I started playing sports when I was around 10 years old. My father was a squash player and often took me to the club he played at. I fell in love with the sport and started playing, continuing to compete until my early 20s. When I was younger, I also went to a local sports center and took step and other aerobics classes.
He joined the police force at the age of 23, but continued to play squash and aerobic sports during his early training. Time passed and I had three of his children, but I still did sports and cardio sporadically. But to be honest, spending more time in the gym was never in my interest. They scared me and believed the myth that lifting weights at the gym would make me fat.
I finally started training consistently through a 12-week online program when I was 45 years old.
When I turned 45, I started experiencing menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and stubborn weight gain, and I was no longer happy with the way I looked and felt. I wanted to build more muscle tone, but I didn’t know how. When I started researching on the internet about what middle-aged women can do to achieve this look, everything pointed to resistance training, so I decided to give it a try.
I didn’t know where to start so I downloaded it 12 week program From a trainer named Joe Wicks (known as The Body Coach) is a British fitness instructor and author of methods focused on high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
The first four weeks of the program were all HIIT sessions incorporating movements like push-ups, burpees, air squats, and lunges. Next, I moved on to strength training using dumbbells. The last four weeks consisted of more barbell work and weightlifting, so I took the plunge and went to my local gym by myself. As it turns out, I liked it. I was really excited to lift weights and see what my body could do. What’s more, I was actually pretty good at it.
After some time, I improved my strength skills and started competing in powerlifting competitions.
At the gym, I saw a woman doing deadlifts and squats and was fascinated. One day I struck up a conversation with her and said, So how do you do it? ” She showed me the ropes. I started training with her, constantly watching her YouTube videos to practice her correct techniques, and did a lot of research on my own. I practiced repeatedly while watching videos at the gym.
Then my friend said he was going to do a powerlifting competition. I thought, “I’ll never be good enough to do that.” But I continued to train and got a personal trainer who gave me a good program to help me work towards the competition. My trainer had me do a lot of barbell work that worked every part of my body, including back and front squats, Romanian deadlifts, bench presses, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, side lunges, lat pulldowns, and bicep curls. Ta.
The first time I went to a tournament, I was really scared. There was a lot of adrenaline going on. “What on earth did I sign up for?” I thought. I had so many naggings and questions in my head and it was scary.
Thankfully, I had friends and coaches with me who reminded me to be positive, go out and focus. As I warmed up, I felt more confident. All you can hear is the cheering of the screaming crowd and that really helps. By the time I finished, I was really proud of this accomplishment.
My proudest strength accomplishment was achieving 287 pounds on my fourth lift during a deadlift competition.
My favorite competitive powerlifting memory was when I attempted my fourth deadlift after achieving my personal best of 275 pounds. Because of this, the judges came back to me and allowed him his fourth attempt at 287 pounds, which was huge for me. I felt elated and the people I was with were jumping up and down. It was a very heavy lift, so it was a very nice and exciting moment.
Over time, I diversified my interests and started experimenting with CrossFit movements.
During the pandemic, I started working out at home and experimenting with more functional fitness, such as CrossFit. Once lockdown lifted, I started going to a new gym to continue my functional training and loved the challenge.
At CrossFit, I was learning more about Olympic lifts like the snatch, clean and jerk, swing, bar muscle up, and handstand, which I hadn’t done since I was probably 10 years old. There were a lot of new exercises, and a lot of the people I was learning with were all much younger than me, probably about half my age. But it was a really nice atmosphere, and the new gym had a family-like atmosphere that I really enjoyed.
These four elements were the key to my strength transformation.
1. I stopped pursuing my goals alone.
I’m a big believer in having a good coach who can teach you how to properly, safely, and progressively lift weights for your body. In addition to this, we collect as much knowledge and information about strength training through videos and tutorials so that you can perfect each exercise and minimize injuries.
2. I always have a program to work on.
Never just walk in the gym and not follow your program. Progress is never made. You won’t make the progress you want if you just do things haphazardly from machine to machine. (This is also a great reason to hire a coach!)
3. I always pay attention to my nutrition, but I don’t have an obsession with it.
I follow the 80/20 rule. About 80 percent of the time I eat healthy, home-cooked food, and the other 20 percent I eat what I like. Of that 80 percent, my priority is getting enough protein and fiber to avoid osteoporosis, which is common in women over 60.
Strength training can seem intimidating for women my age, but I want to show them it’s possible no matter where you are.
Many people, especially women my age in their 50s, may find what I’m doing very intimidating. Many of them are scared and put up big walls and say, “I can’t do that.” But I feel like there aren’t many people our age who are doing this kind of thing. I don’t know where to start. Sports. But I want to remind everyone that I didn’t start lifting until she was 45 years old. You can start at any age. There should be no barriers. With any exercise, there is always an easier way to start.
After leaving the police force, she now works as a personal trainer for women at a local gym. I teach them about exercise and nutrition, positive thinking, mindfulness, and managing menopause. We want to help menopausal women get mobile again and eat nutritious foods that help improve bone health and muscle strength.
Menopause is not something that is talked about in the mainstream. I want to teach other women that what they are going through is normal. They don’t have to suffer in silence. I want people to understand that proper sleep, exercise, and nutrition, along with a doctor’s guidance, can help manage menopausal symptoms holistically.
Now, I’m 52 years old, and I prioritize longevity over other fitness goals.
At 52 years old, I still train about four times a week. When training, ask yourself these questions: What can you do to live a longer, more independent life? For example, when I coach, I explain to my athletes why they do different exercises.
If they are squatting, ask them to think of it like getting up and down from the toilet or bath. When they are moving above their head, ask them to think about putting things in the cupboard. It’s all about transferring that movement into everyday life.
