It has been nearly an entire year since I last wrote. I have continued plugging away at my strength goals, but I have hesitated to put my thoughts into words.
The reason? Someone I love very much has not been making healthy choices, and I found myself questioning whether I had the right to write about wellness when I couldn’t even help someone close to me make changes.
Then I had to reevaluate my purpose.
Am I trying to change other people? No.
Am I trying to change myself? Not necessarily.
So what am I doing?
I am experimenting. I am trying different approaches, learning what works for me, and deciding what is worth incorporating into my own routine. I am sharing these experiments so that others can see how they have impacted me and decide for themselves whether any of these practices might be useful in their own lives.
So here I am with a follow-up to my strength training experiment.
I haven’t made sweeping changes. In fact, many things have stayed the same. But I have made a few intentional adjustments.
First, I have not slowed down my cardio. I am still a cardio addict. 😊 However, the more I read, the more I realize that as I get older, I may benefit from shifting the balance slightly — not eliminating cardio, but making even more room for strength training.
A year ago, my main strength training came from my weekly Zumba Toning class using 2.5-pound weights. Since then, I have added two additional weekly strength-focused days.
I increased my Zumba Toning weights to 3 pounds, with about 10 minutes of the class incorporating 8-pound weights to challenge my biceps, legs, and back. I also added a 45-minute strength class each week that alternates between upper body and lower body workouts using resistance bands and 8-pound weights. My third strength day is either a barre class or subbing for another Zumba Toning instructor.
I have also been more intentional about protein. I replaced my usual coffee creamer with a frothed mixture of Fairlife milk and protein powder. I have also been enjoying plain Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder and fruit as a snack or dessert several times a week.
And the results?
They are not dramatic — but they are encouraging.
My resting heart rate had been gradually decreasing as I approached age 50, but this year it has averaged about 10 beats higher than last year.
My VO2 max, however, has improved. It is now averaging around 35, compared to about 33.5 a year ago.
Most exciting to me is my muscle composition. My muscle percentage has increased by 1.8% this past year — at a time when my hormones suggest I should naturally be losing muscle. Essentially, I weigh about 7 pounds less than I did a year ago, yet I have maintained almost the same amount of muscle mass.
So while the improvements are not dramatic, they are meaningful. At an age when decline is often expected, these small changes suggest that the choices I am making may be helping me maintain strength and fitness.
And, as always, there are still more experiments to try and more tweaks to make.
That is really the purpose of this journey — not perfection, but curiosity. Not chasing a number, but learning how to best care for the body I have been given for the years ahead.
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