My Fitness Journey Begins: Part One

My six-month plan to go from being a couch potato to a mogul masher.

I had a revelation and a wake-up call on the slopes of Heavenly Mountain Resort this winter while skiing a few runs with the resort’s director of skier services. I had not taken my own advice regarding pre-skiing conditioning or done anything to lose the pounds that have piled on in the last decade or so. And even though I had been able to squeeze into my ski pants and didn’t seem to be affected by the 7,000-foot mid-mountain elevation, I felt like a lumbering whale as I went down the slopes. When I got into gunk, I really had to struggle to work my way out of it. I just didn’t have any strength.

But having my ski gene reactivated and sitting amid all that alpine splendor at lunch, I realized how much I love this invigorating sport and all that comes with it. I decided then and there that one of the things on my bucket list (which I still haven’t put together) is going to be skiing down a slope somewhere at age 90!

So I’m going public with my fitness plan; if that doesn’t keep me on track, I don’t know what will! Plus I’m hoping that my personal journey to fitness will encourage other seniors to make the effort to get in the shape they need to be in to return to the slopes and be able to ski safely and with great satisfaction. And I hope that we’ll learn from each other as I share my progress over the next six or seven months. Comments and suggestions are encouraged! My monthly progress reports will be interspersed with bold-faced suggestions to help readers take action.

So, first things first. Before folks at our age jump into a fitness and diet regimen, it’s vital to have the blessing of one’s doctor. I had a complete physical a few months ago, and my doctor was encouraging me to move more, eat less and more healthy. I’m planning to include a few comments from her in a future progress report. Check with your doctor before you begin any fitness and/or diet program.

Since I can’t afford a personal trainer and have a big DIY streak in me, I’m planning to do a mix of things that I think I can stick with, keeping in mind the elements of fitness and health in general and for skiers and boarders specifically. Ignoring any one of these will not get me where I need to be next November. But at its simplest, it all gets down to exercise and diet.

First, I plan to move a lot more. In March, I started several once-a-week classes at the local San Francisco Park and Rec Senior Center located in Golden Gate Park two blocks from my flat: a low-impact and a medium-impact aerobics class, a stretching and strengthening class, and a weights class. And they’re all free. Look for free fitness classes or programs for seniors; they’re more common than you’d think. These classes have shown me in no uncertain terms what I have to work on most: building up my core strength and regaining my balance!

Cardiovascular-wise, I’m finding that, after just six weeks, I’m hardly out of breath now when I walk up the hill to my flat after class. My exercise goal is this: by the end of the summer, to be able to do all the floor core-building exercises and the aerobics exercises that involve balance without batting an eyelash. It’s a pretty pathetic sight to see right now!

My other big move toward fitness and good health was joining Weight Watchers. I’ve known many people over the years who have sworn by it and were also able to maintain a healthy weight once they quit. Choose a dietary program that you can stick to. I signed up for Weight Watchers’ online program in mid-April for three months and after figuring out how to navigate around the website, I’m finding that I’ve become a lot more conscious of my food consumption. Since Weight Watchers’ integrates activity into the point system, I’m also seeing quantitatively the connection between exercise and what and how much one eats. When I started, I weighed 170 pounds and today my weight is 166 pounds. My goal is to reach 140 pounds by the end of my three months with Weight Watchers’, next maintain that weight for a couple of months, and then get down to 130 pounds before the flakes fly.

And finally, I want to concentrate on getting adequate sleep. I’m still working on that one, inveterate night owl and all-nighter puller that I am. I am, however, making sure I get a good night’s sleep when I have an exercise class the next morning. It’s a start!

One more caveat before I sign off: set realistic goals. I expect that I will hone this fitness plan in the coming months, possibly adding some yoga classes, hiking the trails in the wealth of parklands that surround me, and adding more fruits and vegetables to my larder. All I have to do, whenever I waver, is picture being at the top of some fabulous snow-covered mountain, and everything seems possible. Wish me luck!

[Editor’s Note: SeniorsSkiing.com salutes Rose Marie for publicly chronicling her personal journey back to fitness  She is an inspiration to us and we hope to those seniors in our readership or friends of our readership who would benefit from getting back into shape.  Please support her with advice and comments as she travels down that challenging road.]