I need to start a regimented, workout routine. I haven’t been as consistent with my exercise as I would like and really need to be. What I really struggle with is the time of day that I exercise. Before, I was just trying to squeeze in a workout throughout the day when or if I got a break. As you can imagine, some days it worked and most days it didn’t. 

There would be times during the work day that I did have a break from meetings but then I had a lot of administrative work to do which didn’t actually allow me to get a workout in. Other times, when I was ready to go for a run, the weather wasn’t cooperating. At the end of the day, I had a lot of excuses for not getting a workout in. I know it and I’m not shrugging that off anymore.

I need to get serious about consistently working out. There have a couple of health factors that are pushing me toward this decision. 

First, I am fully capable and enjoy exercising. I know… what a weird person who likes to sweat. Well, I do. I enjoy the work, the effort, and the strength I feel when exercising. I also enjoy the mental break that I get when I’m working out. Lastly, I love the physical exertion and stress that I can literally feel coming out of my body. 

Second, I am a mother to an insanely active and physically fit toddler. I’m not kidding, my almost 2.5 year old is 3 feet tall and weighs 35 pounds. We hike together, we ride bikes (yes, he is riding a bike), we are physically moving all the time. When my son is tuckered out, he wants to be carried - yes, even when we have hiked 2 miles together and he wants to be carried all the way back - with no carrier except my two arms. I have to be physically fit for my son. I will ALWAYS say yes to picking up my son. There are only so many times he is going to asked to be picked up before I put him down for the last time. I will physically be able to carry him and ruck a 2 mile hike until he no longer asks me to. 

Third, I am 30-years-old. For women who reach 30 years of age, this is, on average, the strongest our bones will ever be. As we continue to age, our bone strength and density (bone mass) starts to decrease - hello osteoporosis and bone fractures. This is more prevalent for women than men because of our predisposed genetics - women’s bones are not as dense or strong as men’s. Sorry ladies, on top of all our other benefits of being a woman such as menstrual cycles and menopause, we also have bone health to tackle! 

The greatest way to combat this is through proper diet and rigorous strength training. 

Check this out - orthoinfo@aaos.org:  

“After you reach your peak bone mass, you will begin to gradually lose bone. All through your life, your body is continually removing old bone and replacing it with fresh bone. This process is called remodeling. Up until about age 40, all the bone removed is replaced. After age 40, however, less bone is replaced. At this stage in life, getting enough exercise and calcium (1,000 mg) and Vitamin D (1000 IU) every day, are crucial to minimizing bone loss. Exercise is also important for maintaining your muscle mass, which preserves and strengthens surrounding bone and helps prevent falls.”

The body truly is amazing isn’t it? So I’m in the window where my body is still able to replace bone through my “remodeling” and having a strong skeleton is vitally important to me. I need that strong skeleton for all the things I want to do in my future life. 

I need to strength train - which means getting over my fear or discomfort with lifting weights. I must attack the gym because my body needs to literally pick things up and put them down. I need to lift dumb bells, kettle bells, and other bells that I have no idea what they are called. I need to lay down on a bench to do presses. I need to use my hands to hang from a pullup bar to increase grip strength and upper body strength. Which my husband will tell you that my arms are little twigs. I like to say that I’m small but mighty and he just laughs at me. He knows that my legs are very strong and I am great at squats and agility but my back and upper body really are weak. 

I need to pick things up and put them down - how I describe weight lifting - with proper form and proper weight to build the muscle and bone strength I need to protect against aging and bone decay. Jeez… I’m only 30 but I guess I need to tackle this, right?!

A friend of mine recently recommended a book - Roar by Stacy Sims - that I just ordered and I’m stoked for it to come in the mail to learn more about her perspective on this. I am also partnered with Lift, Run, Eat fitness to create an exercise regime that works with my mom life, my business life, and my personal goals.

What I would recommend to women, regardless of age, is to think about the life you want in the near future. How can a few minor adjustments to your day get you toward the goals of your future. For example, if you are 50 years old right now and want to be able to squat down to lift up your grandson, what are you doing today to get you to that goal. It could be stretching to get more flexibility, it could be walking up and down stairs to get more endurance, it could be signing up for a fitness class… Do something, just one thing for your physical fitness that will improve your bone strength so you can get to that goal. 

Your future self and your future body will thank you.