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There’s been a groundswell of courtroom dramas over the past few years, from multiple incarnations of Law & Order to The Good Wife. But the gold standard was really set by the 1992 flick A Few Good Men, when Jack Nicholson 's military officer blurted out "You can't handle the truth!" during a powerful cross- examination. That line has certainly been running through my head for the past few weeks following a Metabolic Fitness Assessment at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Because receiving the truth about my current fitness level has prompted reactions ranging from grudging self-acceptance to outright rebellion.
Things seemed just fine on the surface. For the most part, I’ve maintained a healthy 50 pound weight loss for nearly 20 years. Most of the cute clothes in my closet fit without the intervention of prayer or super-reinforced Spanx. I lift weights several times a week, have conquered the Step Mill machine at the gym, hardly ever consume alcohol and haven’t had a date with a hamburger since 1992. After recently celebrating my 45th birthday, I wanted to dig deeper into my fitness levels during our annual girl’s trip. And that digging process yielded its own form of dirt.
The first step was having my body composition measured. As the fitness professional used calipers to measure various fat deposits, she unfortunately was able to pinch way more than an inch. It turns out that my muscle mass was below 90%, the minimum level that Canyon Ranch likes to see for healthy aging. Then it was time for the Metabolic Fitness Assessment. I donned an oxygen mask and climbed up the treadmill at a rapid rate for 15 minutes guided by an exercise physiologist. My hopes were high. All those years of logging in cardio time was bound to make a difference, right?
Well, the truth hurts. Looking at all of the results, the physiologist recommended that I gain three pounds of muscle and lose ten pounds of fat. All of which would have sounded perfectly reasonable if I hadn’t arrived with an inflated sense of my actual wellness level. Good friends on the trip who were about my height but outweighed me by 10, 15 or 20 pounds all came back with better body mass readings because of factors ranging from DNA to diet. I was disappointed and frustrated. Sure enough, I started rebelling by eating desserts when I wasn’t hungry and slacking off on my workouts.
Finally it sunk in that these findings weren’t conducted to give me a better bikini body - I needed this valuable information to lead a healthier life, especially in the years ahead. I made an appointment with a trainer at my gym to start building muscle. I stopped cajoling my boyfriend to accompany me on late night frozen yogurt runs. And I looked at a photo of myself back from 1991 and realized that if I can be a long-term weight loss loser, then this latest challenge going to be cake (err…or perhaps I should use another analogy).
Have you ever received surprising news about your fitness level? Did you get angry and start shoveling in supersize fries, or did the news mobilize you to get in better shape?
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Getting this assessment -and taking steps to make changes now-is probably a great gift you are giving your future self. At 45, you are approaching the "danger" time for women where hormonal changes mean fat gain, and other metabolic changes that effect our health for the rest of our lives.
As an older woman (and trainer), I hope you embrace the weights. You probably do not need to make major changes in your diet, though I would suggest a daily protein shake (one with about 20 grams of protein) to help you put on the muscle. Truthfully, simply doing a full body resistance workout 3 times a week (about 45-50 minutes) instead of all your cardio will likely make the whole difference.
Good luck. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.
Hi Deb. Thanks so much for the insight and encouragement! Your advice is perfect: I met with a highly recommended trainer this morning who told me the same thing about upping my protein and showed me great full-body resistance moves. I went to your website and was inspired also by your weight loss success story - I bet gaining the 12 lbs of muscle was just as challenging as losing the 50 pounds.
I wondered how your trip was:) I go in the beginning of December. That test sounds interesting.
Karen, the trip was my fantastic - my favorite year ever! I came back into a whirlwind of work that culminated in a trip to D.C. all last week but still managed to maintain that "ahhh" feeling CR inspires now that I'm back home. Hope you have a wonderful time!
Sometimes I can handle the truth. Sometimes I need the truth. Most of the time I just need encouragement. I recently saw a photo of myself. And, maybe for the first time, I really saw how I look right now. I needed that. It inspired an intense weekend workout. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I'm so sore it hurts to sit.
Mary Kay, I appreciate you taking the time to sit and write this comment despite the soreness.
Sometimes inspiration comes in the most surprising places and if seeing a photo mobilized you into a good workout, then you are certainly encouraging yourself. And you know the only way to feel better after a hard workout is to do it again. 