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
Tag: health and fitness
First week, new studio
Sometimes, you need a little jump start in your career. This year, I received a huge one. Read on to see why after 30 years, I'm still excited to go back to work.
Week 16 Achilles recovery: PT is coming to an end
In the past month, my biweekly physical therapy was reduced to once a week. At first, it was my March work schedule that limited my time. In April, it seems I've reached plateau. PT sessions have become, shall we say, too easy. Now what? April 9, 2025 Last week, I found out what was going… Continue reading Week 16 Achilles recovery: PT is coming to an end
Week 15 Achilles Recovery: Addressing Ankle Impingement
In my recovery week 9 post, I had spoken to the surgeon about my progress and the limitation at the front of my ankle that I had been enduring for the better part of a year. This is the follow-up story to that problem. April 8, 2025 Long before my Achilles ruptured, I had been… Continue reading Week 15 Achilles Recovery: Addressing Ankle Impingement
Achilles Tendon Recovery: 10 Weeks Post-Surgery Progress
It's been ten weeks since the surgeon put my Achilles tendon back together again. This article shares exercises I'm working on, strategies for pain and fear management, and my comeback progress.
Achilles Tendon Recovery: 9 Week Post-Surgery Follow-up
As I heal from this surgery, my ankle and foot are slowly waking up. There are lots of expected ouchies that I'm dealing with. And, the one issue that I believe to be at the root of the rupture is now in full focus. February 20, 2025 I had my nine-week follow up visit to… Continue reading Achilles Tendon Recovery: 9 Week Post-Surgery Follow-up
Achilles tendon recovery: 8 weeks post surgery
Here's an update about my progress and trials 8 weeks after Achilles tendon surgery. February 12, 2025 I know that 8 weeks is a fraction of time when it comes to Achilles tendon recovery. I’ve made great strides (pun intended) in that time. In the same breath, I realize just how far I have to… Continue reading Achilles tendon recovery: 8 weeks post surgery
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: 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
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
Sometimes You Break Yourself…Again
Gymnastics is fraught with risk. Anyone who participates knows this. Once in a while, the risk catches up with you. No matter how careful you are, sometimes you break yourself. This is the start of another long road to recovery. December 15, 2024 I rise and shine, ready for another Sunday FUNday at Flipper's Gymnastics.… Continue reading Sometimes You Break Yourself…Again
Rebuilding Confidence: How to Overcome Fear After an Injury
Coming back from a physical injury is a great feat. Conquering the mental fallout is like winning the Olympic gold medal. This article chronicles the steps I took on the long road to overcoming fear. Trust the process. I’ve written a lot about managing fear and the effects our Lizard brain has on our ability… Continue reading Rebuilding Confidence: How to Overcome Fear After an Injury
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
Validating Fitness Strategies: Gymnastics, Nutrition, and Bone Strength in Perimenopause
Back in 2022, I wrote an article called Keeping the Bones Strong, which was an overview of the science behind bone building and how gymnastics activities really helps achieve strong bones. This article tracks my recent DEXA scan and looks at the strategies I've been using to maintain strong bones. I've spent the better part… Continue reading Validating Fitness Strategies: Gymnastics, Nutrition, and Bone Strength in Perimenopause
Practice makes habits
Whether you are a newbie or veteran gymnast, this article might be helpful when you consider how you create consistency in your training habits and why the journey is so darn hard. Gymnasts, particularly those of us “of a certain age,” work to develop complex physical skills through the obstacles of body limitations, fear and… Continue reading Practice makes habits
Improving Back Handspring Technique
If you are looking to solve your back handspring issues, this article might give you some food for thought. Back handsprings are one of the harder basic skills to acquire, especially for adult gymnasts. The idea of hurtling yourself backwards onto your hands, then snapping your feet back down to the ground and rebounding back… Continue reading Improving Back Handspring Technique
Return to nature
It's been eight months, but I finally returned to my beloved Ramapo Reservation for my first hike of the season. I had almost forgotten the amazing feeling I get from spending a couple hours traversing the nature preserve and all of its offerings to my soul. I was inspired to share some of the benefits… Continue reading Return to nature
Commit to the Fundamentals
In gymnastics, every choice you make is an important one. Each skill, whether a handstand, salto (flip) or a complex combination of moves, requires a laundry list of technical requirements. When you are first starting out, that list can be very intimidating. I coach adult gymnastics at Flipper's Gymnastics in Ramsey, NJ. We now offer… Continue reading Commit to the Fundamentals
Phytoestrogens and (peri)menopause
As a female Gen Xer firmly in the middle of her (peri)menopausal transition, I realize just how much I don't know about this part of my own life cycle. In my (peri)menopausal quest for knowledge, I've been digging for good research to learn what actually helps and what is bunk. This article delineates some of… Continue reading Phytoestrogens and (peri)menopause
Weight-Loss part 2: Remembering What Works
Understanding the habits you must adjust and/or maintain to keep your weight and overall health in check. These habits are both mental and physical, require thought, planning, and daily mindfulness in order to get to and stay in your healthy weight zone. Here’s a little summary of some of the main the strategies I’m using on a daily basis.
Stacey's Headspace 