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Both women had been fairly active throughout their lives, but wanted to start more structured routines.
Isaacs (left) and Brennan (right)
They wanted tofeel stronger.
They wanted to explore what it really meant to be fit.
Heres what they had to say.
Tracy Isaacs (TI):It all started with a Facebook post.
What measure would I use?
We have all these philosopher friends, so we love that kind of question in our circles.
There are so many possible measures.
So Sam said, Im going to take on that project.
And then we said, Why dont we document our challenge on a blog?
At first it was called Fit, Feminist, and Almost 50.
And then we changed to Fit is a Feminist Issue.
Samantha Brennan (SB):At the time, I had some negative views about aging.
And I wanted to be more well rounded.
TI:I had fallen into a rut myself.
I learned to enjoy movement in a way that wasnt very purpose-driven and was just more enjoyable.
But I was starting to find groceries feeling heavy.
Plus, we like doing things together.
TI:We stepped it up quite a bit for those two years.
I certainly got more focused.
We tried different things but landed on things we were really focused on.
Mine wastriathlon, which I hadnt done before.
I signed up and then realized, Oh my gosh, I just signed up for a triathlon!
Now, I loverunning, running is my thing.
Most people think of me as a runner.
Some worked and some didntit was just trial and error.
But it just wasnt for me.
I plan to revisit rowing when I retire.
Today, Im excited because I have my road bike here and I can take the long way home.
TI:At the beginning I still kind of had the idea that getting lean was the measure.
I had to tweak my mindset, let go of that, and focus.
In fact, I put my scale away and stopped weighing myself completely.
Those were huge changes for me that pretty much stuck.
Working on flexibility and balance.
Its this idea of being fit for life rather than fit for a particular sport or activity.
By the end of it, I was really into it.
I had two bikes, and road bike and a triathlon bike.
I didnt want to go on an indoor trainer just to be able to keep up.
But sometimes I think about later when I retire, will I ever get back to it?
Because I havent really experienced anything quite as energizing as a triathlon.
It surprised me at the beginning of our challenge that tri would become my focal point.
SB:The thing that was completely new to me was rowing.
I loved it, but it didnt fit with my life.
I think later on things might change and I would go back to it because I really loved it.
I was also surprised I likedCrossFitas much as I did.
I really liked the community aspect.
Im not doing it anymore, though.
I went axe-throwing with friends and I won.
I have to make more of an effort.
This weekend, a group of bloggers is going bike riding.
And thats just booked in my calendar, so thats what Im doing.
I have to be more deliberate about planning now.
Im much more scheduled and its become harder to keep up with some things, like swim training.
I feel like Ive hit a comfortable rhythm with workouts now, though.
We sometimes do events together or road trip to do ahalf-marathonor 10K.
SB:The hard part is that fitness often puts an emphasis on womens appearance.
Theres a huge payback.
Participation in fitness activities and sports generates confidence, and confidence helps you on the track to success.
That quality alone (confidence) can take you so far in life.
For me, I really felt myself owning my physicality, learning that it truly belongs to me.
I do these workouts for me.
If I never run another day in my life, nobody else is going to care.
I do it for me.
And how many things in our lives do we do just for us?
But that changed things in a way that I feel good about.
SB:I think we’ve both been touched by a lot of the feedback that we’ve received.
