At 61, I am Not Fading - I am Building

Discipline or Punishment? I am Still Learning the Difference.

This morning I spent two hours at the gym doing cardio and strength training. I am not exactly new to gyms, but I also know how easy it is for good intentions to slowly fade after a few months.

Something has changed now that I am sixty-one.

I am no longer exercising to become smaller. These days, I care far more about mobility, strength, balance, energy, and staying independent for as long as possible.

Before leaving the house, I still stood in front of my cupboard wondering what would make me look slimmer. Black won again. Some habits clearly take longer to outgrow than others.

Recently, I listened to a podcast about the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation depends on how you feel. Discipline is what carries you on the days you do not feel like showing up. That part stayed with me.

In the past, most of my discipline revolved around losing weight, and honestly, I did not always go about it in the healthiest way. If eating less gave quick results, then that was what I did. Now I am trying to direct that same determination toward something better.

What I genuinely love about the gym is the feeling I have when I walk out afterwards. Stronger. More capable. More alive.

The Stairmaster is still my nemesis, especially around the four-minute mark when my legs start protesting and my lungs begin questioning all my life choices. Sweat runs down the machine in a small river, but somehow, I keep going for the full thirty minutes because I love seeing progress I can actually measure.

Every week I try to increase the speed on the Stairmaster slightly. Recently, my VO2 max reached thirty-eight, which apparently puts me in the top five per cent for my age group. I was so pleased with myself.

What is V02 max

I have always been strict with myself. That is simply how I function. Sometimes that discipline helps me grow, but other times it crosses the line into punishment. That inner voice still appears occasionally to tell me I should be doing more or that I should be further along by now. The difference is that I am starting to answer it differently.

I am no longer training to become thinner. I am training to become stronger. Stronger physically, certainly, but also mentally. More resilient. More capable. More willing to keep building a good life instead of quietly stepping back from it.

I know none of this happens overnight, but I am genuinely excited to see where I might be a year from now. And honestly? I have always loved a challenge.

🌿 Continue Your Journey

If this blog resonated with you, here are three more stories you might enjoy:

 Why I Finally Walked Away From Dieting —because building strength starts with nourishing your body instead of restricting it.

 Small Changes, Big Results—because strength is built one small habit at a time.

The Midlife Waist, Muscle Loss... and What No One Told Us — to understand why our bodies change after 50 and how strength training can help.

I am curious — if you stopped focusing on becoming smaller, what else might you start building for your future self?

— Frannie ☕