Middle aged woman on a bike
But getting to that fitness level was hard. I’m not just talking about the physical efforts of improving my speed, power and endurance, but also dealing with all the added symptoms I was dealing with by going through the menopause. My sleep was dreadful, often barely getting 6 hours sleep a night, I couldn’t regulate my body temperature, and my mood was swinging all over the place. In many ways though my menopause symptoms have been mild.
Over the last few weeks I’ve been starting to find joy in taking my bike off the tarmac and onto trails and lesser ridden tracks. Not much for now, but it always makes me smile. I think it’s the long forgotten mountain biker in me. Now I’m really not looking to get back into mountain biking (yet), but gravel and trail riding does appeal in bucket loads.
Whenever you want to attempt something pretty epic, it's generally a good idea to have some kind of plan. And like a good Cub Scout it helps to always be prepared.
As someone who has tended to lack a certain amount of self confidence in her abilities on a bike, I now barely recognise the person that I am becoming. If you’ve followed my blog, you might be a bit surprised by this. So let me explain myself. What I do possess is a ballsy determination.....
Why do so many of us lose our confidence as we get older?
This motivation series will include inspirational stories, achievements and tips to build confidence.
To put it all in perspective I’d like to share MJ’s story. She’s the perfect example......