Exercise for Every Age and Stage
MY EXERCISE JOURNEY
I believe there is a type of exercise to suit everyone, you just have to look hard enough to find it. Not everyone will love exercise itself, but they may find an aspect that they can enjoy. It might be connection with a social group, the chance to decompress and brainstorm, time in nature, family time or simply a way to get to work. I’d like to share my own exercise story, one that continues to adapt to each stage and changes in my life.
I was fortunate to grow up in regional Queensland (hence the ‘accent’) and grew up riding horses. Starting out with pony club, I got swept up in the world of show-riding. This calls for late nights polishing bridles and braiding manes and early mornings being driven across the countryside to competitions. I competed at state level dressage and trained the foal that we bred. This was a start in the world of sport that taught me hard work, discipline, persistence and a love of spending my weekend outdoors.
Moving to Brisbane for university, there was no room at college for a horse. Thankfully, at high school, a teacher held cross country training a few mornings a week, sparking a passion for running. I used to dread cross country as a young girl. Then as a teenager, I can remember the excitement and disbelief when the hill repeats paid off and I won the regional trials, qualifying for State Championships. I always played a range of ball sports and continued to play touch football and went to the gym, but it was running I really enjoyed. I used to circle the university along the river and as a physiotherapy student, completed my first half marathon. Having failed to achieve that goal the year prior, the memory of crossing the final bridge to the finish line is still crystal clear.
In my final year of medical school, I returned to my home town, where I formed a friendship with the hospital librarian and she insisted that I give her old road bike a new home. It was old, pink, heavy and too big for me, but I hit the road and trained for an ‘enticer’ triathlon. Swimming was not my strong point, so I got lessons from a university student and finished the swim, 375m in open water, terrified but exhilarated.
So I bought a bike, joined the South Bank Triathlon Club on my return to Brisbane and met a group of new friends over post-training fruit toast and coffee. There’s nothing quite like starting your workday having already completed a tough training session and catching up with like-minded people.
When I moved to Sydney, Triathlon once again opened the door to a new social group and the challenges continued. My cycling improved with the hilly terrain and I did my first 70.3 Ironman at Port Macquarie as an intern.
Every race has highs and lows that are burnt in your memory, but some are extra special. To change things up, I entered a pairs adventure race of trail running, kayaking and cycling with my boyfriend. He had an injury, so I ran the last leg alone, about 14km of hilly trails. It took longer than expected and I was feeling relieved to round the final bend at Bobbin Head, hearing over the loud speaker as others crossed the finish. When I entered the finish chute, I saw my now husband in a tuxedo waiting at the end to propose. I laughed and nervously said yes into the microphone. Unfortunately there is video proof that I still veered to scan my race timer on my way to him (but I forgot to stop my Garmin!).
As a pre-baby goal, I decided to finally travel to Europe and run a marathon, so why not in Paris! A flat and fast race, it was perfect. My husband and I trained together and on the day, our pace was even and we crossed the finish line together, neither of us game to test our fatigued muscles with a sprint finish, but still meeting our goal of a sub 4 hour time.
Two pregnancies later, the competitive focus has shifted to more attainable goals of exercising to keep happy and healthy. In my first pregnancy, I swam, walked and did Pilates. Afterward I very gradually returned to running and joined Buggy Bootcamp, making new friends and exercising overlooking the beach. Second time around, there was less swimming, but I continued walking, often on day care drop offs and continued resistance training. Lifting a toddler and navigating apartment stairs led to pelvic pain that I managed with the help of Physiotherapy.
After our second son was born I added in strength training, yoga and Barre by joining a gym with a creche. Walking is part of the daily routine for naps and scooter rides. My main goal however, is returning to running and cycling, with the help of a bike on a wind trainer. Running is proving difficult with recurrent calf strains and tightness, so a stability workout from my Physiotherapist and spending more time on mobility and rolling is crucial to counter the lifting, carrying and breast feeding postures that dominate my days. Sometimes I’m doing exercises at the park, in the living room, on the trampoline or with babies sleeping in a pram or carrier, but each day, I try to be active.
I learnt during the most demanding and stressful stages of my life how important exercise was for my general wellbeing, no matter how busy I was. I have experienced endurance training regimes, team sports, dancing, yoga, Pilates, Barre, personal training, open water swimming, kayaking and surfing. I’ve managed my own overuse and acute injuries, exercised through the changes of pregnancy and recovered from caesarian sections. I’m very grateful to have found a career where I can help others achieve their performance goals and stay active, no matter their life stage.
