First Two Weeks

I’m finally getting the rewards for all my efforts. I kept trying. Kept encouraging myself. Kept seeking information that was helpful. Here I am, almost a month in and no signs of stopping.

I’ve got three planner things. My regular calendar to keep track of appointments, schedules, and reminders. A second that I’m tracking both my financial and fitness health and goals in. Then there’s my handy, dandy, notebook where I write the headline goals for each month and plan my meals and grocery trips. The OCD gives me energy this way.

I’ve been shaping these methods for years and they’re all fairly flexible.

The workouts are focused on health, posture, mobility, and career longevity. So Tai Chi is a daily goal. 2-10 minutes a day. I average 5 minutes. I’m learning from a book using what I remember from massage school. It really helps the way I move in my daily life and in massage sessions. I have so much less pain and tension with Tai Chi. It’s also a great warmup.

I plan four workouts per week and use the same four for two weeks and then change it. My body and I get bored and don’t make gains with too much repetition.

My first two weeks were yoga, glutes/hips, upper body, and core. The yoga is fairly intense and focuses on balance, strength, and flexibility all together. As I progress I repeat sections more or increase already set repetitions.

Hips/glutes was single-leg bridges, lying clamshells, squats, and curtsy lunges. The first week I did four reps at three sets. The next I did six reps of three sets.

Upper was standing svend press and lateral dumbbell raise with 5lb dumbbells. Then reverse-grip row, bicep curls, and overhead tricep extension with 8lb dumbbells. First week was six reps of three sets; the second was eight reps of three sets.

Abs were cat/cow, supine hip lift, static dead bug, and side crunches. Both weeks were six reps for three sets.

That’s it. Nothing fancy. Small increases in some areas. All moves I enjoy doing. I’m not trying to hit any rep goals. Just aiming for doing my best without hurting myself.

I’m also still making my way through The Menopause Manifesto by Dr Jen Gunter. The more I read the more I’m motivated to be as reasonably healthy as I can be. Nutrition, exercise, and knowledge seem to be the main themes for managing perimenopause and entering menopause healthy.