The older I get, the younger I feel. I have some super good news for you on the fitness front and it might come as a surprise…it was a giant, unexpected surprise to me: I begrudgingly, with some kicking and screaming thrown in for good measure  added weightlifting to my workout and holy smokes I am now faster, stronger and more cardio fit in my 50’s than I was in my 40’s or even my 30’s! SAY WHAT?!?!???  This of course is due to the fact that my leg muscles (my quads especially) are able to propel me up mountains much easier, which in turns takes the work off of my heart, which makes my breathing easier not to mention I can carry my heavy backpack and it doesn’t crush my back and shoulders. Lifting has been a surprising benefit to my cardio and hiking! I originally started lifting at my husbands suggestion to keep my bones from snapping in half as I age, so you can imagine the shock that I received when I started seeing how much it helped with my beloved hiking and backpacking! As you’re reading this you may be thinking, “well duh Gwen…” but I’m one of those people who have to experience something in order to believe, so take it from me, lifting works!

I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon 3 times. The first time was when I was a mere child of 46. I just completed it 3 weeks ago at the age of 54 and this is when I discovered how much weightlifting has benefited my hiking.  Eight years older than the first time I hiked it and quite a lot easier…honestly it feels like I’m going backwards on the age calendar. Ten miles straight up out of the canyon with an elevation gain of 4380′  on the Bright Angel Trail and I finished 1 hour faster with 20 additional pounds on my back in comparison to when I was 46…It was a giddy feeling finishing so much faster and much less tired than the first two hikes because it came as such a surprise…everything I figured that would happen (slower hiking, less stamina, less strength) was accidentally proven to be false assumptions!  It was a happy realization that slowing down because we are aging is not an absolute!

I’m not going to lie; getting to the gym to lift is still a battle royal with myself because I would much rather be outside or just plain lack the time, but now that I have the sensation that I am “anti-aging”, I will keep it up knowing that age is just a number, and a number that can be completely ignored!