Another newbie Hello!

[Meant2Move]

Hi All,

 

I've been getting NF updates for a while and occasionally browsed the forums. I liked the positive and supportive atmosphere but wasn't sure I fit in as I'm not a gamer. Still, when the forum I used to post on got hacked and shut down, I realized I missed the chance to visit and exchange ideas with other people who cared about fitness and health.  And, given the amount of negativity at that site (some people were really rude to others), I loved the rule here about being nice!

 

So, a little bit about me - I'll be 50 next month but it doesn't cause me any particular grief. I have been making steady annual fitness gains for many years. I do notice it takes longer to heal from injuries, but that is about the only drawback to aging. The wisdom of experience is a bonus when I use it properly... I have my share of impulsive, not so smart moments.  

 

As to motivation, there is an inherent psychosis in being a woman of a certain age, unfortunately. But, in an effort to overcome biology, I learned that regular exercise at a high heart rate (we’re talking cardio – personally I refer to it as ‘sanity maintenance cardio’) makes a huge difference to my mental state – less depression, less anxiety, less perceived stress, less urge to rip the heads off employees and clients who do stupid things… uh, I imagine you get the picture. It keeps my sunny disposition where it should be.

But that is not enough! My parents are obese and have the associated health problems that go with that. My biological father died at age 54 – heart problems. My in-laws are aging better than my parents, but also have their share of issues and prescription pill bottles. Many years ago (10, maybe more?) my spouse and I looked at each other and agreed we did not want to be our parents, so we considered what we might do differently and put a plan in place. All the normal stuff – eat well, maintain weight at a healthy level, stay active mentally and physically… yet we both realized that wasn’t going to be enough for us – we didn’t want to just survive and be healthy – we wanted MORE!

We’ve done some really amazing adventures in the last 29 years – 8 day adventure races, all day explorations in caves in the southeastern US to push new passages and connect sections never done before, ultra-distance races, canyoneering, etc. – and what made that possible was being fit, but also being willing to push ourselves to our limits. Well, if you don’t train in a way that pushes yourself, you just cannot get to those limits. We realized that unless you maintain a degree of “umphâ€, a willingness to overcome the internal governor that we all have, pretty soon, you aren’t able to push yourself as far or as fast or undertake the adventure in front of you. What a shame that would be!

So, my motivation is to push myself. I want to run a bit faster or farther or both. I want to lift more weight, or do more lunges, or work out the moves on a higher grade rock climb. I want to improve my time on a local hiking trail that climbs super steep up to a lovely view, then turn and run down it – and not hurt terribly the next day! I want to be able to do a 20 mile hike on a day’s notice and not worry about whether I can go that distance. In short, I train hard in a variety of ways to be ready for the next opportunity to do something really challenging and succeed.

 

I look forward to learning more about what others here are doing.

[Misugrrl]

Hey there!  Welcome to the boards I'm new, too, just been here a few weeks. It's a fantastic site and there are a lot of really supportive, super cool people on here.  Take your time, read along, explore the main site too (tons of really helpful articles) and participate !  I love how kind and supportive many of the people are here. You truly found one of the internet's best gems.

[Meant2Move]

Thanks, Misugrrl. I appreciate the welcome.

[Laureleye]

I agree, being over 50 doesn't bother me either.  You do have to be smart with your workouts but I'm working hard on doing stuff everyone thinks I'm "too old" to do.  Welcome in!

[Meant2Move]

Thanks, Laureleye! 

 

Loved what you wrote in your profile about getting strong. I have dabbled off and on with strength training for years, but only got serious (and regular) about it in the past 18 months.  Progress feels good! Hope you are putting a good distance between yourself and that dark hole.