I’ve been in the fitness industry for almost 40 years, which means I’ve lived through every questionable idea the 80s and 90s gave us. Step aerobics in a thong leotard. SnackWell cookies in the sleeve. Sweating to burn every bite.
I believed everything. I taught some of them! And one by one I have let them all go.
So here are 7 things I was totally obsessed with that have no place in my life at 60 and what I’m doing instead. If you still have any of these with you, consider this your permission slip to set them up.
1. Endless Cardio (In the Name of Skinny)
In my 20s and 30s, cardio was king and the goal was skinny, skinny, skinny. More miles, more lessons, more burns, more everything. I watched that calorie counter like it was going to hand out a prize.
Now I know better. Muscle is what keeps you independent, mobile and metabolically healthy as we age, and endless exercise doesn’t build it. Strength training does. I still love my cardio (walking is my favorite) but lifting comes first and the goal isn’t shrinking anymore. It’s strong enough to lift my granddaughter, my suitcase and my body off the floor for the next 30 years.
Cardiovascular exercise is living longer, strength training is living stronger, and mobility training is living pain-free. Cardio is a pay check today, but strength training is a 401k. I wish someone had told me in my 30s that skinny was never the prize.
2. Everything with low fat
Raise your hand if you lived through the fat-free era. Fat-free cookies, fat-free yogurt, fat-free salad dressing that looked like regret.
Here’s what no one told us: when they took out the fat, they filled the void with sugar and refined carbs. We were never satisfied because we basically ate dessert all day and called it a diet. No wonder we were hungry an hour later. My college roommate and I literally called them “white carbs” and as long as they were fat-free, we’d eat them. Rice cakes, popcorn, fat-free crackers, etc.
Now healthy fats are a non-negotiable in my kitchen. Avocado, olive oil, nuts, salmon, whole eggs (yolk included, thank you very much). Fat keeps me full, supports my hormones, and makes food taste like food. The low fat phase can stay in the 90s with my scrunchies.
3. Avoiding salt
I spent years treating salt as the enemy, shaking my head at whoever handed the shaker.
Then perimenopause hit, and I was dragging the mornings I used to bounce. Turns out my body was low on sodium (yes, really!). As an active woman who sweats through workouts and teaches classes every week, I needed more salt, not less. I add my favorite LMNT electrolytes to my water and my energy is back.
An important note: if you have high blood pressure or your doctor has told you to limit sodium (some people are genetically sensitive to salt), follow these guidelines. But for many active middle-aged women, decades of dreading the salt shaker is doing more harm than good.
4. Skipping rest days
No rest days. This was the badge of honor. If I wasn’t sore, exhausted, and signed up for two classes, I wasn’t trying hard enough.
What I know now: recovery is not lazy. It is productive. Rest is when your muscles really rebuild and your body benefits from all that hard work. I get two full rest days a week now and my workouts are better for it. The Oura ring keeps me honest when I’m tempted to go ahead anyway.
Read this twice: training breaks you, rest makes you.
5. All without sugar
Diet soda, sugar free gum, those little pastel packets of everything. I thought I was so good.
Meanwhile, the fake stuff was giving me headaches. Once I pretty much cut out the horrible chemical artificial sweeteners, the headaches went away and food started to taste good again. These days I’d rather have some real sugar and enjoy it than a chemical imitation that leaves me with a headache and cravings. I use stevia and monk fruit sparingly, but I won’t touch the pink, blue and yellow packets.
I pay attention to the addition of sugar (h American Heart Association suggests women limit it to about 25 grams a day), but I’m not afraid of dessert. A real cookie or ice cream cone, enjoyed at a table with people I love, beats anything eaten without sugar over the sink.
6. The Scale Being the End All, Be All
For years, the number on the scale determined what kind of day I would have. Over a kilo? Bad day. I lost a pound, and suddenly I was a wonderful person.
Nonsense.
Here’s what I tell every middle-aged woman I train: in menopause, your weight can fluctuate 3 pounds in a day from hormones, sodium, stress, and sleep. This daily number measures water and chaos, not your worth or even your progress.
I prefer to track things that mean something: how heavy I lift, how my clothes fit, how I sleep, how much energy I have for my life. The scales have a vote now, not a veto.
Use these 5 powerful ways to track your fitness progress that don’t involve the scale.
7. Fashion Over Function
I used to wear the cute shoes when I was younger. The pointy, squishy, cute shoes that blister all day, because that’s what you did.
At 60, I’ve turned it around: I’m function over fashion, and I’m not willing to be uncomfortable or damage my legs for a look. The best part? You don’t have to choose anymore. My closet is full of shoes that are comfortable, not naughty: cushioned walking shoes that I can log miles in, supportive sandals that still look great with a thong, sneakers that go with everything.
Your legs should carry you for decades. Dress them as you intend to continue using them.
The one I’m obsessed with now
Protein at every meal. I lift heavier than I did at 40. A decent night’s sleep, daily walks and shoes I never think about after I put them on. And time with the people I love, because that’s the obsession that actually pays off.
Moral of the story? Being obsessed is not the problem. I just spent too many years obsessing over the wrong things. If any of these are still holding you back, start where you are and let one go this week. I would start with the scale.
PS If you enjoyed this, I wrote a whole post about what I do differently at 60 vs. 40 as a coach. It’s the longest version of this list and might be my favorite thing on the blog.
