Why lifting heavy shit is essential for women…. especially as we age
There are a few common misconception about being female and lifting weights……
“I don’t want to get big or bulky”
“I don’t want to hurt my back”
“I feel insecure about going to a gym and using free weights”
Myths dispelled
I have been specifically powerlifting for over 3 years now, but have always done strength work throughout my sporting career. I understood the need to prevent injury and to make my body as robust as it needed to be to able endure the training when I was running 80-100 miles per week. I can honestly say that lifting heavy, with good form, has definitely not bulked me out. In fact, I am smaller now than I have been in years and years at age 54. I feel strong and fit, and I can still compete competitively in running and duathlon races too.
When you lift with good form you do not hurt your back. This is one of the reasons that I am so focused on drilling good form, for myself and for my boot campers and 1-2-1 clients, down to the smallest details. I have an excellent technically brilliant coach who is always teaching me - its important to keep on striving to learn. Lifting techniques take time to get right, but it is so worth it!
So these are the benefits for women lifting weights:-
It helps to build and maintain muscle mass, which in turn is essential for a healthy metabolism and preventing muscle loss as we age, specifically when we are post menopausal.
It helps bone density and therefore the prevention of osteoporosis.
It can improve overall fitness and quality of life and reduce the risk of injury.
The added bonus is boosting self esteem and body image. When you get complimented on your legs in the supermarket, that makes you feel good!!
To sumarise, since I started lifting properly I feel completely focused, driven, strong, in control and confident that I could go into any male dominated gym KNOWING that I know what I am doing, and I can lift heavy too!
I would urge any woman out there to explore lifting weights properly alongside their other sporting activities. The benefits have been scientifically proven so why wait!
Negotiating Menopause….
For all of the ladies out there who are entering into perimenopause, are already menopausal or post menopausal - I feel your pain! I have no idea where I am in the whole shit show, currently had scans on my ovaries which are clear, but my womb has a thickened lining. So, I really am struggling a bit…. and so is my husband as he has to live with me!!
Right now, my body does not know it’s arse from it’s elbow. I don’t recognise myself or my body. I actually feel like a shell of who I used to be…. but I know it won’t last forever. What I do know is, having athletic goals to work towards has always been a stable requirement in my life - the constant, immovable structure that I can hinge my efforts onto.
When you don’t feel like working out is when you NEED to do it. Overwhelming fatigue, anxiety, sleeplessness, hot flushes…. all of these could be used as valid reasons to NOT get your exercise in. Let me tell you, no one ever regrets a workout. When I feel like this - I write down my lifting training planned by my awesome lifting coach Glenn Branch, and I simply work through the sets ticking them off as I go. What keeps me motivated is my competitions and I know that the work I put in now will come into fruition later.
Surround yourself with people who enhance your life, who fill your cup up. It’s important to me that when we work out we are surrounded by people who lift us up, who champion our efforts and celebrate our successes as if they were their own. That’s exactly how it is at ABC boot camp. The girls are simply incredible at being there for one another. That’s exactly how I feel when I compete in powerlifting events and duathlons - unlike any other competitive environments I have been in. I feel supported and accepted - this truly fills up my cup of life!!
It would be easy to crumble emotionally at times. Working out is the one thing that is keeping me sane. It cannot be underestimated how important it is for our mind, body and soul… as cheesy as that sounds, it is 100% right!! On any day I might only have 40% of my potential to give, but if I give 100% of that 40%, I am still giving everything I have for that day.
Keep on keeping on xx
When your mojo wains…
Losing your ‘mojo’ happens… to everyone. It’s what you do when that happens that determines how your journey goes.
Any athlete will tell you that losing your ‘mojo’ will happen. Sometimes life throws a curve ball at you in a way you didn’t expect. You can lose the passion or the will to commit.
This is how I knuckle down mentally when that happens. I maintain the ultimate objective in my minds eye and understand the journey uphill will have some bumps and some plateaus. I am not going to reach my destination overnight, but I am certainly not going to leave myself stranded up a metaphorical mountain. I will finish the job that I set out to do. After all, the effort I put in is going to benefit me and me alone.
This weekend is a prime example. I have been training for the All England Full Powerlifting Championships, but I had an accident on my bike on Thursday night and could not compete due to an injury to my eye. I am not going to let it all collapse around me though. I am using the great block of training I have put in to work towards the World Championships in November. I could let it all crash around me, but a lifetime in sports has enabled me to ride these storms, not give in, and understand that we have highs and we have lows. Ride the low times with confidence that all will be well in the end.
You get out what you put in at the end of the day.
Keep on keeping on!! Big love.
Challenging your limits
I have had a lifetime pushing myself and placing myself uncomfortable positions. Sport, over and above anything else in my life, has made me the person I am.
I like being uncomfortable, feeling scared, the doubt creeping in…. because something inside you surfaces and overrides all of those feelings. When you are scared is when the magic happens.
Don’t settle for a mediocre version of yourself. Do things that make you dig in. I ordinarily sign up for challenges that I have not trained properly for and deep down inside I relish the time when I feel emotionally and physically broken. Sounds weird I know! In that moment there is a space, and into that space moves an element of your deeper self that reminds you of what you are truly capable of. It is never you against ‘them’, it’s you being the strongest and most brave you can be. When you do that you grow beyond words.
When I was running internationally and sponsored by Puma it became more about having to win, or having to place in major races. I did not really enjoy that aspect, and looking back retrospectively, I would have handled a few things differently. This is part of getting older and learning constantly.
I am also not one of these athletes who because I can’t run 16 minutes for 5km again refuses to do it. I am thankful I can still run and do other stuff. I have my old lady times now and I’m happy with those. Happy to just feel alive when I’m pushing myself. I like to mix things up and keep it fresh! I don’t want to get bored and I want to keep my body and spirit guessing.
So, keeping feeling alive peeps!
Love you all xx
No Quick Fixes
My first ever blog!
Firstly, I am going to say, there are NO quick fixes to our long term health and well being. I am referring to physical and mental well being here too.
I had the realisation recently that I poured all of my self into running very young, rather than let any negative urges I had lead to self destruction. I am pretty sure we have all had mental health issues that could affect us in a negative way at some point in our lives. I think I had a very strong self preservation button because I realised young that I NEEDED sport in my life and I was good at running!
It is NOT about winning for me. It’s about getting every little drop out of myself that I can. In a competitive environment you get pushed and pulled along, and that’s when you can really make the magic happen!!
I have seen a few people come and go at boot camp who really aren’t ready to make the commitment to long term life changes.
So here is my analogy -
I view my body as a car that I got from brand new off the car forecourt when I was born. This car needs to last me a long time, so, I will take care of it. I will mostly put the best fuel in, but sometimes it’s ok to use fuel that is not of the highest grade. I’ll get it serviced and keep check on important things. Sometimes I’ll put the pedal to the metal and other times I’ll go nice and steady to get maximum mileage from the fuel. I intend to look after this vessel but when it’s done 200,000 miles I know I have got absolutely everything out of it!!
So, in short, for me looking after myself is not an effort, it’s an absolute daily requirement. I am not superhuman, in all honesty I am a middle aged fit woman and that’s it. If I can do it anyone can. Each and every person can find their own greatness - I know that sounds cheesy but it is true. I want to know I have seized every opportunity to feel alive.
I will blog on a regular basis and just talk about everyday but relevant things. What I eat, when I eat? What I do when I’ve been a bit naughty on the food front. How I listen to my body especially as I am now in the change of life. Simple daily life tips that have helped me along the way. Let’s face it, I have had 53 years of experience to draw from! :-)
Until next time - keep on keeping on xx