An update on my lean journey - getting fit at 50!

It's been a while since I updated you on my lean  journey - my quest for a leaner, healthier body.  My 50th birthday and Christmas are behind me and the new year brings new goals and plans.

I started my journey back in April 2016 - see my first post here.  I had been skiing in Austria and had struggled with skiing, my fitness wasn't good enough and I felt overweight and unhealthy.  And my beloved ski trousers no longer fitted and I had to buy a new, bigger size and I hated them!  Enough was enough.

I finished The Body Coach Shift Shape and Sustain Plan back in September with fantastic results.  But during September and October my journey was halted slightly by having to have a frozen shoulder treated.  I continued to eat healthily by following The Body Coach SAS Plan - you can only sign up for this if you have completed SSS but my exercise was a bit limited although I didn't stop.  However after two months on SAS I decided it wasn't for me, I loved the exercise but the recipes were a bit limited, they didn't really lend themselves to family meals.  It was too restrictive.

I feel that I have had an extended period of not really knowing what to do with my eating. I signed up to a second round of SSS to get a new plan (this meant I got the recipe quantities tailored to my new measurements) and I have been using this since November but something was still bothering me.  I hadn't quite found my sustainable way forward. But I have maintained my weight and inch loss and even lost a little more during December so I was quite happy with my progress but I knew I needed a new focus.

Then two things happened.  A new gym opened in Marlow near to where I live.  Zac;s Fitness is a PAYG gym with 4 different styles of class, all done in 40 minutes.  Stability, Speed, Strength and Stamina.  I liked this approach and was keen to give it a try.  My lovely friend and PT had decided to 'retire' from fitness at Christmas and I lack the motivation to train alone at home (one to two times a week is okay but not four times).  I tried Zac's classes and felt reassured that I could create a new fitness routine.  But I needed to make sure my eating was sustainable and that I wouldn't be tempted back to old habits (skipping lunch, drinking too much wine, snacking on crisps and chocolate)!!

Zac recommended a Sports Nutritionist and I met Alex Cook last week.  So I'm not intending to sign up for any more structured plans.  I feel I know enough now to go in alone and this will be easier as I can fit it into family life.

My new routine:

• Up the exercise effort!  To reach my goal of losing a bit more body fat and rocking my bikini in July, Alex recommends I need to focus on exercise.  So I will be doing four sessions a week still but I need make sure I am putting 110% into them (two or three classes and one to two sessions at home).  Zac is good!  He works me hard so I am confident I can do this!
• I will be doing a mixture of cardio (HIIT style) and strength (weights and body weight) and I hope that using the knowledge I have and maybe doing a PT session with Zac from time to time, I will be able to create my own workouts.
• My eating is pretty good, I know what I need to eat.  Alex has made a few suggestions.  I don't need to be too tied to any particular plan or approach.  I just need to eat good, wholesome food.  I will still use SSS recipes and I have some new recipe books to follow.  I particularly like Clean Eating Alice - her recipes are simple and tasty. I am not keen to be a slave to macro tracking (My Fitness Pal) so although I will be logging occasionally, I am going to concentrate on portion control and a sensible approach.
• All through the SSS Plan I have been exercising fasted (where possible) and refueling with carbs after a workout.  Alex has recommended that to be able to give 110% to my workouts I need some fuel beforehand.  This will be a change for me so I am trying to decide exactly what would be best especially if I am doing an early workout (usually about 8 am)..​
• And I want to get back to walking more!  I admit to being a bit of a fair weather walker, I hate mud and rain.  But hopefully as the weather improves and Spring appears I can up my walking - I really believe that this made a huge difference to my results on SSS.

Now I do find it hard to fit all this in!  Yes I am at home full-time but I still lead a busy life and I like to get up and choose a nice outfit and do my hair and make-up.  I need to change my mindset a bit and concentrate on how good I feel, how much I will love being confident in my bikini at 50 and that I will be up, dressed and ready by 10 am with exercise done for the day!

​There is a huge change in the health and fitness industry.  Women are finally getting wise to the fact that many of the popular weight loss programmes are not sustainable for the long term.  You lose weight, you relax your eating habits, you gain the weight back and more.  Your metabolism is wrecked.  These plans don't include exercise so you might be losing fat (but you are losing muscle too) so your body is not strong and lean - gaining muscle doesn't mean you will look like a body builder but muscle burns calories and fat much more efficiently.  It is the way ahead.  It is a permanent lifestyle change but it works. And you feel so much better for it!  I have more energy, better skin, stronger nails, thicker hair.  I do not intend to ever go back. 

All I have to do is exercise 4 times a week for approx 40 minutes a time and choose healthy, wholesome food.  I can still have cake and chips if I want to - just not every day. But because my metabolism is now working properly my body can deal with these treats and I don't feel guilty about it.  I am not hungry either, I am not depriving myself.

If you are looking for inspiration and would like to look at my journey in more details with photographic evidence then do take a look at my fitness Instagram page michelle_fitatfifty. Also take a look at the post I wrote about the hugely motivational Facebook group A Big Girls Journey to Lean.

Love 
Michelle xx