Cross Training is Key to Staying Fit in your Fifties

Last weekend I finished my 10th Triathlon! No, I am not a natural athlete OR a superwoman. I am 58 years young and at a time when most of my friends struggle with the dreaded peri- and post-menopausal, ”thickening of the mid-section,” I am in the best shape of my life.

I have struggled with my figure for ALL of my adult life. While I was not considered overweight by most standards, I was a chubby kid that turned into a “sturdy” teenager and “big-boned” adult. Probably because I was never good enough to make any of my high school sports teams, I thought I wasn’t adept at being physically fit. When I was growing up we didn’t have recreational community teams. So if you are in your fifties, like me, you were probably in the same boat. We weren’t considered athletes so what reason did we have to be physically fit?

That all changed in my thirties when I joined a local gym and started taking a variety of aerobic classes. Eventually, as I began to feel better and look firmer, I fell in love with the endorphin-high of a good sweat! Still like every other busy working mother there was always an excuse or something more important that got in the way of my exercise regimen. That’s when I had an epiphany – why not become an instructor? By teaching the classes – I HAD to show up! NO EXCUSES!

My favorite was Step Aerobics – remember those days? (I actually still teach Step & Sculpt at my local YMCA.) From there I went on to teach Kickboxing, then Pilates, and now Spin. What has each of these disciplines taught me? That cross-training through many different types of exercises is the best way to stay fit! (Not to be confused with Cross-Fit.) Women are by nature multi-taskers. That is why cross-training works so well for our psyche – so we don’t get bored! At the same time you are fine-tuning all 650+ different muscles in your body.

The other benefit of a cross-training regimen is that you balance CARDIO with STRENGTH TRAINING. Especially as we age, we need to increase muscle strength, and build “core” strength, too. (This is crucial for lower-back health, too!) This Cross-Training conditioning will keep you strong so you can stay active both in the gym AND in your everyday life.

Ten years ago my nephew challenged me to do my first triathlon, and I have been hooked ever since! I usually only enter one triathlon each year. But that one triathlon is always on my mind, keeping me training and focused on staying fit throughout the year. It also keeps me focused on my Cross-Training, Swim – Bike – Run is every triathlete’s mantra. It’s true, I have never won any prizes for my triathlon performances, but I have enjoyed the benefits of this cross-training so much more than any medal or trophy. At 58 I am in the best shape of my life and ready to keep training and competing for many years to come!