Lifting into the New Year
Well Christmas is over and we’re looking down the barrel of the New Year. In the strange quiet gap in time over the last week of December, our house was awash with Quality Street tins, Roses boxes, multipacks of crisps, two types of chocolate logs, and towering piles of sweets.
I blame the teenagers. I’m Generation X and Christmas to me has always been all about treats. The toffee pennies, the puddings, huge roast dinners, double cream and brandy butter. But I fear I am showing my age. My children are Gen Z and it would seem this generation are not interested in these kind of delights.
Neither of them like crisps, chocolate, and sweets – they even turn their noses up at sandwiches. Two days after Christmas daughter asked, ‘can we have vegetables today?’ Son agreed with enthusiasm. He has also been on a campaign to remove sunflower oil from the house saying it is bad for us.
Is this just my children? Or are all young people now so interested in being healthy they’ll turn their noses up at a hazelnut whirl or a mini pork pie?
The upshot it there is far more food left over than I was anticipating and as husband is also not into junk food and sugar-soaked delicacies it has fallen on my shoulders to get rid of it all. Womanfully I have tried to rise to the challenge, but it turns out that I’m too old for such indulgencies and I fell by the way side when struck down by a bilious attack the likes of which I have never had before.
Lying on the sofa, belly swollen, surrounded by sweet wrappers I realised, as I do every year in the last week of December, this has to stop. I’m too old to eat like a maniac in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and the New Year would mark a return to my sensible ways.
The second of January was our first day back at the gym after three weeks off. It did not go well. I got so puffed on the treadmill one of the gym staff came over to ask if I was all right and the session on the stair climber (my Nemesis) wasn’t great either. My personal best on this torture device is six minutes. It took me three years to get up to that. When I first tried it I did 30 seconds and thought I was going to die. I had to spend some time on my hands and knees before getting enough strength to stand up and ask the manager of the gym if they knew how to do CPR.
I did better on the weights but I was annoyed to feel I’d gone back a step having not been to the gym over Christmas. If you’re a middle-aged woman take it from me, free weights are your friend. The impact on your self-confidence is beyond anything I could have imagined. Sure, it’s hard, but channel your inner Geoff Capes and go for it. There’s nothing like the feeling of lifting more weight that you ever thought possible. Also, it’s good for your bones, endurance, gives you better posture and … best of all … makes you feel like a bloody warrior.
OK it does hurt afterwards. I’d recommend on upper body day you wash your hair as soon as you get home because if you’ve worked out properly you won’t be able to lift your arms on day 2. I learned the expression DOMS which means Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and it’s a killer. But a few weeks later you’ll be carrying a heavy load of shopping, or wrestling a fleeing toddler grandchild to the ground and you’ll be grateful for those muscles.
The absolute best thing I have noticed is that not only do you feel bloody fantastic, when your body has more muscle than fat you can be a bit more relaxed with your eating. Honestly. I know, I didn’t believe it either, but after two weeks of wild and unrestrained Christmas eating – including my husband, daughter, and son’s stocking chocolates – I’d put on a pound. A POUND! Bear in mind that before I started working out I was capable of putting ten pounds on in a week.
If you’re still not convinced then try this. Sit down on the floor and get to your feet. Ideally no part of your body should touch the ground except your feet and knees. So no using your hands to push yourself up. This is a good test for fitness and strength as you age. The more bits you have to put on the floor to get to standing the less fit you are.
Five years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do that. I’d have had to pull on the chair, push myself up with both hands before giving up and getting husband to haul me to my feet. Now, after years of lifting weights I can get up easily. Apparently, I’m also less likely to fall, and if I do fall stronger muscles should hopefully mean I am less likely to break a hip.
Talking of falling, my watch has a fall detector. It’s supposed to be a real boon if you take a tumble as it will automatically contact emergency services for you. Interestingly, it was triggered twice during an enthusiastic game of ‘Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese Pizza’ over Christmas but when I did actually go flying in the garden it stayed mute.
A spectacular fall in the garden – unnoticed by my fall-detecting watch.In 2024 if you want to get a bit stronger think about lifting some weights. Most gyms will give you a few free sessions to put together a programme. You have to do it properly so you don’t get injured, but the benefits are out of this world. For older women lifting weights is proved to be more effective than cardio and (best of all) much less boring.
I’m living proof that it’s never too late; my only regret is I didn’t do it years earlier. The good news is that studies have shown it doesn’t take long for new gym joiners to reach the same levels as those who have done it for ages – so what’s stopping you? Go out and get those muscles pumping! Happy 2024.
