Embracing Strength and Resilience: A Midlife Fitness Revelation
From Endurance to CrossFit: A Lifetime of Movement
Growing up, physical activity wasn't a central part of my life. I only stepped into a gym at 18, driven by a desire to feel better about myself. In my twenties and thirties, I found my stride in long-distance running, completing numerous marathons and half marathons, including the Marine Corps Marathon at 32. My focus was purely on endurance. However, as I approached midlife, my perspective on health broadened. I began to consider strength building, longevity, and proper nutrition, sparking a profound transformation in my fitness journey.
CrossFit's Impact: Discovering Inner Athlete and Community
At 41, I discovered CrossFit through a friend and quickly became captivated by its empowering nature. Lifting heavier weights and growing stronger ignited a passion I hadn't known before. Despite years of consistent exercise, CrossFit was the first time I truly saw myself as an athlete, setting performance goals and even competing. Yet, beyond the demanding workouts, it was the supportive and encouraging community that kept me committed. The camaraderie made fitness enjoyable, transforming it from a chore into a passion.
Navigating Health Challenges: Menopause and Cancer
After a decade of CrossFit, life presented new challenges. At 51, I entered menopause and was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. Although caught early and managed with surgery, these events profoundly impacted my body. My energy levels, strength, and recovery ability shifted dramatically, forcing me to reassess my fitness approach. This period necessitated slowing down, tuning into my body's needs, and redefining what 'healthy' meant for me.
A Smarter Approach to Fitness: Prioritizing Consistency and Nutrition
The fitness strategies that once served me well were no longer effective. My solution wasn't to quit training, but to reduce intensity. I continued with weekly lifting sessions but stepped back from CrossFit's demanding pace to allow my body to heal. Concurrently, I focused on enhancing my nutrition, emphasizing protein and whole foods. This conscious effort to nourish my body for recovery and muscle maintenance brought noticeable improvements in energy, mood, and overall well-being. This experience solidified my belief in consistent body care as a foundation for navigating life's unexpected turns.
Essential Tools for Enhanced Training
To support my evolving fitness journey, certain tools have become indispensable. A weightlifting belt provides crucial support during heavy lifts like squats and deadlifts, ensuring safety and efficacy. Ankle straps have been vital for targeting glute muscles, significantly enhancing lower-body strength. Additionally, flat-soled training shoes are my preferred choice for leg day, improving balance and power during each lift.
Redefining Workouts: Strength Training and Active Recovery
Currently, my fitness routine involves strength training five times a week, balanced between upper-body, lower-body, and full-body workouts. I design my sessions around compound and functional movements such as squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, rows, lunges, pull-ups, and push-ups. I typically perform three to four sets of eight to twelve repetitions, applying the progressive overload principle to ensure continuous muscle development. Workouts are adjusted every six to eight weeks to maintain progress.
Cardio and Recovery: Complementary Elements of a Holistic Plan
Cardio complements my strength training, with a daily goal of 8,000 to 10,000 steps. I also incorporate StairMaster sessions one to two times a week and occasional high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Active rest days are crucial, involving light walking, mobility exercises, and recovery work to optimize performance and support muscle repair. This holistic approach ensures my body is consistently supported and ready for training.
Consistency Over Intensity: A New Fitness Philosophy
My health challenges profoundly altered my fitness perspective, emphasizing intentionality in my approach. I've learned that consistent effort trumps relentless intensity. The high-paced, limit-pushing nature of CrossFit, while once appealing, no longer aligned with my body's needs. Shifting to a more traditional strength training regimen has enabled muscle growth and energy conservation, demonstrating that regular, mindful engagement yields significant progress.
Prioritizing Recovery: The Foundation of Well-being
Equally important to my workouts is a strong focus on recovery. This includes consistent, quality sleep and a nutrient-rich diet with ample protein and whole foods. I understand that genuine healing and rebuilding occur both inside and outside the gym, making recovery an integral part of my fitness and overall health strategy.
Listening to the Body: A Mindful Approach to Movement
My mindset has evolved from pushing my body to its limits to attentively listening to its daily needs. This means slowing down my workouts, focusing on controlled, heavy strength training, and being intentional with every movement. This intuitive approach has fostered a deeper connection with my body, ensuring that my fitness practices are always aligned with my current physical state.
Strength and Resilience Beyond Expectations
Despite appearing to scale back my training post-cancer diagnosis, I feel more robust and connected to my body than ever. I possess a newfound mobility, capability, steady energy, and a resilience that surpasses my younger years. My current approach emphasizes quality movement and effective recovery over simply powering through workouts. This has allowed me to achieve personal bests, including significant increases in my deadlift and pull-up capabilities, proving that our bodies are incredibly adaptable and strong, even after adversity.
Midlife as a Catalyst for Empowerment
My journey has taught me that midlife and menopause don't signal decline but rather an opportunity for profound transformation. Feeling healthy, adaptable, and empowered at this stage is invaluable. By embracing a balanced approach to strength training, nutrition, and recovery, women can achieve unprecedented control over their health, demonstrating that foundational practices—consistent lifting, adequate protein, daily movement, and mindful recovery—are powerful at any age.