🍤 Soul Snacks

2 min read

Dear Snackers,

I often receive comments and messages from people asking about my workouts or fitness approach. Fitness is a big part of my life. I played sports through college and, since graduating, I have maintained a commitment to exercise – actually, It was probably about midway through my first year post college when it started to hit me that my lacrosse season wasn’t coming and, unless I pushed myself, the scones I was eating for breakfast every morning were not going to work themselves off by sitting at a desk and G-chatting all day. I began taking on some new physical challenges, and signed up for a couple of triathlons to stay fit. What I learned in my attempt to look a certain way, however, was that I was addicted to the way I felt after exercising. Pushing myself physically has had a profound impact on my mental health, so I have always prioritized exercise.   

I’ve taken many approaches to fitness over the years - cardio junkie, interval running, group fitness, yoga, Pilates, HIIT/circuit training and, most recently, lifting heavy weights. This year, in addition to lifting heavy (and by heavy I mean using like 50lb and 75lb kettlebells for leg work), I also made a shift in my nutritional approach to incorporate a lot more protein into my diet, aiming always for 100g protein at the least. I’m perimenopausal and absolutely experiencing symptoms and, from what I have been seeing online, the wellness world wants women lifting weights and eating more protein….here are my thoughts:

Fitness is personal. While lifting weights might be the most effective way to prevent muscle loss after a certain age, a lifetime commitment to lifting heavy weights three or four days per week is also daunting. Sometimes I just don’t feel like using weights, but I also know that building muscle is achieved by working your muscles to failure, which can be accomplished by using bodyweight alone, so I do that instead sometimes. I watch a lot of videos from fitness trainers, and so much of what they are touting is, for me, not realistic over the course of a lifetime because unless you’re an absolute machine, the same exercise program is going to get boring. There is such a small percentage of people who are fanatical enough to eat a certain way and workout a certain way for the rest of their lives, and though I feel I am in decent physical condition, I don’t take my fitness or lifestyle to a super extreme level. Muscle mass is great but sometimes, particularly in the luteal phase, I just want to go for a walk or take a nap, so I do. I leave myself the freedom to make those choices because I want to enjoy exercise, not dread it. I am pretty disciplined with my diet for the most part, but I am not the person who only allows themselves refined sugar or alcohol on special occasions, and that shows. I will never weigh my food or track all my macros and, therefore, I will never have a six pack and that’s OK. Do I indulge every day? Definitely not. But on the weekends I typically have a few drinks and eat real dessert or more rich foods (I eat dessert every day, but during the week it’s usually something small like a Yasso bar or some chocolate after dinner). 

For the record, I wrote this in response to a question I receive often, not because I think I look amazing or have all the answers. I, too, scrutinize the way I look. I, too, wonder about what people who have enviable bodies are doing with their workouts and nutrition and, from what I can tell, most of the people who are idolized for their bodies are either genetically blessed or taking their fitness and nutrition to levels of extreme. My fitness approach is this: exercise and healthy eating are part of my lifestyle, and my only absolute is staying committed to that. No extremes, no rules, just consistency. 

Caitlin 

• Here is a healthy "cottage pie" recipe which I learned is Shepherd's Pie, but with ground beef, but this is with ground turkey, so maybe it should be called "House Pie" or some shit, I don't know, it's healthy and delicious and I will force my kids to eat it.