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life between the suburbs & retirement sailing

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Health and Food Middle-Aged Fitness

Three Fitness Struggles of One Middle-Aged Women

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What are the top three fitness struggles of this middle-aged woman?  In the video, I share the details, but if you’d prefer to read, here’s the dealio. Despite my consistent diet and exercise, my achievement highlights include:

  1. Lack of weight loss
  2. Stagnant fat loss
  3. Very little ‘inches’ lost progress

My weight has fluctuated between 150 and 153 since our first fitness status update.  My body-fat % has also remained stagnant at about 28%.  The only progress I’ve made is minimal; my thighs are down ½ inch on each, from 24 to 23.5, but everything else is the same – not moving!

This is obviously frustrating and kinda discouraging.  BUT it gives me two specific things to consider:

Consideration #1 – Am I Happy Where I’m at?

If I decide I’m happy where I’m at, I’ve reached equilibrium. If I go with this option, my only fitness struggles will be consistency. Right now, I’m currently not counting calories, just eating a sensible, whole-food plant-based diet. I have treats, like chips on occasion and I still drink alcohol. I exercise 5 days a week, strength training and cardio. If I keep this up, I’ll at least stay where I’m at.

Consideration #2 – What Am I Willing to Do To Achieve Movement?

For this consideration, I see three main options to get some movement:

  1. Cut calories – Although I go through phases where I’m willing to track everything and cut, I’m not there right now. I hate calorie counting more than exercise. I do know if I eliminated alcohol, that would be a calorie gain (and a healthy one)…but again, I like my cocktails and I’m not ready to give ’em up yet.
  2. Exercise More – I’d actually like to move up to 6 days a week, 4 days strength and cardio, 2 cardio…but I’m having scheduling issues with that. I’d also like to do 20 minutes of cardio instead of 15 on strength days, we exercise over lunch, so I don’t have time. I’m thinking I need to just start doing evening walks (at least in the warmer months)…but we’ll see. I am working on strength gains, and more muscle means more calorie burn, so that may help long term as well.
  3. Just keep on doing what I’m doing and see if long term, there’s movement –  Realistically, continuing on this path, including strength gains and incorporating more movement into my day, I might slowly lose some of that additional weight/body fat/inches.  If I’m not willing to do more than what I already am, this is pretty much the default choice.   While I consider, I’m on this path until I decide to make another move.

Despite the discouragement of effort with no visible gain, I know that there are things I am NOT going to do:

  1. Give up my Healthy Eating – I’m gonna stick with what I’m doing. This plant-based vegan life has me more energetic, and I think is one of the reasons I’m able to maintain my weight without much effort–which has NOT been the case in the past.
  2. Stop exercising – Despite that it’s really not my favorite, I feel so much better when I’m consistent and just do it.  Plus, if I quit, well my fitness struggles will just increase. I need to be healthy as I’m aging so I can enjoy living, instead of just getting old.  Exercise is one of the prices I’m gonna pay to keep moving forward.
  3. Worry about it too much! – Overall, even though I have fitness goals and I get a bit frustrated with lack of movement toward them, I’m feeling pretty great and loving life. I’ve decided to not weigh myself more than monthly. Instead I try on my clothes and if I’m happy with the fit, I know I’m either staying the same, or moving in the right direction. If I plan the work and work the plan—adapting as needed–it’s all gonna work out, I just have to remind myself of that regularly.

And, those, my friends, are the fitness struggles of this middle-aged women.  I am a bit frustrated, but at minimum, sticking with the status-quo until I decide what I’m willing to do to move forward.  OR, if I really want to move forward at all!

We hope you enjoyed the episode!  If you did, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Happy Living!

Kelly (& Steffan)

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For more on our super intriguing lives, check out ‘About Steffan and Kelly’.

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