[fadoozle]

Next steps after SOMA 40+

Hello, 55-year-old almost postmenopausal female here, 5' 3", weight 111 lbs (should be 114, but I'm one of those rare people who has lost weight in menopause and can't seem to get it back on).

Last December a DXA scan told me I had borderline osteopenia/osteoporosis. I also tested low iron and came off a long flare of ulcerative colitis, which I've had for 35 years. Mentally I was an absolute wreck. It was that low point we all reach where we say something's gotta give and the medical establishment is not coming to save me.

I started with SOMA 40+ with one-pound barbells and have kept at it consistently since then with my last round being with eight-pounders. I bought 10-lb barbells thinking I'm ready to level up, but five days in to the sequence they're just too much for me. I'm also nine days in on the Wall-Sit Challenge and feeling like it might be too much for me as well.

I follow the Mediterranean Diet and that's been an enormous help. I walk my dogs every day wearing a 12-lb weighted vest, usually about 1.5 to two miles.

Where do I go from here? My goal is to keep building as much muscle as I can, keep my improved energy levels up, and possibly start martial arts classes in the fall (nearby where I live my options seem to be Tae Kwan Do or Krav Maga). Overall I feel so much better, but being a type A personality I'm never satisfied and can quickly latch on to an addictive mindset that leads to a crash and burn.

Am I doing too much? Too little? Just right? Is size and/or age a factor where sometimes you just have to cry uncle?

Open to any and all advice.

 

[NightWolf714]

Sounds like you're doing pretty good for me. If it feels like a good amount, or just slightly challenging, it's probably just right IMO. After all you want sustainable changes for the long haul.

My only question is how are you checking in with your progress? Do you have any concrete goals that you can measure on a regular basis? That should help the Type A Personality feel more satisfied. For example, you were low on iron, maybe you want to measure how much you get each day to make sure it's on target. The site has a fitness challenge, but you may consider your own fitness challenge to see how you are progressing. Having these goals can be pretty motivating and help you stick with it. But it also shows how well you are progressing.

Best of luck!

 

[fadoozle]

Sounds like you're doing pretty good for me. If it feels like a good amount, or just slightly challenging, it's probably just right IMO. After all you want sustainable changes for the long haul.

My only question is how are you checking in with your progress? Do you have any concrete goals that you can measure on a regular basis? That should help the Type A Personality feel more satisfied. For example, you were low on iron, maybe you want to measure how much you get each day to make sure it's on target. The site has a fitness challenge, but you may consider your own fitness challenge to see how you are progressing. Having these goals can be pretty motivating and help you stick with it. But it also shows how well you are progressing.

Best of luck!

Thanks for those great tips. You're right about goals and goal setting. I take an iron supplement and am monitored by my doctor, so the fitness aspect is my focus at the moment.

I've hit my goals with Darebee many times so far, and it might just be that I'm at some kind of plateau and just need to stay the course. I suppose there really is no "finish line" with fitness in that sense. The daily exercise habit was the game changer for me, and I'm pretty religious about it now, so that feels like a win!