxygen, your lungs absorb it and turn it into energy. This in turn powers your cells and helps reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) when you exhale.

All of that is important as it improves your aerobic capacity to exercise. Particularly as we age, our VO2 max declines. Research indicates that high VO2 max helps you live better as you age as it maintains your health and fitness into your later years. And given I’m heading into my “later years”, I’m happy to improve my VO2 max and stay in the (according to my Garmin app) “superior” category!

Garmin V02 stat
thanks for the compliment!

 

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