Monday the 24th of February marked the 3-year anniversary of starting my strength training journey. And as I say to many, I’ve been skinny and weak all my life so the fact I’ve been able to build strength and some visible muscle too, has been a huge boost for my self-confidence and obviously for my health and wellbeing.
Inspired by my sister, I have been interested in strength training for many years but for a variety of reasons I haven’t been able to do it consistently. I started going to the gym a few times and always loved it, but after a few weeks I’d start getting respiratory infections, likely because I had undiagnosed coeliac disease (I only got diagnosed at age 36) and didn’t absorb nutrients normally.
Later in life I got a 3-month membership in a gym while we got our house in Sweden sold and other preparations done to move to Ireland. This is when I first started getting results from training – but after a few months it was time to move away.
Before leaving Sweden I booked a session with a personal trainer to get a program I could do at home with resistance bands only, but with all the overwhelm of moving abroad I never really got started with it.
Then in 2022, just at the end of the pandemic, my husband looked for help with tendonitis and found a physical therapist who was also a personal trainer in a small gym in town. He started on a training program, and after a few weeks he suggested that I’d go there too.
Getting started
When I started I used 3-4 kg dumbbells for shoulder exercises, 5 kg for Bulgarian squats, and apparently I did bench press with the 15 kg bar and squats with the 20 kg bar.
I started with one training session weekly, and the first few weeks after my training session I was so sore and exhausted that I almost felt sick. But my body got used to making an effort, and training gave an enormous energy boost for both body and soul and I felt good knowing I was doing something good for myself. In the beginning this was primarily what made me come back every week.
Later that year I started noticing visible results – initially it was that I suddenly looked quite good in leggings, and that I had some small muscle definition around my shoulders. I’ve always been very thin around my shoulder and chest area, so building these up was a big goal.
Seeing I could get results was what kicked off my passion for fitness and training, and I wanted to do more. I decided to start running, and fitness in general became a lifestyle that I now don’t want to be without.
In November that year I ramped up my strength training to two sessions a week, and in the summer of 2023 I increased to three times a week. By now I’m called the “frequent flyer”, haha!
Learning to challenge myself
I’ve always been a softie, and have always avoided hard things as much as possible. But after I started running in September 2022 and quickly got a knee injury because my body was too weak, I banged my fist in the table and decided to work harder in the gym to make myself strong.
This doesn’t mean doing crazy weights (aka ego-lifting) but I started pushing myself to go a bit further, not chicken out from a lift when I was getting tired, but to keep pushing to failure. This is still a work in progress but I must have done something right because I’ve been building up some good muscle mass.
I fell in love with challenging myself, and the thought “how far can I get if I continue doing this?”
In addition to this, my personal trainer has always challenged my thinking and made me realise how much I let overthinking limit what I think I can do. And seeing how much I limited myself by overthinking in the gym has taught me a lot about my attitude about life outside the gym too. This is coaching on a high level.
Three years later
Now it’s been three years, and so much has happened during these years! It feels like I’ve recreated who I am but also like I’ve been through the valley of death and back.
Running went down the drain because I eventually got a stress fracture in the foot and was diagnosed with osteoporosis (this is the valley of death).
Instead I have a new passion for walking, particularly longer walks and always with a camera. I’ve also started exploring the world of hiking/trail walking.
I’ve had a few other (but less serious) injuries which happened during hiking and gardening. But I’ve continued going to the gym to do what I could with the unaffected body parts. It was when I had the stress fracture that I added a third strength session every week, and during the same period I was started on my first heavier strength (fewer reps, heavier weight) program – that was a big f*** off to my injury that tried to have me sidelined.
I’ve learned a lot about what my body can do, when I need to take it easy, how much I can push myself safely, about nutrition in general and for performance, and how to balance my health and fitness ambitions with other things in life that sometimes are less healthy but can still be enjoyed in moderation (for example enjoying a good whiskey now and then).
On the 3-year gym anniversary, we started a heavier training program again, and I was happy to quite confidently do 60 kg squats. A few days later I did my first unassisted 15 kg dumbbell bench press.
While being able to lift these weights makes me feel badass, there’s so much more to it.
- Striving to get results from training has created healthier nutrition and sleep habits
- I have more energy and feel better than ever, despite having entered my 50s
- My new, active lifestyle has massively improved my quality of life.
- I’ve gained at least 5 kgs, and it’s (mostly) not fat.
- I’m much happier about how my body looks. Being comfortable in your own skin is important for your wellbeing so don’t underestimate this! (but the work we do still needs to promote good health)
- I’ve increased bone density with 7+% in about 1,5 years and gone from osteoporosis to osteopenia (with a combination of strength training, nutrition and medication).
- Seeing I can do hard things and get results from it has given me a kind of self-confidence that I’ve never had before.
- Seeing that I’ve been able to make a positive difference for myself has given me a new sense of purpose.
- And some of the little things in life such as being able to carry full watering cans or shopping bags, open that annoying lid of the jar and move the cast iron frying pan around!
I love to see myself get stronger and I’ll never look back.
This is the way forward to maintain a good quality of life as I get older. Muscle loss is normal with ageing but we can counteract this with strength training to remain physically functional for as long as possible. We all know that other health issues can get in the way, but that’s out of our control – but how we treat and challenge our bodies is still within our control!
And lifting heavy weights is particularly important for us women to protect our bones. After 40 we’re simply too old to not be lifting weights!
If you missed my weekly fitness recap post yesterday, you can find it here.
I’m sharing this post in the Wellness Reimagined link-up, hosted by these lovely ladies:
Sue from Women living well after 50
Jo from And anyways
Debbie from Deb’s world
Donna from Retirement reflections
Jennifer from The retirement phase
As always, this is my own story, what has worked for me. You may be different. If you want to start a strength program and have health concerns, particularly if you have bone density issues, talk to your physician and do consult a competent physiotherapist to recommend what approach is appropriate for you. Read more in my disclaimer.
Leave a comment and make my day
You may comment in English, Swedish or Italian.