Writing is my artistic expression. My keyboard is my brush. Words are my medium. My blog is my canvas. And committing to writing daily makes me feel like an artist.
A new study shows the benefits of creatine for women, (Study,TikTok summary). We already know the benefits for men, itās nice to see specific research for women, and specifically menopausal women, who tend to be under-researched.
Iām not a medical doctor, I donāt pretend to be one. But Iāll share three suggestions that I have followed, based on my research, that can improve long term health.
Take creatine.
Take far more protein than is suggested in daily recommendations.
Exercise regularly, for both cardio and strength.
These are all things that are good for your healthā¦ and the health of your brain. But donāt take my word for it. Look into to these things yourself. Check out doctors Rhonda Patrick, Peter Attia, and Gabrielle Lyon. Oh, and when I went to Instagram to make sure of Gabrielleās first name, the first video that came up was her talking about women increasing protein intake.
I love seeing how the science of healthy living is becoming mainstream.
The saying goes, āA bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.ā Itās a good metaphor for a lot more than hobbies and employment.
āI donāt feel like working out.ā
āI donāt really want to practice my musical instrument.ā
āI donāt have anything to write about today.ā
āItās just a practice, Iāll skip and go to the game tomorrow.ā
Do I want to do it right now? Hell no! Will I feel good if I get off my butt and do it? Absolutely!
Pick the battles that matter the mostā¦ not 7 at once, 2 or 3 max. Set an intention. Do it.
Why? Because a crappy āI just showed upā workout is better than another skipped workout. And 15 minutes of practice or 250 words written are all examples of things that will make you feel far better after youāve done them, rather than how you feel not doing them.
Itās a mental shift to move the metaphorical mindset from a bad day fishing to a bad day working out/practicing/writing feeling better than a good day not doing these things, because the payoff comes after the event. When you are fishing, even the last cast has potential. But when you are doing āthe workā (be it in the gym, on an instrument, or writing) it still feels like āthe workā and is not filled with the hope and promise of a big fish.
But doing the work, even on a bad day can surprise you. You might (totally unexpectedly) hit a personal best in the gym. You might play a chord combination that youāve struggled with for weeks. You might pump out 1,000 words, or the best piece of writing youāve done in a while. In other words you might just hook a big one. And realistically you might not, but still the act of doing anything is far more rewarding than doing nothing.
Skip another day and the only thing youāll catch is the desire to skip again.
I did it last year, 2,000 pushups in February, and Iāve started it again this year. Itās not hard, but itās a commitment. Itās a little challenge thatās fun to do with friends. And thereās a pretty good sense of accomplishment when itās all done.
Iāve got my weight vest on. However, I donāt want to get on the treadmill, which is why Iām wearing the vest. I want to crawl under my blankets and not think about having to shovel the driveway later.
But yesterday was a rest day and I refuse to be someone who misses two days in a row. My habit of regular exercise is part of my identity. Am I motivated right now? Hell no! Am I going to work out immediately after writing this? Absolutely!
Make your habits about who you are and not what you doā¦ and you donāt need motivationā¦ you just get it done.
Recently Iāve seen a few social media posts from a guy who has been working out for 11 years. I donāt follow him and canāt remember his name right now but basically he is in decent shape but not super muscular. He also shared the image in poor lighting that didnāt highlight his muscles like you see most fitness influencers do.
He got ridiculed. Most comments were all about how he should look a lot bigger after all that time. But the good news is that a lot of healthy, fit, natural body builders came to his defence.
People have a false sense of what it means to be fit because the people they see on social media are jacked up and have rather unrealistic physiques that are too hard to maintain. Some use steroids to enhance their growth. Others have chiseled abs, and that involves not just physical training but a very strict diet. And of course they only take photos in the best light after doing a āpumpā to maximize their size.
Hereās the reality: adding just 10 pounds of muscle is hard work! Adding 10 more after gaining your first 10 is significantly harder.
Six years ago I was overweight and started a fitness journey that Iām still on. It took me a year to lose just over 25 pounds. I did this with regular cardio, weights, and reducing my snacking using intermittent fasting, (basically, no snacking food from dinner to a late breakfast 5 days a week). I accomplished this in one year, then it took me 5 years to build my weight back up with 13-14 pounds of good weight. Thatās right, my gains average are less than 3 pounds a yearā¦ and Iām thrilled with my progress.
Gaining muscle is hard. Unless you take the route of unhealthy supplements like steroids, you arenāt going to bulk up any time soon. Will you see results from your hard work? Yes. Will that mean that you get a lot stronger? Yes. Will you see a massive difference in the size of your muscles? Probably not without considerable effort over a long period of time.
Being fit doesnāt mean that your body looks like a body builder. It doesnāt mean that you walk around with six -pack abs. It does likely mean that you are feeling better and stronger than you were a year ago. It does mean that you are making small gains that you might notice even if others donāt.
Donāt buy into the delusions of ideal fitness that influencers share on social media. They arenāt sharing the sacrifices they make to look like they do. They are sharing month old images of when they were jacked up for a competition because they canāt maintain that look day to dayā¦ or they are making unrealistic dietary or lifestyle sacrifices to keep looking that way, so that they can sell you their program, or suppliments.
Find a way to make fitness part of your life, so that your quality of life can be better in the years to come. Thatās it, thatās all. And once youāve figured that out, appreciate all the small gains, because realistically thatās all youāll see, small gains over timeā¦ and thatās a good thing no matter what the bulked up and juiced up influencers say.
Iāve been on a bit of a health journey since 2019. I consistently exercising, I eat very little sugary foods, and for the most part eat quite healthily. Yet from 2019 to 2024 my cholesterol has gone from not great to bad, and Iāve watched my blood pressure move from optimum to the top end of normal, which is a big jump in just a few years.
When my cholesterol got worse between my 2022 and early 2024 test results, my doctor, not knowing the extent of my healthy routines, suggested I watch my diet for a few months and test again. I booked another appointment with her. I explained that I could definitely increase my fibre intake, but that cholesterol was a genetic issue on both sides of my family.
I shared that my momās dad died too early due to cholesterol issues. My mom has been on statins for 17 years, and my dadās brother is 20 years older than me and was put on statins 20 years ago. Basically requested to be put on statins. Her immediate response was why I value her as a doctor. She said that she would rather that I consulted a cardiovascular specialist first, and set up an appointment.
That was great until, still waiting for my appointment 2 months later, I learned that I was declined an appointment. It seems that being on the cusp of unhealthy, (based on norms of people far less healthy than I am), I am not critical enough to get a specialist appointment. As a bit of a rant, do I really need to have a heart episode or stroke before I fix my cholesterol issue? I think thatās the sign of a broken medical system. So, with this news, my doctor said she would put me on statins and we could retest my bloodwork after 6 months.
It has been just over 7 months on medication and I just got my bloodwork results. The results are shockingly good. I assumed they would be better than they were on my last test because during the past few months Iāve seen my blood pressure drop into the low range of normal, almost back to optimal. But to see such a large drop in my cholesterol in only 7 months definitely shows the medication is working.
I can control a lot of my heatlh with exercise and healthy eating, but the reality is that cholesterol is mostly genetic, and when it comes to cholesterol, Iāve got bad genes on both sides of the family. I chose to take statins under doctor supervision, and I did my own research too.
In all honesty, I was not expecting such positive results. A previous blood tests showed that I have high lipoprotein (a) which is a bad combination to have with high cholesterol because this protein likes to hold onto the bad LDL cholesterol. And new research shows that statins are less likely to show success in people with high lipoprotein (a). But my test results speak for themselves.
So now Iām probably going to be on statins for the rest of my life. And frankly Iām quite happy about that. Itās working for my mom, and my uncle, and itās fixing something that I donāt have the power to fix with my lifestyle. I wonāt pretend that Iāve noticed any physical or health changes in the last few months. In reality I feel the same as I did before I started medication. But internally my body is dealing with a lot less stress. My heart doesnāt need to pump as hard, and Iām probably having a lot less plaque build up in my veins.
Itās wonderful to see such positive results. And on that note, itās time to get on the treadmillā¦ Iām not staying healthy by medication alone, Iām also sticking to a healthy routine. I like to joke that I plan to die healthy. And while I hope that wonāt happen for many years to come, I plan on being active, mobile, and fit when my time comes. To paraphrase Dr. Peter Attia, I want a good healthspan, not just lifespan. For me that means taking statins as well as exercising and maintaining a healthy diet.
Itās fascinating how much of weight training is mental. Iām simultaneously an athlete who can push my body to a level that surprises me, and the loafer who canāt eke out one more rep despite still having gas left in my gas tank. One minute Iām forcing myself to get one more weighted pull-up done, straining with everything Iāve got to get my head above the bar. A few minutes later Iām quitting on weighted step-ups, because mentally, rather than physically, Iām done.
What Iāve mastered is showing up. What Iām working on now is maximizing my gains. That doesnāt mean being stupid, lifting too heavy, and hurting myself. What it does mean is making my sets count. Making my reps count. Making my workouts efficient and effective.
How does this look when Iāve mentally quit on a set too soon? Maybe it means a 4th set. Maybe it means a lighter weight and more reps. Maybe it means giving myself permission to let that one set go and come back stronger the next setā¦ or if need be the next workout. Awareness is the first step. The next step is being intentional about what I do next.
If Iām going to see the gains I plan to have in the next year, Iāve got to push a little harder than I have been. Pushing in a smart way is going to get me to my goalsā¦ injury free.
It started January 1st, 2019. I was almost 30 pounds overweight and I decided that Iād had enough of working out, getting busy and lazy and not working out, and yo-yo-ing between these two statesā¦ while progressively getting further out of shape.
In my 1 year video reflection, back in late December 2019, I was able to share that Iād basically lost the 30 pounds and was back on track for staying healthy. Now, years later, Iāve put back on about 12 pounds, but a completely healthy 12 pounds. Iāve added almost an inch to my biceps, I have great definition on my (still skinny) legs, and my shoulders/traps are probably where I see my biggest gains.
Here are my key stats this year:
Workouts – defined as a minimum of 20 minutes cardio and some weights (unless itās a Coquitlam Crunch day when I donāt usually go weights).
Meditation – At least 10 minutes, usually 15 or 20 minutes guided meditation on the Balance App.
Daily-Ink – Daily writing on this blog.
Writing/Creating – Intended to be for writing beyond my blog regularly but mostly just tracking conversations with my uncle.
Workouts: 326 days or 89%
Meditation: 313 days or 85%
Daily-Ink: 366 days or 100%
Writing/Creating: 53 days or 14.5%
Reflections:
Workouts: Iām actually setting a goal to work out less in 2025. Iāve made some good gains and think they can be better if I gave myself more rest. This is especially true for my legs. I think working out cardio 10-12+ days in a row is limiting my leg recovery time needed to see them grow a bit more. Lack of rest might be why my legs are a lot stronger but still skinny. For upper body, many of my workouts are just a single muscle focus, and so I usually get enough rest between hard sets for specific muscle groups.
Meditation: These could have been qualitatively better this year. Itās not an issue of volume but definitely one fit quality. In 2024 I found that writing was taking me a bit longer in the morning, and so a lot of times I ended up doing a walking meditation on the treadmill to make up the time. That said Iām not convinced that those meditations were necessarily moving me towards my meditation goals as much as dedicated time would.
Daily-Ink: Iāll keep my blog going another year. And while Iāve basically maintained daily writing for 5 and a half years, I still want to track it.
Writing/Creativity: The largest area for growth is in being creative. Iām going to do a couple things to improve this. First, I wonāt be counting conversations with my uncle, even when we are recording them. What I will count is video editing of the videos he and I record, as well as writing not related to by blog. A goal related to this is less social media time… Reducing distractions and focusing on creativity. My writing/creativity goal will be a minimum of two days per week, 104 days a year, or basically doubling last yearās total while not counting the vast majority of days I would have tracked last year. I wonāt meet my uncle less often, I just wonāt be counting these Zoom visits as part of my creativity goal.
Ultimately I want to see two outcomes this year that will result from my tracking above:
Gain 7-8 pounds of muscle. This is a big jump for me. In my 30ās and 40ās I had a hard time maintaining a weight of about 153 pounds. If I worked out consistently for several months Iād get my weight to 155 but struggled to put good weight on beyond that. When I stopped working out Iād drop a few pounds and sit closer to 150. By December 2018, at age 51, Iād (unintentionally and without awareness) let myself go and weighed just under 185 pounds, with all of that extra weight being unhealthy. After year one of my healthy living goals (reflection shared again here) I was back down to around 155. Now I fluctuate around 167-169 pounds and would like to bring that to 175 pounds. Basically, it took me about 5 years to gain 12 pounds of muscle and I want to add 8 more this year. Increased protein and more dedicated weight training will get me there if I maintain my positive habits and get a bit more rest between (harder/smarter) workouts.
More creativity. I think 2 days a week of doing something creative is realistic and attainable. Reducing social media distractions will be key. Iām going to automate my blog going into social media, and add time limits to all socials for Monday to Friday as a starting point. Iāll see how that works and re-evaluate my success after a month.
Finally, one more goal unrelated to my tracking will be a reading goal. Watching that December 2018 reflection video again I was shocked that I listened to 26 books that year. I think this yearās count was 6, with 3 partial reads to finish, although I did listen to a lot more podcasts. I want to improve my book count. I think this will also help with my creativity.
One final reflection: Overall Iām pretty damn proud of my 2024 stats above. Yes I have some ambitious goals ahead of me, and Iām always pushing to improveā¦ but that doesnāt take away from the fact that Iāve been on a 6 year journey from an overweight and unhealthy 51 year old to a 57 year old who hasnāt been this healthy and strong since I was an athlete in my 20ās.
My ultimate goal is a great healthspan to go with my lifespan. I want to be able to do things in 20 years that most 77 year olds canāt imagine doing. I want to be hiking, traveling, and living a vibrant, healthy life well into my senior years. I think Iām on the right path.
Iāve had adjustable weights for over 15 years and I have been using them extremely consistently for the past 6. Those weights can adjust from 5 to 50 lbs, in 5 lb increments, with the twist of the handle. Yesterday I got my new updated weights. These require twisting a dial on each side of the dumbbell, but they can adjust from 10 to 90 lbs, in 5 lb increments.
The reality is that Iām not going to be using the full 90lbs much, but Iām excited to be able to extend my home workouts beyond a 50 lb limit. To be able to have access to such a variety of weights in my tiny home gym is amazing. I know that Iām going to see some positive gains.
The one challenge is not getting too excited about the new weight possibilities, and pushing myself too hard. I donāt have anything to prove to anyone, and I think Iāve matured in my thinking enough not to try something stupid and hurt myself. Now I just need to prove this rather than just saying it.
When I walk on a treadmill I usually go at 4 to 4.2 MPH, (I donāt bother clicking to km, miles is the default on my treadmill). For the past couple months Iāve been walking at 3.8 with a 34lb weight vest, and increasing the incline. But every time I increase to 7.5 or higher, I end up holding the handrails for most of the time Iām on those increased inclines.
Today I forgot to increase my speed from my 2 minute warmup at 3.6 and was able to do most of my walk at a 7.5Ā° incline. I also did 4 minutes at 12.5Ā°, but did hold the handrails then (actually the front rail so Iām not pushing down as much as levelling myself). Still the increase in my ability to maintain the 7.5 incline, for most of the 30 minute workout, and mostly without assistance, was impressive after feeling stuck trying to do this for so long.
Iāll do this a few more times then try at 3.7, then shortly after back to 3.8 MPH. But thatās still to come. For right now I am just surprised that this little adjustment made such a difference. Itās so important to mix things up a bit when you want to see gains in workouts.
