OK, first caveat. I am no expert on fitness. But I embrace being fit. I studied ballet from ages 5 to 13, then switched to modern dance in high school and college and years after. During that time, my Dad tried desperately to get me to fall in love with with tennis. I didn’t hate it, but the times didn’t stress girls in sports. OK, now I know! Fast forward to my marriage to a diehard jock and giving birth to three sons. Tennis, Football, Ice Hockey, Baseball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Basketball…and that’s just Elementary school.  (Don’t worry, art and music classes balanced out  their activities!) High school added Sailing, Cross Country, Track, and even Ultimate Frisbeee. Vacations added Skiing and Snowboarding. It was a challenge to keep up with my uber active family. I think I’ve been doing pretty well all these years. And yes, I do kinda sorta play tennis. And ski. But to be honest, these days I find myself in a bit of in a rut. So this post is here and now. Let me know your thoughts and comments. Let’s see where we go!

BREAK OUT OF THE RUT

You’re working out on a regular basis. I am too. Bu that’s the problem. Not only does routine breed boredom, it breeds stasis. As in no forward progress. Your body has adapted. And it’s fine. But you’re not going to lose those 5-10 lbs you somehow mysteriously put on. So…what’s a body to do?  Break out of your routine! Shake up your body. And your metabolism. I just signed up for pilates and barre classes. Promise I’ll keep you posted on them. I’m also considering one of those hard core HIT classes. Of late, I’ve added 5-15 extra minutes on my elliptical or treadmill workouts. Plus lunges and squats. Experts point to accountability. If you’re feeling at a loss, I’d say enlist a friend, sign up for a month of personal training or try an app like Noom. (I did. First 2 months are free!)

DRESS THE PART

OK, as a fashion-centric person this is my kick start. Forget old stained college t-shirts, you need fun, flattering workout wear. Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I love tops with  motivational or sassy sayings. They keep me going on the treadmill or elliptical. I am what I say!

Love this, this, this and this.

IT’S A BALANCING ACT

As a newly-minted 60 something, I know how important working on my balance is now. And for the decades to come. While I’ve had years of dance training, that’s in my past. I’ve found yoga to be great for this. And now, my husband Chris has joined me. We are doing yoga classes twice a week and so appreciate the changes this has brought about. Sure, we wobble on dancer pose. But our progress in stretching and flexibility has been amazing. Especially for Chris! We’ve kind of made it “date night.”

By the way I’m HATING my neck (not photo-shopped!) in this photo but loving the strength of my Tree pose. Life’s a trade off, right?

I just discovered these yoga leggings on Amazon and they are the amazing. They feel great, fit great (true to size) and are full coverage. Not to mention very affordable. Check them out!

WEIGHT IT OUT

There are so many anti-aging benefits to strength training. Research has shown that exercise with weights helps fight off muscle weakness, skeletal weakness, lower energy, changes in physical appearance, and even diminished brain function. Since I’m no expert I’m not going to go into any more detail, but just let you know that I work out with free weights and weight machines twice a week. Again, If you’re not sure how to start…join or gym or sign up for some classes.

The biggest thing is to stop thinking you don’t have time or don’t know what to do and get moving! We’re only given one body. We need to nurture and strengthen it. If you’re not sure what to do, ask around, google classes in your area, enlist a friend. Do it together. But just…do it.

For more info on the power of working out with weights, check out this link.

HYDRATE

The 6-8 glasses of water a day experts recommend is no joke. I try to abide by it, and when I don’t I truly see and feel the difference. One of my new favorite ways to “juice up” my filtered water is with Nuun. Enhanced with electrolytes and bursting with natural, low calorie fruity flavor, when added to water these tablets keep up your energy and hydration no matter how active you get or how much you sweat. Obviously they are great for workouts, hiking, climbing, cycling and more. But how great would these be on an a long flight? Or after one?? I’m packing them for a trip to Germany in June.

So this is my first post on fitness. And obviously a work in progress. Would love to hear any thoughts, questions, suggestions you have! Let’s do this together!!

Photos by Chris & MP Allegaert