My thighs looked like wet paper bags loosely wrapped around plump aubergines.
Gasping, I caught a glimpse of myself in shorts, holding a downward facing dog after a Kettlebell class.
Where the hell have my thighs gone!?
These were once my pride and joy - chiselled from years of commuting by bike through London and a year with dedicated personal trainer.
Nothing quite kicks you in the arse more about aging than seeing your first red cholesterol warning on a blood test.
Shit. The long slow decline is beginning.
It was 2023. I was 44.
Brief background: already fit, but felt a shift (age, mindset, new goals)
The blood test was one of those home kits where you have to prick your own finger.
Despite living a balanced boring lifestyle, I would often feel depleted post-exercise.
Occasionally I would wake with a racing heart rate in the morning. Myself and cortisol have had a complicated relationship in the past so I am well tuned into it.
Excessive cortisol levels lead to a prolonged period of painful adult acne and golf ball sized cysts forming around my eyebrows. This was the first catalyst for big changes in my lifestyle and taking notice of my health.
I’ve avoided ultra-processed food as I like my immune system and prefer to feed it fresh organic natural foods.
Kettlebells was my exercise of choice - twice a week on good weeks with some 5K runs for good measure.
No detoxes. No bullshit. Just the boring stuff - eat, sleep and exercise stuff.
So why was I not feeling totes amazeballs?
The decision to lean in and get data-driven and body-aware.
Despite being a former coder, I am a total Luddite. There are no gadgets or gizmos in my flat. Who needs new ways of being terrorized?
Precisely because I am a former coder, I’m uncomfortable handing over my health data to Google or Apple. Heck I don’t even want the NHS to have it given they've awarded Palantir a massive contract. A great bunch of lads.
My trainer recommended Whoop. This was perfect. Small, tidy, no notifications or ways of being terrorized.
Yes I know that I am using a device that collects health data, which might seem at odds with my initial skepticism about data privacy but I could live with their privacy principles.
I subscribed to Whoop in August 2023
Progress without losing the will to live
I’ve built strong sleep habits, maintained a solid activity level and a RHR of 56bpm is a solid indicator of cardiovascular fitness.
From August to December of 2023 I was averaging 16 workouts a month.
From Jan to July of 2024 I have been averaging 24 workouts a month.
Whoop thought me how the follicular phase of your cycle is ideal for building strength, power, and leveraging this for high-intensity capacity.
Period Power is real. For two weeks each month, I feel like I’m tuned into a whole new frequency of KICK-ASS energy.
These two weeks are my most powerful and most explosive. I lift heavier and bust my ass on interval and speed runs. Women’s bodies are awesome.
What next?
When I look back over the last ten years, health and fitness have become topics I spend a lot of time reading about, mostly trying to sift out the bullshit detoxes and juice diets leaning instead towards science-based approaches like Zoe, which I’m finally going to try next month.
I started this publication to write more—something grounded, personal, and ever-evolving. My own body, midlife, training, and the things I’m noodling with felt like the perfect subject.
Here’s to women’s bodies—and the ongoing journey.
Stay FIERCE.
