I've seen so many people awaken their inner child in my adult gymnastics classes. If you need to make a case for starting gymnastics, this is it.
Category: Mid-Life Musings
Taking Charge of My Health in Perimenopause
Time for a little update about my recent midlife therapeutic interventions.
What did the GG Beta Readers Think?
Ask and ye shall receive. This encapsulates some of the incredible feedback I received from the beta reading team for my upcoming book, Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery an Defining Life on Your Terms.
GLP-1 and Me
I've written plenty about my health/nutrition/weight maintenance experience as a woman steeped in perimenopause. The reality: it just gets harder to keep up as the years pass, as the hormones wane, and as I go out and do more adult-y things (like eating at restaurants). This article is about my decision to try the GLP-1… Continue reading GLP-1 and Me
I’m on Substack Now!
Do I really need ANOTHER social media platform to keep track of? I suppose I do...
What I Learned From Genetic Testing
Genetic testing for cancer markers feels like a big deal. It's like walking a tightrope of wanting and not wanting to know what the future might hold. This is my experience.
Help Shape Geriatric Gymnastics: Join Our Beta Reading Team
I'm seeking beta readers for my upcoming book, "Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery and Defining Life on Your Terms". Interested in joining the GG team? Read on!
Giving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Time to write another book! When I started writing about gymnastics in this blog in 2020, there was a “someday I’ll write a book” vibe. I’d write about all of the feelings I was processing, the ups and inevitable downs I had experienced. If anything, it was a way to track and remember my journey. But… Continue reading Giving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Returning to writing
I can't believe it's been over six weeks since I've posted anything here. No, I haven't lost the love for writing. Quite the opposite. I've actually been working on another book project. As I closed out my 29th teaching year, I had to decide how to spend my time during summer break. We didn't have… Continue reading Returning to writing
Parenting 101: Recalling “The Talks”
Back in 2013, I started a blog called The Second Half. I was in my early 40s and my kids were 11 and 7. One of the entries shared a couple of those important "serious conversations" with my pre-pubescent kid. I'm thankful that I had the presence of mind to record those moments. This is… Continue reading Parenting 101: Recalling “The Talks”
Achilles Recovery: My 6 Month Snapiversary
For half a year, I have been recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon. The gunshot snap. The boot and crutches. The long, painful, drawn-out healing process. Here’s how strategic healing, positive mindset and proper preparation made the first six months of my recovery go smoothly. When you are 53 and doing athletic things, you wonder… Continue reading Achilles Recovery: My 6 Month Snapiversary
Reflecting On My Peri Journey
It’s a little surprising to think about how long I’ve actually been experiencing perimenopause. Thanks to my penchant for blogging, I can easily look back and reflect. Here's an overview of what I've learned so far. In July 2020, I posted the first article in my blog. I loved the idea of using it to… Continue reading Reflecting On My Peri Journey
The mental toll of Achilles injury
It's been over 3 months since my Achilles tendon rupture. This is a reflection on the quest to balance fear and progress through long-term injury recovery. March 26, 2025 Not too long ago, all of my posts were about the progress I was making at the gym. I’ve celebrated the baby steps and the big… Continue reading The mental toll of Achilles injury
Coping with Bronchitis During Achilles Rehab: Essential Strategies
I've now passed the 12-week mark since my Achilles was repaired. It's been three whole months! Time flies, even when you're limping along. Though progress has been great so far, rehab has stalled this past week. Recovery has taken on a whole new meaning. On Thursday a week ago, I went to work as usual… Continue reading Coping with Bronchitis During Achilles Rehab: Essential Strategies
Collagen, Exercise, and Hormones: My Path to Recovery
Around your 50s, you hear the buzz about using collagen to maintain a youthful appearance. After my Achilles tendon ruptured, I was more interested in it's ability to keep my body strong. This is a deep dive into five studies that examine the effect of collagen, exercise and hormones on our muscles and tendons. After… Continue reading Collagen, Exercise, and Hormones: My Path to Recovery
Achilles Tendon Recovery Week 6: Balancing Progress and Safety
At six weeks post-surgery, my recovery is going very well. When I compare my progress to some of the published protocols, I've been slightly ahead of the curve. That begs the question, am I progressing too fast? Am I risking re-rupture down the line? January 29, 2025 Read about my Achilles tendon story from the… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery Week 6: Balancing Progress and Safety
Achilles Tendon Recovery: Best Practices for Healing
Healing from Achilles tendon repair surgery is no fun. But, it is manageable. In this post, I'm sharing the best practices that help me stay centered and keep my progress moving forward. Recovering from an Achilles tendon injury is a long, arduous journey. In my last post, Achilles Tendon Recovery: Five Weeks Post-Op Progress, I shared… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: Best Practices for Healing
Achilles Tendon Recovery: Five Weeks Post-Op Progress
It's now five weeks after the surgeon repaired my Achilles tendon. Here, I'm sharing what I have found to be my next steps in a long recovery process. Read to the end for some pro-recovery tips. January 23, 2025 At my four week follow-up last Thursday, the surgeon gave me the okay to hobble a… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: Five Weeks Post-Op Progress
Achilles Tendon Surgery: Four Weeks Post-Op Progress
Four weeks and one day after my Achilles tendon repair surgery, I returned to the doctor for my second follow up. Spoiler: it went really well. January 18, 2025 Earlier this week, I posted Achilles Tendon Rupture: What Can I Do? It looked at the progress I've been making and how I've been inserting myself… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Surgery: Four Weeks Post-Op Progress
Achilles Tendon Recovery: What Can I Do?
When you suffer a life-altering injury, you have choices to make: to do or not to do. Four weeks after rupturing my right Achilles tendon, these are the choices I am making to recover well. January 12, 2025 In response to the title question, the answer is: I can do a lot. Even sporting a… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: What Can I Do?
Thank You To My Secret Santa
Sometimes, amidst all the difficult distractions that life throws your way, lovely things happen that make your heart swell. As a result of my Achilles tendon debacle, I missed the last week of school before the winter break. I also missed our faculty Secret Santa. Of course, I was prepared with my gift for my… Continue reading Thank You To My Secret Santa
Achilles Tendon Recovery: From Cast to Boot
This is the ongoing saga of my recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon in December. Two weeks post-op, this is how I'm doing. January 2, 2025 It's my first post in 2025 and already the year is starting off...interestingly. Two and a half weeks ago, I completely ruptured my right Achilles tendon at gymnastics. I… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: From Cast to Boot
Building Muscle Mass in Perimenopause
In this blog, I've been exploring a lot about nutrition in perimenopause. So far, I've covered bone health, cholesterol, weight maintenance, and phytoestrogens. This post is focused on increasing protein and building lean muscle mass. One of the experts I've been following is Dr. Mary Claire Haver. Her website The 'Pause Life posts fantastic science-based… Continue reading Building Muscle Mass in Perimenopause
Weight Loss 13: Combatting Perimenopausal Weight Gain
Attention: perimenopausal warriors. Feeling the waistline expand? Yeah, me too. This is the yearly overview of my personal experience that includes helpful resources and health-management strategies. My last weight-loss post was a year ago. Sometimes, I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. I think it's safe to say that this year hasn't really been… Continue reading Weight Loss 13: Combatting Perimenopausal Weight Gain
Pre-op Hell and Surgery Heaven
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 On Sunday, I completely ruptured by right Achilles tendon. (Read Sometimes, You Break Yourself...Again for that story.) Today, my surgeon repaired it. This is my reflection of the ordeal. I saw the orthopedist on Monday afternoon. He listened to my story, watched the video of the event, and said "yup, that's… Continue reading Pre-op Hell and Surgery Heaven
Estrogen Matters to your Mind
I'm slowly making my way through the book Estrogen Matters (2018) by Avrum Blum, M.D. and Carol Tavris, PhD. It's deluge of science-based information has fast become the Bible of the menopausal transition set. It is helping me to better understand everything surrounding HRT. This article delves into what I'm learning about estrogen and brain… Continue reading Estrogen Matters to your Mind
Singing Live Again: Rekindling an Old Flame
On this blog, I wax poetic about flipping, family, teaching and living in mid-life. Those topics take up most of my physical and mental energy, and I am most inspired to talk about them. This post shares a different facet of my creative life that doesn't often get much exposure: singing for an audience. For… Continue reading Singing Live Again: Rekindling an Old Flame
Improving My Cholesterol in Perimenopause
The ins and outs of cholesterol, and 7 rules I've followed to improve my numbers this year, without statins. Let's talk cholesterol, shall we? Summertime is my rest and recovery time. I spend more time doing my Geriatric Gymnastics shenanigans. It is also my time to visit my doctors and check in on my health… Continue reading Improving My Cholesterol in Perimenopause
Preparing for my First Gymnastics Camp
Stepping out of your comfort zone is always a challenge. This article talks about preparing to take a giant leap out of mine. While I've been flipping for 16 years now, I have never flipped anywhere but my home gym. In the past year or two, I've seen lots of adult gymnastics "camp" and competition… Continue reading Preparing for my First Gymnastics Camp
Promoting adult gymnastics
Gymnastics is not just for kids anymore. This is a story of a recent encounter I had with a fellow writer, athlete and coach who is doing a deep dive into the expanding realm of adult gymnastics. I recently made a new flippy friend! Out of the blue, I got an email that caught my… Continue reading Promoting adult gymnastics
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