That's great to hear, Annie. I broke my ankle (and arm) about a year and a half ago and have been struggling to get back muscle strength, balance, and flexibility. I recently joined the Y and am working with weight machines a couple times a week and (chair) yoga twice a week. I think I'm noticing some improvement but it sure isn't easy at my age (59).

I'm inspired by your progress report!

I love to hear when things 'work' for folks! Really great to hear of your improvement, Annie. When people notice, it makes you feel good, doesn't it?

Yes, I am going to try it! Thanks for sharing. My youngest DD is very into skin care and she recommended a product that cost almost $100.00. It lasted a month with once a day use. I did not see any results.

Each morning I do 15 minutes of abdominal exercises. They are not only good for my abs, but they make me mindful of my posture as well.

I also do a weight lifting class and need to find a second one that will work with my schedule. With the one class though, I was surprised to see nice results.

I once worked with a personal trainer and honestly got nothing out of it. I let her do what she felt I needed and that was a mistake. If I ever go that route again, I would do free weights and basic exercises to tone. This way I can do work outs at home.

Isn't life a challenge? It's the process not the end goal. I have tried the derma roller. But I'm not a consistent user. I just got a dermawand. I can see merits to both and will continue to use both periodically. The dermawand has a smell that I find somewhat repulsive, but I'll keep trying. I get bored with one thing and then try another.

Like ellendi6161 I do ab exercises in various forms at home. I'm in a rural area with no easy access to classes. I've done several Power 90 DVD's , Shaun T workouts, Jillian Michael workouts, Leslie Sansone ab workouts, yoga workouts, 30 day plank challenge and others. I think I'll forever have the pooch from having babies. My memory marks. But the exercise keeps my weight in check. Right now I'm on day 17 of the 30 day abs challenge- but go to the site to watch the video to see how to do them the right way. I can feel my core getting stronger and my posture getting better and actually the exercises getting easier.

Nothing tones up the face like vigorous exercising - I'll bet it's that more than the cream....

Carolb-- Really?? I've never heard that.

I have been lifting weights in a small group with a trainer 3x/week for 6+ months and like you, Annie, I have barely lost an ounce, but I have gone down a size in pants and I feel a lot stronger. The trainer pushes me to work a lot harder than I ever would on my own. Some days I hate it, but I feel good later (even when I'm sore and groaning!).

I just got a book from the library called "The Yoga Face". Plus I've googled face and neck exercises. I think they make a difference. I can definitely feel it so it must be doing something!

pugga, age is no excuse! I can say that as I'm your age! ;)

OP, it does feel good when someone else notices. Poor DH, he dare say only positive things when I ask, and he sees me every day so it's hard for him to tell. But when someone else says something who hasn't seen you in awhile and need not say anything, it carries more weight. (No pun intended.)

Way to go, ellendi! The weight lifting does make a big difference.

hilltop, glad you find the challenges helpful. I think I've found every kind of exercise video on youtube for free. The other day I was sweatin' to the oldies with Richard Simmons!

carolb and debrak, I think it's the face cream as I've been exercising for a long time and never had the impact on my face that I've had since starting the cream....though isn't it Cybill Shepherd who claims to have had no plastic surgery but did facial exercises instead. Of course she gained a lot of weight too. There's an old saying that as a woman ages, she can keep her face or her figure, but not both.

sueb, keep on keepin' on. So glad you've noticed the difference with the weight training too, despite no weight loss. I feel like a ham with the same layer of fat on top, but the muscle underneath seems to be more toned.

MBSR...that sounds like a wonderful class!

I actually got DH to start going to a line dancing class! We just got back from our first! Turns out, we have this great senior center in the park close to our house, and they have this class free, and Zumba two mornings a week. I even think DH had a good time. No MBSR, though. I will suggest that when I am no longer the new kid.

I just started trying the Redken No 6 which was also recommended. Too early to determine how it works for me, but I'll let y'all know.

"I feel like a ham with the same layer of fat on top, but the muscle underneath seems to be more toned."
I have a friend who is very muscular and fit and she likes to say she has a body of steal wrapped in a koozie.

No matter your fitness level or ability, everyone should lift weights. The benefits are tremendous, especially as we get older. But remember, every time you lift, it should be difficult. You have to constantly be maxing out your strength to really build muscle. Most women don't lift nearly as much as they are capable. Don't use those wimpy 3-5lb. weights, start lifting a minimum of 8lbs - even if you can only do a few reps at a time.

Basically, you need a combination of high reps (more than 15)/low weight and low reps (less than 15)/high weight. High rep training builds endurance while low rep training truly builds muscle (in order to build muscle you have to recruit fast-twitch type-2 muscle fibers which only respond to heavy lifting which is defined by at least 75% of your one-rep max.). Heavy lifting is the only way to truly become strong, and most likely you'll lose some weight because of the effort.

I work with a trainer and we do mostly heavy lifting with high rep lifting in between (as an example, my high rep/low weight lifting would be 15 rep bench press with 35lb dumbbells or 12 rep deadlift with 150lb barbell.). Weightlifting is a passion of mine so I certainly am not suggesting that you should be lifting like I do, but you really should always be testing your limits. You'll be amazed at how strong you can become.

The program I'm following does pyramiding, so 12 reps with light, then 10 reps with med and then 8 reps with heavy.

We do pyramiding too. It's a great program if you are doing it to exhaustion. So when you are heading back down the pyramid, your last set of 8 reps should be the most difficult.

So I tried the Redken #6 again today and met a friend for lunch who really liked my hair....I guess it seems to be working...

:)

What is this Redken #6? Magic shampoo?

It's a volumizer for us with thin and/or fine hair. See this thread.

Thanks, violet!

There was a question about the when/where/how on the MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction) class due to low enrollment, but it's a go. I start on Monday and it will run once a week for 8 weeks and one full-day Saturday session. Plus they expect you to meditate daily, preferably 45 min per day. So I'll see how I do and let you know if it is a life-altering experience for me as many claim it is for them.

I've also begun volunteering at the AFSP...American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Seems their needs for help are endless and I'll be able to do as much or as little with the organization as I wish. I've already taught a class to teacher on awareness and what to look for, and it went really well. They also do survivor outreach. I'm definitely looking forward to doing more with that organization.

So the full mind/body makeover is progressing.

Speaking about beauty and makeovers, my cousin posted this yesterday and I found it to be an interesting read.

I asked 100 men what physical beauty is and the results shocked me.

That's a great post, Annie. You know, as I look around the group I am training with for a 10k, I see all shapes, sizes, heights, widths, and (mostly) ages and they are all beautiful. Most are women, but we have about 4 men in the group which is great too. We all have the same goal, no one cares who is fastest or slowest, it's just a group who is trying to improve and run 6.2 miles by May 25th!

OP, you reminded me of the time DH and I were in DC and it just happened that the finish line for the marathon was near our hotel. I knew a fellow from work was running so we went to watch him come in. It was an absolutely amazing sight to see the variation in marathon runners. Of course, in the beginning, it was mostly gazelle type bodies with long and powerful strides. But after that, the runners were literally in all shapes and sizes and ages and all forms of attire. Some had such an awkward stride...one guy kicked his feet up so high with every step that I swear he was kicking his own butt. One guy did the whole thing in combat boots. It was really something.

More power to you and your running mates.

pugga, age is no excuse! I can say that as I'm your age! ;)

Actually, age is the perfect excuse to start strength training. You need to build muscle to keep your bones strong, even more so as we age and our risk of osteoporosis increases. There are actually quite a few benefits. Lifting heavy has been a huge help to me (I have both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis).

I am 62 and when i'm old I don't want to fall and break a hip nor do I want dowagers hump. I run 3 days a week in the trails and go to strength classes 3 days a week. One of the classes is a core class and works on stability and balance. If I can do it anyone can. Age, weight, arthritis, whatever is never an excuse. There are always viable options. My belief is that our medical system is not going to be there to take care of me. It is up to me to take care of me.

Went to a monthly luncheon yesterday with former coworkers and I got compliments on my hair again. Redken No6 seems to be working. Thanks again, Violet!

Holly Kay, is that quote about confidence your own? If so, could I borrow it? I would like to add it to my first grade blog for parents. I think that is one of the most important lessons I can teach my students and parents don't always get it.

Daisychain, it is not mine. I believe it may have been a coach that said it. I will google it to see if I can find the source. When I read that quote it just connected. I have always felt confident (hmmm after the teen years) but when I read that quote it made me realize why.

Daisy, I just googled this and couldn't find that exact quote. Churchill said "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts". But that isn't the quote I have claimed as my favorite quote. I can't take credit for it. I really think it was a coach that I took the quote from so it certainly isn't mine.

Thanks for looking Holly Kay. If I use it, I may just credit it to author unknown.

Annie, I bought the Neutrogena lotion you suggested as well as a triple something cream. Just in the last year, my skin has started to feel much drier and more papery. These creams seem to be much more effective than the old lotion I was using just because they are heavier. I was a bit worried because the lotion I used was the only one I'd tried in a long time that didn't make me breakout. But so far the Neutrogena seems to be okay. Thanks for the recommendation!