Knowing Your Why

I have been on a new personal journey of focused nutrition and exercise for the last 6 weeks. I have the absolute privilege of being on a coaching program with a high-quality, evidence-based strength training program, the Wonder Women Official. They are, in my mind, the best in the business and my husband generously gifted me a spot on this program for my birthday this year (I had a 6 month wait between my birthday and being offered a place). My motivation for joining the Wonder Women Official program, was witnessing the amazing transformations their program achieves with midlife women like most of us, who experience the classic changes in body composition associated with midlife (decreased muscle mass and increased fat).

I knew from all the learning and study I have completed in the last few years that midlife women CAN build muscle and get stronger, and the reduction in muscle mass that we so commonly think is inevitable, can actually be reduced and avoided. What I didn’t know was how and if I could realistically become stronger.  The fact is, we can build muscle and grow stronger as we age. (If you don’t follow @trainwithjoan or know her story, check her out for some hard evidence AND inspiration).

Anyway, I was compelled to write this blog today, after my gym workout this morning. Being on the Wonder Women coaching program is not a walk in the park and I actually think the workout I did this morning was the hardest gym workout I have ever done (not the hardest thing I have ever done, but as workouts go, it definitely stretched me further than before). As I was walking home, feeling physically exhausted, I was reflecting on my workout session and realised something had changed. I know that in the past I would absolutely not have worked this hard. I would not have done half of the exercises that I completed, and I definitely wouldn’t have done the 10-minute high intensity and 15-minute cardio session after my strength training. I was chuckling to myself that it was the first time I had used my gym towel for wiping my sweat, rather than using it purely as a cleaner surface to sit or lie on.

So, what has changed? Why am I pushing harder than before? Well while I was thinking about these questions on my gentle stroll home, there were 2 things that came straight to my mind.

Firstly, I have the absolute privilege of being on an awesome program that many others would dream of, so I don’t take it lightly. Plus, this program expects me to give my best effort and progress, it provides me with a detailed training program, the supervision of an encouraging and highly experienced coach and a process that builds in monitoring and accountability. As a compliant people pleaser who loves structure and values encouragement the program is a great fit for me and without a doubt the benefits of being on this team are truly incredible.

Secondly, and the reason for this post, is that I KNOW MY WHY. And ‘MY WHY’ is the biggest motivator for me to push harder than I have before. My why is in part about optimising my health and wellbeing for today, but it is mostly about investing in my future health. My why is to increase my muscle mass and strength and look after my body to the best of my ability, so that I can continue to do the things that are important to me as I age. My why is to reduce my risk of osteoporosis, osteopenia and sarcopenia (bone and muscle loss) so that I can comfortably play with my potential future grandchildren and continue to appreciate walks in nature comfortably, without the fear of falling. My why is to reduce my risk of heart disease so I can comfortably carry my shopping home and travel independently. My why is to reduce the risk of breaking my bones and fracturing a hip (and the complications that follow) and to minimise the long list of chronic diseases that steal so many years of quality of life from us as we age. It’s all about functional health which I posted about previously.

I honestly think that ‘our why’ can be the biggest motivator to prioritising our health in midlife. When we are post-menopausal and the lack of oestrogen makes our bones creak, our joints ache and our body composition change, it can be so frustrating. But we can use these changes as a signal, an opportunity, to take the time to understand what is happening to our body. When we have knowledge about what is happening and understand that health decline does not have to be ‘inevitable’, we can reframe it as an invitation to push back, to advocate for ourselves and claim some agency over our future health. We can’t 100% guarantee our future health, but we can avoid much of the poor health that was previously considered an inevitable and unavoidable aspect of ageing. There has never been a better time to be a midlife woman than today, women are re-writing the narrative of ‘the change’ and showing us that we can be strong and live well and fully through our midlife and beyond.   

‘Knowing your why can propel you beyond your comfort zone into new unchartered territory’.

Do you know ‘your why’?

Does thinking about your future health propel you take action, or push you beyond your comfort zone?

Has ‘your why’ changed in midlife?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and encourage you to share this post with others who may find it helpful.