Author: Jill McCauslin (Page 17 of 23)

Gym Etiquette

February 28, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

I notice more questions about gym etiquette from people new to gyms than I do about working out. I think many of us are nervous about fitting in to the gym world. Many women over 50 did not grow up using the gym so we’re a bit more shy about it. I know I didn’t do much exercise of any kind until I was in my 40s or 50s.

Here are the most common questions about gym etiquette that I see and my answers. I’ve spent many years going to different gyms but I think there’s some common courtesies that hold true regardless of which gym you’re at. There’s no book of gym etiquette that I know of but I think these rules work.

Gym Etiquette

Sharing Equipment

If people are sitting on a machine or standing in front of it and talking, you can ask them to move. If someone is sitting on a machine and clearly not just resting between sets, certainly you can ask if you can use the machine. They’ll either say, “oh, I’m almost finished” and wrap it up and let you use it or they’ll just say “no problem” and let you have it.

Usually if people are standing by a machine and talking, they’ll simply move aside if you ask to use the equipment.Conversely, if you’re sitting on a machine and someone asks if you’re finished, either wrap it up or let them use it.Sharing equipment at the gym shouldn’t be a stressful thing.

Working In

What is working in? Sometimes you want to use a machine while someone is using it too. Typically people rest between sets so you can ask if you can work in which means use the machine for a set while the other person is resting. You basically end up alternating using the equipment. If a gym is busy, this is more common. If the gym is not busy, I find it’s better just to go use a different piece of equipment and then come back to this when the person finishes with it. There is nothing wrong with someone asking to work in. You can ask and don’t be offended if someone asks you. The best answer is “sure” or “I have one more set and then this is all yours.”

Clean Up

Put away your equipment. If you’re using free weights, it’s frustrating not to have the weight you want because somebody has stockpiled every dumbbell in the joint. Use the dumbbells and then put them back on the rack, even if you’re going to use them again. Obviously, if there are five sets of 12 pound dumbbells, this isn’t such a big issue, but if all of the 20 pound dumbbells are being used, don’t leave a set lying on the ground while you use something else.

If you’re looking for a set of dumbbells and someone has a set lying on the ground, it’s ok to ask to use them. The person may say sure or they may say they’re almost finished but at least you’ve let them know that you need those dumbbells.

Similarly, if you put plates on a bar, put the plates away when you’ve finished. Be considerate of the next person.

If you want to use a bar and someone has left the plates on, you may have to just put the plates away. It’s frustrating but that’s the only way you’re going to use the bar. I’ve seen young guys leave 100-pound plates on a bar which is probably more than I can easily remove. If that happens to you, you may have to ask someone for help. Again, there’s nothing wrong with that. The people who work at the gym will help you if nobody else is around.

Wipe the Equipment

Wipe off the equipment when you finish. If you’re using a machine or a mat or a bench, wipe it off when you are finished. Most gyms have some kind of anti-bacterial spray and towels or paper towels available. Be considerate of others and clean the equipment before leaving it.

Talking to People

It’s ok to talk to people and to ask for help if you need it. If someone is wearing headphones, don’t try to strike up a conversation. It’s still ok to ask if you can work in but it’s not the time to ask someone detailed questions.The flip side of that is not to tell people they’re doing something wrong. We all get irritated when a stranger starts to correct our form. If you need help or advice, consider asking someone who works at the gym.

Spotting

A basic tenet of gym etiquette is that people spot each other. If you need someone to spot you, ask someone for help, but try to choose someone who is not intently focusing on their own workout. I notice that few people ask me to spot because I’m an older woman and I think they assume I’m not going to be a good spotter. That is probably true, especially for the guys lifting heavy weight. Sometimes when I’m doing a chest press with dumb bells, I’ll ask someone to hand me a weight. Once the dumb bell is in my raised hand, I can do the exercise but getting started is sometimes a challenge.

Safety Concern

One additional point. If someone is rude to you or threatening or super critical, let a gym staff person know. They’ll deal with it. Don’t get into an altercation.

Basically, life in a gym is like life anywhere. Treat others in the way you want to be treated. Clean up after yourself, don’t hassle others, and be willing to share.

Using Triathlons to Overcome Adversity: Diana Woolf

February 26, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast Episode #28

In episode 28 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast, Jill and Chris talk with Diana Woolf about how she overcame her PTSD resulting from years in the fire service and how that motivated her to try to help others battling PTSD.

In 2009, Diana Woolf began competing in off-road trail races and triathlons to deal with her own PTSD symptoms and found great healing in the sport. Since then, she has competed in over 50 triathlons, including 7 half-distance and 3 full-distance Ironman triathlons, consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon.

Diana has been a part of the fire service for 20 years serving on volunteer, part-time and career departments. Diana retired from her fire service career in December, 2018. She now works in Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Akron.

Using Triathlons to Overcome Adversity

In order to raise awareness for others in the fire service who are battling PTSD, Diana has completed some of the full-distance Ironman triathlons while wearing full fire-fighting gear for the marathon-length run. She created Rescue 4 PTSD to help raise funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and to encourage others in the fire service to discuss their emotions with someone. Diana wants to help remove any stigma of dealing with PTSD and to support resources for others in the fire service.

In this episode, Diana talks with Jill and Chris about how she heals trauma through hard physical effort. She also discusses her training to be able to compete while wearing firefighting gear and how she cross trains. Diana does CrossFit in the off season and practices yoga on a regular basis. She attributes her lack of injury to yoga. Diana also tells us how she eats and how she fuels herself during a race.

Diana’s journey is an inspirational one. It’s amazing to hear what she has done to challenge herself.

Links:

Contact Diana Woolf: Rescue 4 PTSD

Rescue 4 PTSD Website

National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Diana’s Ironman Boulder Video

You might want to check out an earlier episode of this podcast for a discussion with another triathlete, Loretta Harland. Episode 18 of Strong Fit Women Over 50, Interview with Loretta Harland

Seaweed Salad — New Vegetable Challenge

February 25, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I found this seaweed salad on the salad bar at Whole Foods so of course I bought some, simply because I thought, “now this is a great choice for the new vegetable challenge we’re doing at Becoming Elli!” How was it? Pretty good, actually.

According to the sign on the salad bar, this seaweed salad is made with kombu seaweed, sesame seeds, sunflower oil, scallions,ginger, natural flavor (what does this mean anyway?), and sea salt.

Thanks to my Google search, I learned that kombu seaweed is a type of edible kelp. Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, iodine, potasium, calcium, dietary fiber, and many obscure enzymes. You don’t want to eat too much of kombu because too much iodine can be harmful to you.

Because I bought this already prepared, I have no idea if it’s hard to make your own salad.

I will certainly buy this again next time I’m eating at Whole Foods. It was very tasty. I don’t know if I’ll buy it unprepared and make my own salad but perhaps if I’m feeling even more adventurous, I will.

Coming Back from an Injury

February 21, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Oh, glory! You’re finally ready and you’re coming back from an injury. What a great feeling.

Being down with an injury is tough. It’s hard on you physically and mentally. You’re usually focused on your workouts and training and then wham! Something happens and you’re down. You lose all the benefits of working out, including all those endorphins and other feel good hormones. It’s easy to feel down and defeated.

Then comes the moment when you realize you feel better or your doctor says you can begin to resume your routine. Great news! However, before you get too carried away, here are a few tips for coming back from an injury successfully.

Coming Back from an Injury

First, listen to your body! When you first start working out again, you’re going to feel muscle fatigue. That’s normal. Personally, I like feeling that muscle fatigue. It means I’m getting results. However, if you’re feeling pain, whether while working out or later, reevaluate what you’re doing. Maybe you’re pushing it too fast. Consider scaling back on what you’re doing. If you’re running, slow down or do a run/walk routine.
Listen to professional advice. If you’ve been seeing a doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist, now is not the time to decide you know better. Instead, be sure to follow their advice.
Continue to do the therapy exercises or preventative exercises that you’ve been doing during your recovery. This is not the time to stop that stretching or targeted exercises. Some of those exercises are things you may want to continue doing for a long time. For example, Chris has written about the work she continues to do to avoid problems with her Achilles tendon.
Next, be patient. You’ve been out of commission for a while and you can’t expect to start where you left off. Don’t frustrate yourself by comparing yourself now to where you were then. Instead, where you were then can be the goal of what you’re working for. In the meantime, start slow and celebrate what you’re able to do now.
Finally, consider that if you’re starting over with your training, now is the time to try to correct any form issues that you might have. If you’re running, consider working on your gait as you work to recover speed or endurance. Similarly, if you’re working in the gym, focus on your form as you deadlift or squat. I know that when I squat, my knees tend to move inwards. Since I’m just coming back to doing a squat, I can now really focus on getting my knees going where I want.

Congratulations on being ready to resume your physical activities! Truly, this is an exciting time. Just be patient and careful and listen to your body. Take it slow and work hard to avoid having a relapse.

Fitness on Valentine’s Day: Some Ideas on How to Celebrate

February 14, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

Valentine’s Day is a weird holiday, I think, so I might as well think about fitness on Valentine’s Day.

I associate this holiday with those school parties that required me to help create a decorated shoe box and to buy cards for kids to distribute in class. Now that I think about it, isn’t this a strange holiday to be celebrating in school?

If you have a sweetie, then you can celebrate in the way you want. If you don’t, you can celebrate with friends or decide to just ignore it. So, basically, Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday. And I really hope that nobody gives me candy because you know I’ll eat it.

Whether or not you’re celebrating, you can keep the holiday in mind when you work out today.

Fitness on Valentine’s Day

Maybe you can do some cardio today to strengthen your heart.

Pamper Yourself

If you have a sweetie, perhaps you should schedule a couple’s massage. If you are on your own, perhaps you should schedule massage just for you.

Similarly, if a massage is not for you, pamper yourself in a different way. Perhaps today is the day for that mani/pedi you’ve been intending to get or maybe try a facial. Do something that’s just for enjoyment.

This might be a good day for a yoga class. Yoga is so good for focusing the mind and relaxing that holidays always seem like the perfect time for a class.

Find a friend or your significant other and do one of their favorite activities. Maybe that’s a dance class or wall climbing. Whatever it might be, what a great gift to give someone. Your participation in their activity. No grumbling about it either.

Get Outside!

Run a race! I noticed that many places have 5K (or longer!) races to celebrate the holiday. Running or walking a 5K can be a lot of fun so if you have a race near by, consider signing up for it.

Naturally, I like nature so I always think that getting outside for a hike is enjoyable. If you’re dealing with winter weather, you might have to decide if this is worth it, but maybe bundling up and getting fresh air is a good idea.

You could also consider skiing or snowshoeing if you’re in the snowy areas.

Make a Date

Finally, make a date with your sweetie and go to the gym. Lift weights together and spot each other. Get benches next to each other and do the same workout. I know, this sounds really romantic, doesn’t it? However, even if it’s not romantic, it’s a great idea to have some together time working out before you on to dinner or whatever you’re doing to celebrate.

No Conversation Hearts in My House!

Personally, I’m glad that I don’t have to deal with kids, candy, and Valentine’s Day this year. I’m going to make sure I do something special today to celebrate in my own way. This is not the day to sit on the couch binge watching Netflix and feeling sad.

Finally, if someone wants to buy me a gift for the day, I hope he skips the chocolates, flowers, and such because I could use a new gym bag.

Pea Shoots — Weekly New Vegetable Challenge

February 13, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Pea shoots made it into my shopping basket this week for the Becoming Elli new vegetable challenge. Aren’t they gorgeous?

I bought these at Kriegers, a locally owned health food/produce store.

These microgreens are grown by Vigeo Gardens, an Akron, Ohio-based modern farm.

What is a microgreen? It’s a young vegetable, typically between one to three inches. They fall somewhere between a sprout and baby greens.

I did exactly as the label advised and threw them on top of my salad. They were delicious. I think I preferred them to the broccoli sprouts I tried a couple weeks ago. They’re crunchy and have a delicate flavor.

Twelve Ways to Eat More Vegetables

February 7, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

One thing that stands out in the podcast episodes we’ve had with food and nutrition experts is that everyone, regardless of what else they recommend, seem to recommend eating more vegetables. The nutrients and fiber that vegetables provide to our bodies are invaluable. The different colors of vegetables provide different nutrients which is why we’re often instructed to “eat the rainbow.” Chris and I often share vegetable recipes. If you check out our ebook, Fitness Food, you’ll see most of the recipes include vegetables.

Plus, we’re having the One New Vegetable a Week Challenge in the Becoming Elli community. You can either try a new vegetable or prepare one in a new way.

Not to continue to harp on vegetables, but let me share one more post about them. It’s one thing to talk about trying new vegetables or cooking them a new way, but we also need to eat a lot of them. And most of us get tired of doing the same old thing so here’s some ideas on how to work more vegetables into your meals easily and without additional fuss.

Twelve Ways to Eat More Vegetables

Make vegetable soups. There are lots of great recipes for soup that use lots of vegetables. You can make traditional vegetable soup. Chris provided such a recipe recently. You can also vary things. For example, you can blend vegetables in the broth to thicken the soup and eliminate the need for cream.
Join the cauliflower bandwagon. You can buy cauliflower “rice” and pizza crust. Of course, you can make your own but sometimes buying the prepared versions is easier. Replace your regular rice with cauliflower. Replace your pizza crust with the cauliflower crust.
Add veggies to your smoothies. If you like to start the day with a smoothie, be sure to add lots of veggies to the blender. I usually add whatever I have on hand but a typical smoothie for me includes a carrot, greens such as spinach or kale, and maybe some beets or cucumber. I think veggies like broccoli and cauliflower have a pretty strong flavor for smoothies so I tend to avoid them here.
Roast whatever you have on hand. I love roasted vegetables and they’re so easy to make. I cut up any of the following:

Brussels sprouts
Onions
bell peppers
sweet potatoes
red potatoes
Sugar snap peas
Kale
Cauliflower
Broccoli

Once chopped, I coat with oil (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, whatever you prefer), salt and pepper them, add any other spices I want and then roast in the oven at 425 or 450, stirring every ten minutes or so and cooking until the vegetables are crisp on the outside.

Include vegetables in your breakfast. You can do this by making vegetable omelets or frittatas. You can also just add vegetables to scrambled eggs. Sometimes I heat up leftover roasted vegetables and serve with a fried egg on top. If you’re more of an oatmeal person, try making a savory oatmeal and include vegetables in it.
Replace pasta with veggie noodles. You can make your own with a spiralizer or many stores now sell veggie noodles. Experiment with the different kinds and see what you like. I enjoyed making spaghetti with zucchini noodles last summer. It was tasty.
Add vegetables to your meatloaf or hamburgers. Be creative and add as many different kinds as you can. You can cram a lot of vegetables in with that ground meat.
Add an extra vegetable to your dinner. Many of us were raised on the “meat, starch, and vegetable” dinner plate. Consider changing that to “meat, vegetable, and vegetable” or “starch, vegetable, vegetable.” I find adding an extra vegetable to dinner to be a great way to get in another serving of vegetables.
Add whatever vegetables you have to your salad. Be creative! Also, remember that it’s perfectly ok to eat salad more than once a day.
If you’re making chicken, tuna or egg salad or even potato or pasta salad, add more vegetables to it. Chop up onion and bell peppers and add. Celery and carrots also work well and add some lovely crunch.
Making a sandwich? Replace the bread with greens. Once you’ve made the tuna or chicken salad mentioned above, wrap it up in a leaf of romaine lettuce or some other kind of green. It’s a great way to serve a sandwich.
Make snacks out of vegetables. Chop them up and make oven-roasted fries or chips. These can be a great way to have a snack and get in an extra serving of vegetables.

There you have it. Twelve ways to eat more vegetables. I know there’s lots more so I hope you’ll share some of your ideas.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

January 31, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Flourless chocolate cake? Really?

There are times when you need a dessert or to be more specific, there are times when you need chocolate cake. January is a big birthday month in my family (my brother and I are two days apart, birthday wise) and of course February brings Valentine’s Day. This is a good cake for a sweetie who is trying to avoid flour and added sugar. I don’t think this falls completely into the healthy eating camp but it’s a good try.

I try to avoid sugar and often I avoid wheat. So trying to find a cake recipe can be tough. Here’s something I make when I need something that feels a bit celebratory. It’s easy and tasty and looks great. The berries and whipped cream on top of the dark chocolate is lovely.

Because this is flourless, it’s a very moist cake. It’s almost brownie like. Also, because there’s no added sugar, it’s not particularly sweet. You can certainly add a bit of sugar to sweeten it up. If the important thing to you is that it’s flourless, maybe you don’t mind sneaking in a bit of sugar.

This cake has no rising agents (baking soda, baking powder, etc.) so it doesn’t really rise. If you use too large a pan, you’ll have a very flat cake.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This recipe is based on a recipe I found on detoxinista.com.

Ingredients

6 oz. dark chocolate bar (70 to 85% dark chocolate, depending on what you have on hand. I often use the big block of dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s.)

3 whole eggs and 1 or 2 egg whites (you can just add in one more whole egg if you prefer and omit the egg whites)

½ cup grass-fed butter

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heavy whipping cream

Berries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a springform pan or a cake pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have any, grease the pan thoroughly with coconut oil or butter.
Melt the chocolate and butter together. You can use the microwave or a double boiler for this. I just throw it in an oven proof bowl and melt in the oven as it’s pre-heating.
Mix the melted chocolate with the eggs and cocoa. Stir well. Add in the vanilla extract.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center looks cooked. You can check for doneness with a toothpick.
Remove from oven and let cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely. If you used a spring-form pan, removing the cake is easy. When using a cake pan, you can lift the cake from the pan using the parchment paper. If you greased the cake pan, remove the cake by flipping it or let it cool in the pan and then serve it from there.
When ready to serve the cake, beat the heavy whipping cream until firm peaks form.
Wash and prepare the berries (if you’re using strawberries, slice them)
Put a slice of cake on a plate and top it with some berries and whipped cream.

Recipe Note

If this cake is not sweet enough for you, add some sweetener to it. You could use honey, sugar, or whatever sugar alternative you prefer.

You can also add a small amount of sugar or sweetener of choice to the whipping cream.

For the berries, I prefer strawberries or raspberries with the chocolate but you can use what you want. I’ve used a mixture of berries as well. You can use fresh or frozen berries but be sure to defrost the frozen ones!

If you don’t want the fat of the whipping cream, substitute your favorite topping.

I hope you enjoy your flourless chocolate cake. Let us know how it turns out if you make it.

Don’t forget to check out our other recipes on the Becoming Elli website and that our ebook Fitness Food is available.

How to Work with Your Personal Trainer

January 24, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I want to discuss how to work with your personal trainer. There’s a lot of information on how to find a trainer. We discussed that with Brenda O’Hara in our interview with her on the Fit, Strong Women Over 50 podcast. But what do you do once you’ve found one?

How to Work with Your Personal Trainer

Once you’ve hired your trainer, you have to go to that first session. It can be a bit intimidating so that’s where some planning in advance helps.

Be honest

Be honest with your trainer. If you have injuries, be sure to tell him or her. There’s no point in doing something that is going to hurt you. A good trainer should be able to work around any injuries and, in fact, can help you build the strength to prevent injuries. Some of us are embarrassed or at least reluctant to mention our weaknesses. It’s far better for your trainer to know your weaknesses. That’s sort of the point.

Here’s the thing about being a woman over 50. If you’ve been working out for a while, you may well be stronger than many women your age. Make sure your trainer knows that.

Be patient

Just like a new co-worker or a new boss, it takes some time to get used to working together with a trainer. Don’t expect this to automatically be the best thing going. Your trainer needs to get to know you and you need to get to know your trainer. As your familiarity with each other grows, you’ll begin to be able to ask for more (or less!) of something and your trainer can begin to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’re comfortable working together, it’s easier to really start working towards your goals.

And just as I said to make sure your trainer knows that you’re stronger than many women your age, be sure to demonstrate that because your trainer may not really be sure of what you can or can’t do.

Have a goal

I find it better to discuss specific goals with my trainer after we’ve gotten to know each other. I do think it’s important to set goals. Many people hire a trainer and just go each week and do the exercise. I think if you’re paying someone, you should have some way to measure performance. And by performance, I mean both yours and the trainer’s. Discuss this with your trainer. Pick something measurable so you know when you’ve met the goal and make sure it’s something you want to be able to do.

The best goal I ever had was when I said I wanted to be able to do one pull up. My trainer put together a plan and we worked and worked on it. Finally, I did it. I saw that trainer recently and he said he still thinks about that day that I did the pull up.

I’ve also had more vague goals and they’re just not as good.

You can choose a goal like “I want to be able to deadlift a certain number of pounds” or “I want to be able to bench press some weight.” If you’re more interested in running, biking or swimming, you can set a goal of distance or time. For example, you can say, “I want to run a 5K in under 30 minutes.” A good trainer will help you figure out how to improve your speed or endurance even if he or she doesn’t actually run or bike with you.

Listen to Your Trainer

You’re paying this trainer to help you improve your fitness so listen to his or her advice. Obviously if something hurts, tell the trainer (see the be honest tip above!) but otherwise, your trainer is paying attention to what you’re doing and should be able to provide guidance to you. If your trainer says you can probably do something, try it. Don’t say, “I can’t.”

This also extends to the times that you’re not working with the trainer. If you’re trying to lose weight or build strength, you’re going to need to do more than just see your trainer one or two times a week. Ask your trainer for advice on what else you should be doing during the week. Perhaps the suggestion will be, add more cardio to your routine or go to a class each week.

The thing is, you’ve hired a trainer to help you reach your goals, not to do that work for you. So, get the advice and then figure out how you’re going to do what you need to do.

Be Professional

Many of us spend a lot of our training time talking with our trainers. Remember that you’re paying this person for his or her expertise, not to be your friend. There’s nothing wrong with developing a friendship with a trainer but the point is to work out, not to just chat.

I have a friend who says, “if you can talk through the entire set, you need to be lifting more weight.”

I watch a lot of people try to have flirtatious relationships with their trainers. Don’t put your trainer in the position of having to be polite while you flirt with him or her.

Also, don’t confuse your trainer with a therapist. Your trainer wants to help you be fit and healthy but can’t fix your marriage.

Be Willing to Change

Things change. We move, change jobs, have family changes. Sometimes our trainers leave for greener pastures. And sometimes we decide we’ve learned all we can from this trainer. There’s nothing wrong with making changes. If you’ve accomplished your goal, maybe it’s time to set a new goal and that might mean a new trainer.

If you want to switch sports, maybe you need a new type of trainer. That’s fine. Find a swimming coach or a Pilates trainer or whatever works for you.

Be open to changing trainers when it’s time. It can be frustrating because you have to get to know a new trainer and the new trainer needs to know what you’re capable of.

There is also nothing wrong with taking a break from using a trainer and going it alone with what you’ve learned. Sometimes it’s best to take a month or two off and then resume training.

The point is that you’re using a trainer to meet your goals to be fit and strong and you need to make the choices that are best for you. Once you’ve identified who your trainer is going to be, make sure you know the best ways on how to work with your personal trainer.

Group Exercise Instructor Diane Reuther

January 22, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

Group Exercise Instructor Diane Reuther talks with Jill McCauslin and Chris Brown about being fit as a woman over 50 in episode 26 of the Fit, Strong Women Over 50 podcast.

Diane is a group exercise instructor and has been one since 1986. She’s seen a lot of changes in the fitness industry and how instructors are trained and credentialed. Today, Diane teaches:

Pilates (certified through SCW Fitness Education)
Silver Sneaker (certified https://www.silversneakers.com/)
Step class

We discuss why some of us like step class and why others don’t. Diane explains that step a visual class, walk through the steps repeating the motions so that the class feels like a dance class.

Some of the questions that we ask Diane is how she defines fit and if we had only 15 minutes in a day to work out, what should we do. Diane says anything we do for fitness should be fun and safe. Also, she reminds us that the pool is our friend.

Hiking

Diane is an avid hiker. She and her husband hike a lot of trails close to home and Diane tells us about the wonderful sounding hiking vacation the two of them took. Chris said it sounded a lot like Janet Palcko’s hike on the Camino de Santiago. Jill is wondering if she should train for a hiking vacation.

Recovery

Last summer Diane had a hysterectomy and discussed her recovery with us. Before the surgery, she was very active and in good physical shape, but she followed her doctor’s advice and took baby steps to recover. She had laparoscopy with four small incisions of thumbnail size. Her recovery was limited to what she could do without pain. Diane started walking two days after surgery. At first, she walked the length of her driveway because she was anxious to get moving outside. So, at first, she walked five minutes. The next day she walked for seven minutes and the next day nine minutes. She made sure her husband accompanied her on these walks.

Disclaimer: Neither Diane nor us at Becoming Elli are doctors or physical therapists. We are not providing you with any kind of medical advice.

Our discussion with Diane was informative and enjoyable. She has some good advice for women over 50 who are trying to improve their fitness and health.

Jill and Chris also talk a bit about healthy eating and finding new vegetables to try.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this episode by calling our voice mail at 330-970-6662 or leaving a message at the Becoming Elli website.