Fitness After 50

I made a commitment to myself in July that I would do a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every day. No excuses. It doesn’t have to be hard-core, just something. Consistent movement. And my only rule was I wasn’t allowed to always choose Pilates.

Here’s the thing. In my 40s, I had a baby, expanded and moved my business, and like so many other full-time working mamas, something that had always been a high priority for me (exercise and self-care) started to take the backseat.

People often say to me, ‘you’re a Pilates instructor, you must be so fit?!’ While it’s true that I do Pilates, most of my day is spent teaching, not doing.

The other important thing to note is I love Pilates. I love the way it makes my body feel. My body knows Pilates. Really well. And I’d be happy to just do that, and only that for the rest of my life.

But Pilates doesn’t encompass everything that we to be healthy and fit. What I stopped doing over this last decade was pushing myself out of my comfort zone, getting my heart rate up and cross training.

I stopped prioritizing what was most important.

At 50, and moving into menopause and all the changes and fluctuations that come with that, I decided, no more excuses.

This is me on day 40 doing a Peloton ride.

I definitely feel stronger but I also feel an overall sense of well-being in that I made myself a priority again. In the long run, this makes me a better friend, mama, leader and partner.