I wanna start lifting again.............

mrs_mab

OK, there it is. I am sure there is a new thread started about this daily. So, It's been a long time for me and I am now much older & fatter than I was when I was previously lifting not sure the best way to get started? Should I focus more on cardio with light weights & higher reps to get me started, or just jump on in feet first with heavy weight and lower reps and start building muscle under the fat to try and drop pounds that way? It seems so much has changed in the fitness world since my lifting days way back when......We are seeing this HIIT, muscle confusion, etc...etc... not really sure where I should jump in at......

background: I am 38 years young, 5'10", SW 236, CW 215, GW 150-170 depending on muscle, tone, etc....

I have always been an "athlete" ran track (hurdles & relay), ran CC, swim team, volley ball & played softball throughout HS. After HS, the sports stopped, but I continued hiking, off & on running & weight lifting (pretty heavy lifting in mid 20's - dead lifts were my favorite) I've always been fairly "naturally strong" if there is such a thing, just Sunday I unloaded 15 - 40lb bags of dirt off my truck in just a couple minutes and toted them 20 yards like it was nobody's business, I made it into a mini workout, haha, I try to do that every time I have yard work to do....anyhoooo I am pushing 40 now, and about to send my baby girl off to college, so I guess I'm in a bit of a mid-life crisis....IDK....but I want to see how far I can go, how far I can push myself, how toned, cut & hot I can get, I want to be in shape for my youngest who is 10, and for someday in the future when I have grand babies....I don't want to be some decrepit old granny, I want to be fit and in shape to enjoy fun time with them! So there you have it. I have changed my diet quite a bit, but am by no means a "clean eater"! I am NOT going to deprive myself of something I want/crave, I am just learning to eat those cravings more in moderation. I have added a lot more fruits & veggies, cut wayyyyyy back on my beer/alcohol, mountain dew, and try to steer clear of gluten when I can. Most of my carbs come from fruits & veggies, but I have seen lots of success stories from other "dirty eaters" like me haha! My diary is open.

My problems or hindrances: They say heavy lifting is good for osteoporosis....I was told in my late 20's after multiple x-rays, scans, etc that I have degenerative joint disease, or OA & that it was clearly visible (in my 20's) in every x-ray they took! All through HS and young adulthood I was measuring at 6' it's visible on my pregnancy records from my first at 20, the other day we noticed my daughter was catching up to me, thinking there is no way she is still growing at 18, we measured us both. She had indeed grown about 1/4 of an inch to a solid 5'7" but to our surprise I was down to 5'10"! Pardon my French, but WTF!!!!!!!!!! This freaks me out & terrifies me! so there is one hurdle, the other is I am almost a year out of reconstructive ankle surgery after shattering it last May. I still have 2 rods & 5 screws in there. Doctor has not released me to full/high impact stuff which is why I can't run yet or do some of the crossfit stuff like box jumps, burpees, etc....I also cannot do a full squat w/o weight yet. I can go about 1/2 to 3/4 way without pain.

OK, so there ya have it my long, rambling story..............now I will take any advice both diet (which I am not super concerned with) and programs I should try???? For lifting, I have free weights at home, and I have a gym membership.

Thx! :bigsmile: