I’m only a few weeks into the Mother of the Bride Bootcamp with TEAM IRON elles, and I’ve already realized I set the wrong goal.
I initially proposed the idea of a fitness bootcamp so I could learn how to use weights, find routines that I could do at home, and use a customized nutrition plan to help me lose my belly weight and build muscle mass before my oldest daughter gets married this summer. Six months to success.
To ensure I get as close as possible to reaching my goal of shedding body fat and building up some lean muscle mass and strength, I’m bolting on the 2,000 pushup challenge (it kicks off Feb. 11-28 and raises money for the Canadian Mental Health Association, click here if you want to contribute to my team!) — it seems like a good way to at least build up my arms, if not the rest of me.
The other component of bootcamp: Share what I’m learning with other women who are also struggling to make the scale — and their bodies — move more easily.
I have to recalculate!
I don’t want to be temporarily fit. That means I need to look waaaaay past the wedding, and set some long-term goals now that will help me to stay fit and healthy into my 60s, 70s and beyond. I know this program is going to teach me how to do it.
The success of the MOB Bootcamp, as with all of Coach Leanne’s programs, is built on routines. A fitness routine. A nutrition routine. A bedtime routine. Routines build habits. And habits create the consistency I need to see results.
That’s why I’m up at 6:30 am every morning to get my 45-50 minute workout done before I head to my office — my schedule is always chaotic, and pinning down a workout time at the end of the day is infinitely harder than if I can just roll out of bed a little earlier.
I’ve added one more routine to the mix: I’ve started to listen to podcasts while I’m working out. I might as well recalibrate my brain while I’m at it, right?
On regular rotation: Mel Robbins. Jay Shetty. Huberman Lab. And others dedicated to health, motivation, fitness and science. I’ve been paying particular attention to podcasts about women’s health this week. Specifically, how menopause affects our overall health, and what we need to do to stay healthy into our senior years (I refuse to acknowledge that at 55, I’m already considered to be a senior.)
We know that beginning in perimenopause, women start to lose muscle mass and bone density, while increased brown fat (the stuff that settles in your abdomen over your organs) can trigger hot flashes. As we enter menopause, we also have increased risks of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and osteoporosis. So, we know we need to take action to decrease those health risks.
But here’s the thing. Menopause — and women’s health issues overall — are relatively new areas of research. Women are frequently underrepresented in clinical trials, leading to a lack of data on how diseases and treatments affect men and women differently. There’s a huge focus on reproductive health (pregnancy and contraception) rather than broader health issues. And menopause? It hasn’t been studied much at all.
There is emerging research showing drastically improved health outcomes for women as we enter our 50s and beyond (I found this handy list at thepauselife.com) through easy-to-implement lifestyle changes such as:
- Good nutrition that includes adequate protein, water intake and fiber, and a limited amount of sugar, highly processed food and alcohol.
- Regular exercise including daily stretching and balance training, resistance training 3x/week that increases over time and any kind of cardiovascular training of about 2-3 hours per week where your heart rate is elevated for at least 20 minutes.
- Stress reduction techniques that include daily exposure to sunshine, time outdoors, yoga, meditation, journaling — whatever helps you unplug and reconnect with what brings you joy.
- Getting 7-8 hours of sleep, with regular sleep/wake times.
- Hormone replacement therapy (depending on health risk factors —talk to your doctor!) and supplements including Omega 3, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, zinc, magnesium and probiotics to help with menopause symptoms, immunity, sleep and overall health.
This is exactly what Leanne promotes — and though I was doing most of this on my own already, MOB Bootcamp is helping me to fine-tune it, so I can learn proper weight lifting techniques, ensure all my muscles are targeted throughout the week and help me to incorporate more protein into my diet. And I know I’ll have to keep recalculating as I age.
Motivational speaker Simon Sinek said, “It doesn’t matter when we start. It doesn’t matter where we start. All that matters is that we start.”
I encourage you to start your own routine today (contact Leanne, she can make it so much easier!) That way, we can be the most kick-ass grannies on the block together — because we decided to recalculate and make these changes last forever!
See you next time (don’t forget to do your pushups!)
Michelle
