fitness Archives - Fran's Fitness Over 50

Every step you take toward your goal proves that you’re amazing!

2025 is two weeks old. If you’re still working toward a goal you set, you’re on track to beat the rest of the world. People who make fitness resolutions at the start of a year usually fall off the wagon by the two-week mark. If you’re still sweating, you should feel really good about yourself! It’s not easy changing the way you live. At our age, we’ve spent quite a few decades practicing some bad habits. But now you’ve realized that you need to change something for your healthy aging. So, consider that every step you take toward your goal proves that you’re amazing!

You can do hard things

every step you take toward your goal proves you're amazing

Every day that you change your clothes and lace up your sneakers or dive into that pool, you prove that you can do hard things. These days it’s easy to find many exercise programs online. The hard part is choosing one you like, is safe and effective, and is one you can stick with. Because that’s the key. Your consistency is the key to your success.

I’ve written about how to keep going toward your goal when you don’t feel like doing it. But actually starting a program is hard as well. To do something that you’ve never done before – start and continue with an exercise program – really proves that you’re amazing.

The Amazing Box

But those procrastination and hooky gremlins are out there. You know – the ones that tell you to scroll just a few minutes more. Or, it’s too cold to exercise. And the dog is sleeping on me – I can’t move! Those excuses? If you can bolster your resolve and keep that appointment with yourself, that definitely proves that you’re amazing. Your strength proves that you’re resilient. You make appointments and keep them – especially the ones with yourself. Because those are the really important ones.

Every accomplishment goes in your Amazing Box

A while ago I told you about the Amazing Box. A place where you write down all the things – even the smallest – you do that are amazing or bring you the slightest bit closer to your goal. It doesn’t have to be a physical box, although that would be fun, but it has to be a special place you can visit when you feel your motivation flagging. Just opening up your Amazing Box and reading a couple of entries gives you that pat on the back. That “oomph” to keep going. And reinforces your belief in yourself.

Goal setting to grow

Last week we focused on the Fitness Formula. The Fitness Formula is quite simple, and at its core involves only 2 requirements: eating right and exercising. But to actually achieve fitness, a crucial third element is needed, and that’s motivation. Because, while it might sound easy, the Fitness Formula is hard. And even for those lucky people who are already fit, staying that way takes work as well. But doing the same old, same old gets really boring after the first few days. So, to spice things up and keep your motivation at any stage of your fitness journey, why not use your goal setting to grow?

Envision what things might be like

A different way to look at your goals is to envision how you’d like things to be. If it’s the beginning of the year, what do you want December to look like for you? Obviously, you can do this exercise any time, but starting at the beginning of the year and looking at the end of it seems natural.

Starting with your appearance, what size do you want to wear? How is your health? What does your kitchen look like – can you make healthy meals from the food that’s in your fridge and your cabinets? And what activities are you involved in? Take the opportunity to dream a little big. Get a little uncomfortable. Use your goal setting to grow. When you take risks, there’s so much more opportunity to grow than if you play it safe.

With challenges, there’s growth

This is the exciting part. The year is your oyster, so to speak, and it’s up to you to make a statement for it. You don’t want to set easy goals, because there’s no challenge there, and probably little if any personal growth. Growth leads to resilience which leads to optimism and, ultimately, your healthy aging. And we all want to be our best, healthiest selves as we get older. As we learn more and do more, we gain self-confidence and resolve. We know that anything’s possible.

A challenging, but silly, personal example

Let’s take a silly example. In an effort to improve my balance, over and above doing the practical, proven exercises recommended every week in the Balance for Fitness Balance for Life Group (private, on Facebook), I wanted to test myself with the one-arm, one-leg plank pose in an effort to be ready to join the circus if the opportunity presents itself. (Told you it was silly.) I figured, what could be so hard? Tried it, and landed on my face. Apparently not so simple. After weeks of modifying on one knee or one arm, strengthening my core and getting used to what the pose felt like, I tried it again for a second. And landed on my face. But ultimately I was successful. So, how did I grow in this endeavor? I learned that I’m persistent and I can learn. There’s nothing I can’t do if I can figure out a way to modify and figure out the steps that will ultimately achieve my goal.

Goal setting to grow

So, what do you want to achieve by the end of the year? Lose 10 pounds? Super. Cut out sugar from your diet? Excellent. You’ll figure out healthier, tasty alternatives. Be in shape to hike through Europe even if you’ve never laced up a pair of hiking boots? Wonderful. Set a deadline, figure out your steps toward the goal, and get ready to grow.

Create an exercise habit

It sounds kind of boring, doesn’t it – create an exercise habit. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. If exercise is a habit for you, then you don’t have to feel like you’re girding yourself for battle a few times a week when you think about working out. You don’t have to find time on your calendar for exercise because it’s already scheduled. And you’re getting all the benefits of exercise without even thinking about it. Your heart is getting stronger, your balance is improving, your sleep has never been better and your memory is as sharp as it ever was.

Be active and fit to do all the other stuff

Exercise is a habit for me, and has been for many years. I realized a long time ago that the only way I was going to be able to do the things I wanted to do with my life, and eat all the chocolate I wanted, was if I was active and fit. And all the studies say exercise is crucial for healthy aging. So, how did I create an exercise habit?

How to create an exercise habit

First, you have to understand that there’s nothing I enjoy more than curling up with a good book. For hours. I love to stay home and hibernate. I was never an athletic person, and when I was a kid, I skipped gym class more than a few times. As an adult, though, I realized that no one else was responsible for my well-being, so I’d best look out for it.

I found a workout program I didn’t mind (too much). I could see myself doing it a few times a week, and actually put it on my calendar. Back then all the calendars were paper, so I used ink! No erasing. And I followed through on my commitment. In order for this to work, I had to commit to the plan. It doesn’t do anyone any good to create goals and then not do the work. That’s why creating intermediate steps toward a goal is so important. When you reach those mid-goals, you have things to celebrate. When you can actually see and taste the mid-goals you set, even if you can’t see your end goal, you have that positive mindset that’s so important to achieving your goals.

It’s not set in stone

And don’t be afraid to change your exercise program. If you find that you really can’t tolerate the instructor or the moves are killing your knees, find something else! You should never be locked into a program you don’t care for. By the same token, if you outgrow the program that you started with, find a more challenging one.

It takes about a month to create a habit, so you’re in it for the long haul. When you create an exercise habit, you’re the one who will reap all the benefits.

Fear of the unknown

Are you afraid to try something new in your fitness routine? Or of starting a fitness program? In fitness, as everything else, fear of the unknown is natural. But don’t let it rule your life. Don’t be paralyzed by the fear of what might happen. Fear of “What if …?” has stopped plans in their tracks for many.

Fear of replacing a PC?

For me, even though it sounds silly when I write it out, I was afraid to upgrade my PC. Now, you have to understand that the one I was replacing was over 10 years old. For a PC, that’s a dinosaur. An early Triassic period dinosaur, like 245 million years ago. So it was more than time to replace the obsolete box. The thing was, though, it still worked. It had all my pictures and files on it. We had moved it several times over the years. But it was time. It took forever to get things done. And it did get things done – I wrote every article for Fitness-Over-50.com on it. I helped to run a business on it. It talked to the printer (most of the time). I published books on it, for goodness’ sake. But it was time.

Fear of the unknown paralyzed me

And I was afraid. Brand new ones are so expensive and still go obsolete in months. I decided to get a refurbished one, guaranteed for a few months. And what if the new one didn’t work? Well, that’s what a warranty is for, right? What if the new one didn’t recognize the external hard drive I transferred all my files to? Well, then, I’d transfer files to the cloud and work from there.

Form a plan of action to counter the fear

You can see that, while I was afraid of the “what if’s,” I tried to form a plan of action for it. I knew that, while it was scary delving into new tech, I’d be so much more productive if I didn’t have to wait to load sites. And didn’t have to wait while I deleted browser cookies every day. Not to mention, not having to restart the PC three times a day.

Indeed, the American Psychological Association recommends that, to counter fear of the unknown, we should focus on things we can control. So, for every “what if …,” think of an action to take. Also be sure to be kind to yourself. We all encounter some fears of things we don’t know about, so take some deep breaths and try to center yourself. And, if possible, try to learn more about the unknown you’re scared of. Then it won’t be unknown any longer. By educating yourself, you’ll have grown your resilience and your optimism. And that just promotes your healthy aging.

Fear of starting a fitness program?

Many people start the New Year with resolutions of getting fit, of exercising more regularly and eating right. And that can be scary – to start something you’ve only dreamt about. So, if you want to get started on a healthier 2025, start now by looking into the kinds of exercise programs that you might like and actually continue. That fear of the unknown will be gone for at least this portion of your life.

Try the Winter Arc challenge for focus on health and well-being

Days are really getting short now. I wake up in the dark, and it’s dark again by suppertime. It’s easy to say, “Why bother?” and go eat that lasagna. The whole pan of lasagna. It’s the lull before the holiday storm, when candy goes on sale but before the big Thanksgiving push is on when all the recipes you see are for “healthy sides.” If this sounds all too familiar, you can join me in hopping on the newest trend – the “Winter Arc” challenge. Use these cold, dark months to refocus on health and well-being.

Focus on health and well-being

I know I need the Winter Arc challenge. My sister and I are transitioning our website to a more modern ecommerce platform. We got our domain name 20 – yes, twenty! – years ago and it’s not transferring smoothly. The company we purchased the name from was acquired and merged several times, and settings changed without our permission or knowledge and it, just, not good. So I need to refocus on my well-being.

What’s needed for calm?

First, I have to figure out exactly what I need to do to feel calmer and more centered. I’m not missing too many workout sessions, so that’s good. My nutrition is the same as always. My diet is completely boring. I eat the same things almost every day, with some variations for dinner. Don’t follow my lead on that, because you don’t want to be boring. For me, it’s easy. It tastes good and is nutritious. But I completely advocate adding variety.

Meditation for mindset

So, what’s left? Mindset. I said a few months ago that I was going to add more meditation breaks to my day. And did I? No, sadly. So to refocus on health and well-being, I’m committing to more meditation. I’m getting out my Get It Done worksheet, creating my goal and scheduling meditation breaks on my calendar. And this will be one of my non-negotiable tasks each day. My meditation breaks won’t be long – no more than 5 minutes at a time.

A positive mindset, which is impossible when you’re under stressed, has been shown to improve health on its own. And positivity and optimism adds to our resilience.

So I’ll schedule my meditation breaks – mostly I’ll close my eyes and listen to a short guided meditation. And in a couple of weeks, I’ll reassess and figure out if this has helped to refocus health and well-being.

Do it for your future self

This is for whatever it is you don’t want to do today. Don’t want to exercise? You don’t want to eat nutritious food? Or you don’t want to work on that project you’ve been putting off? I get it. Some days it’s all too tempting to stay under the covers, eat chocolate and chips and binge Emily in Paris or whatever show you’re into. But think about how you’ll feel tomorrow. And all the tomorrows after that if you don’t show up for yourself. It’s easier to not do the things. But those things will stay the way they are. You’re not going to get the benefits from exercise. Your body will not get the vitamins and minerals from the healthy food. And you’ll still have that project hanging over your head. Do it for your future self.

How your future self will feel

Think about how you want to feel in the future. For me, I want to feel no pain, or at least less pain. Also, to be able to stand tall and not hunched or with rounded shoulders will be good. I’d like my legs to be able to hold me up, and my core to be strong and stable to share the load. I want to breathe freely and not get winded when I walk. Does this sound good to you? For our healthy aging, this doesn’t seem to be an outrageous goal.

The food we eat is reflected on the outside

What goes into our bodies should be good for the outside as well. The food we consume has an affect on our bodies – inside and out. Our skin reflects the good nutrition that goes in. We feel better when we eat nutritious food. Of course, I’m not going to say no to a piece of good chocolate, but on the whole I try to maintain a healthy diet.

Working toward a goal keeps us resilient

When we work toward a goal, even just for a little bit every day, we’re being optimistic for the future. We’re happy when we have an objective. And creating achievable goals keeps us focused on that future. We want something to have happened to make a better future for ourselves. That’s what goal-making is about. And if you’ve set goals in the past but not achieved them, then download the Get It Done G u ide. It’ll help. Seriously.

So keep on working toward goals. Exercise regularly. And eat good food. It will show in your future self.

Get uncomfortable to get motivated

Discomfort is only uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Get uncomfortable.

Get uncomfortable to achieve your goals

And that’s another way of saying that you should get uncomfortable so that you can achieve your goals. Discomfort happens when you reach for something that’s beyond your grasp now. Like running. When you start running, even after warming up with some stretches and walking, it feels odd and uncomfortable. But when you keep on doing it, even during the same session, running becomes more comfortable. You get used to the motion. The first few times the motion may not seem completely natural (for me, it’s still not natural), but it’s not as uncomfortable any longer.

Embrace discomfort to grow

Some athletes embrace the pain they feel when training, so that they can move past it and improve. I don’t relish pain of any sort. The most I want to feel in my workout is discomfort, and even that is a stretch. But the idea is the same. In order to grow in any endeavor, many feel that it’s necessary to challenge yourself. The challenge can then lead to increased motivation to succeed. In fact, Stanford professor Carol Dweck in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, reveals that students with a growth mindset, that is the belief that they can grow and develop, outperformed their peers with a fixed mindset.

Challenge yourself and succeed

It’s not just in learning more that we succeed by challenging ourselves. In the running example, we can grow – that is, run faster and longer – by pushing ourselves a little more each time we run. That is, get uncomfortable a little more. At the end of a few sessions, that little push becomes more comfortable, almost natural, and then we can push even more. Challenge ourselves a little more. This starts with a single push of the up button. When I’m at the maximum speed I did last time and it doesn’t feel too bad, I just push the increase speed button one time. Increase my speed by just one tenth of a mile per hour. Not too bad. Not even too noticeable, in fact. And I don’t sustain that for long – just a minute, maybe less.

I’ll keep the same maximum speed for a few days until the increase is indiscernible. And then I’ll do it again. It does help to journal my workout – my average speed, maximum speed, how it felt, when I feel I can push it again. If you just want the bare bones of a workout tracker, download the Basic Workout Tracker today. If you want more, check out the Fitness Journal and Tracker which has pages for nutrition and, my favorite, goal planning and tracking!

Challenge yourself more to achieve more

So, get uncomfortable. And soon the concept of pushing beyond boundaries becomes the norm. Then you can push more. Challenge yourself more. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. It doesn’t happen overnight. But it will happen. You’ll become more resilient. When things in your life go sideways, you’ll think, I’ve achieved so much, I can push through this. And your resilience will make you more optimistic and ultimately happier, which means good things for your healthy aging.

Get uncomfortable. And you’ll go far.

What is core stability?

What is core stability and why is it important?

In almost every post I make about balance, I emphasize that a strong and stable core is essential. A strong core, I get. I understand strength. But what is core stability? Why do I care?

Core stability means that your core helps your spine maintain control when you move in different directions. For example, if you raise your arm, your oblique muscles in your abdomen are engaged. When we rotate our shoulders, a stable core holds us upright.

Everything inside us is connected. I want a stable spine so that I can sit and stand upright, and not to mention, breathe. When our spine is straight, it’s much easier for us to take a breath. You can try it yourself. Breathe when you’re hunched over, like you do at your desk. Now straighten your spine and breathe. Better, isn’t it?

So a stable core means a stable spine.

A strong core helps my back pain. I suppose that having a stable core helps with that as well, because when I’m bending over, I have to stabilize in order to stand up again. And that strong core, holding tight, means that I’m less likely to tweak my lower back.

I don’t think there’s any pain worse than lower back pain. I have sciatica and bursitis in both hips. When my sciatica flared up and wrapped around the bursitis, I couldn’t move. Or, rather, it was like I was moving through something the consistency of ice cream. I was moving, painfully, and extremely slowly. Because it hurt. Heat didn’t help a lot, and neither did ice. I lived with it, and apologized for being so slow. When your back hurts, you can’t do many things that you want to. It’s agony getting in the car so traveling is out of the question. Even mundane tasks like grocery shopping can be an ordeal.

When I did my research on balance a number of years ago after the fall that triggered the bursitis, I also learned that having a strong core could ease back pain. You can bet that as soon as I could move, I focused on core strength.

So, how can you improve your core stability?

Nothing in the studies I’ve read has indicated that there are separate exercises for core stability. Work the core strength exercises, and the stability part gets thrown in. Bonus.

Write what you want to do

Last week I emphasized the importance of writing what you do. Adding to that, it’s important to write what you want to do. I need a memory assist, and that’s why I write what I do in my journal. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast, much less what my workout consisted of yesterday. But I also want to write down those little thoughts of the things I want to achieve.

For fitness, as an example, today I ran / walked for 20 minutes on the treadmill. My walking speed after the warmup was 4 miles per hour at 2.5 percent incline. My fastest running speed was 7.4 mph, again at 2.5 percent incline. I wrote all that on my journal page. But I also wrote that for my next run, I’d like to run at 7.5 mph. This is huge for me. After all, I’m old, my knees aren’t great, and neither are my hips. But at the end of my run, this might just be doable. Not for long, just a minute. But it’s a start.

Starting matters

And a start is just that. Running faster eventually becomes more comfortable, and then I feel lazy running at a slower pace. Most of life is like that. We pump ourselves up to do a little scary thing, like do a short live video on social media. All you extroverts may not think much of that, but it’s scary for people like me who like nothing more than staying home and reading. It’s not natural to put myself in the spotlight.

But then the little scary thing is not so scary any longer. It may not be comfortable, but eventually with practice we reach the stage of accepting it as a normal thing to do. This is true for everything we want to achieve in life. We start with a small idea. Play with it in your head. Write it down. Then expand on that small idea so that it’s something tangible and worthwhile.

Write what you want to do

So, at the same time you’re writing what you do, you can also write what you want to do. You’re making goals. And goals are essential for moving forward. Without goals, we’re stagnating. While you’re doing something, think of what you’d like to be doing in a month or six months. If I can run this fast now, I could probably run faster in a month! That’s how the process works.

And writing down those goals, even the little ones, gives you a much better chance of achieving them. 42% better, in fact, according to a psychology study performed at Dominican University in California. Write down those goals, dreams, and aspirations. And then break them down into manageable chunks that become real.

Good form in exercise

Good form for the win!

Last week I gave you tips for maximizing the effectiveness of your workouts, and one of them was to make sure you have good form. So why is good form in exercise important?

This morning I did my Pilates workout with a resistance band, and noticed that the instructor was continually reminding the class of the proper technique. Breathe in when you do this, make sure your abdominals are pulled in, and make sure your back is straight. Why is it important to have good form?

Avoid injury

First, and probably, most important, it’s important to maintain good form in exercise so you don’t injure yourself. I’ve talked about avoiding back pain by tightening my core – there it is. Make sure your back is straight and not twisted? Again, good form. When you’re exercising with good form, you avoid strains, sprains, tears, twinges, and all sorts of nasty things. When you’re doing squats, making sure that you can see your shoelaces when you look down ensures that you’re protecting your knees. And that’s something we all need to keep in mind for our healthy aging.

Focus on targeted muscle groups

When you have good form when you exercise, you know that you’re targeting what you’re supposed to be targeting. You’re using the muscle groups that you’re supposed to be using. And you’ll get the maximum benefit from the exercise. Like this morning, during my Pilates workout, the instructor emphasized during a few of the exercises that the shoulders should be back and down to work them properly. I’ve had experience with shoulder injuries, and the last thing I want is to re-injure the joint. So I made extra sure that I followed the instructor’s direction.

Optimize time

When we really focus on having good form in exercise, we’re truly getting maximum benefit from minimum time. I don’t have time to waste and neither do you! So let’s get strong with good form.