Staying the Course: Finding Progress in anImperfect Week
This week reminded me that improving fitness at 65 is rarely a tidy process. My weight fluctuated, my left hip forced changes to my training, and a brief getaway took me away from my usual nutrition routine. Yet by Thursday morning, the scale was moving in the right direction, I was back in the gym, and I had enjoyed two beautiful days in Quebec. That feels like progress—just not the kind that fits neatly into a spreadsheet.
The scale finally moves—but I’m watching the trend
Earlier in the week, I found myself frustrated by small gains and losses on the scale. I was putting in the effort and wanted the numbers to cooperate. On Thursday, October 22, I weighed 209.7 pounds, down 1.5 pounds for the week, and 0.6 pounds since starting the cut on October 10. It’s not a huge loss, but this is exactly the type of weight loss I am striving for (0.5–1.0 pounds per week).
As a physician, I know daily weight is affected by fluid shifts, sodium, food in the digestive tract, and changes associated with exercise. As the person standing on the scale, I still find it frustrating. This week reinforced a lesson I keep relearning: look for a sustained trend, not a verdict from any single morning.
Training around a painful hip
My left hip has been the bigger challenge. Advanced osteoarthritis has made walking unpredictable. At times I have been comfortable at home, only to develop substantial pain partway through a walk. I have therefore been modifying activity and setting aside lower-body sessions when the hip is aggravated.
On Monday, I substituted an upper-body workout for my planned leg day and was pleased to reach a personal best. On Thursday, I returned for chest, shoulders, and triceps. It was a decent session overall, but my right shoulder began bothering me during dumbbell chest presses, so I reduced the weight and repetitions. That is not the workout I would have drawn up in advance—but it is the workout I could manage that day. Aches and pains can become more common with age, but they are not inevitable. I try to distinguish ordinary exercise discomfort from significant joint pain and adapt when needed—by choosing a different exercise or reducing the weight, repetitions, or intensity rather than pushing through worsening pain.
I am learning that adapting a workout is not abandoning the program. With hip replacement planned for early next year, protecting my ability to function matters more than forcing a particular exercise or step count. Significant or escalating pain deserves reassessment, not simply more determination.
Magog: a different kind of active day
I took a short trip to Magog, Quebec, where autumn was on full display. I visited Abbaye Saint-Benoît and completed a slow, meditative walk of about 1.3 miles along the Prayer Trail. Instead of tracking speed or trying to extend the distance, I took roughly two hours to enjoy the trail, the quiet, and the landscape. After the walk, I headed to the Nordic Station Spa, an outdoor spa surrounded by nature. I relaxed in the heated pools beneath sprawling maple trees, listened to the nearby streams, and enjoyed several sauna sessions.
This was not a conventional training day. In fact, it became a welcome recovery day. I came away thinking that fitness should help us participate in experiences like these—not make us feel guilty for taking time to enjoy them.
A restaurant dinner, without turning it into a crisis
Nutrition was reasonably close to plan earlier in the day, but dinner at KOZ was decidedly not. I enjoyed an appetizer, salad, main course, had a glass of wine, and finished with dessert. I exceeded my calorie target and missed my planned macronutrient balance.
I am not going to pretend that the meal fit my cutting program. It did not. But I also refuse to treat an enjoyable dinner as a personal failure. The useful question is what I do next: return to my ordinary eating pattern, rather than compensate with an extreme restriction or let one meal become a week of drifting. I did not restrict my food intake before or after the dinner to compensate. Instead, I returned to my usual plan and continued prioritizing my protein intake.
The takeaway from this week
By Thursday I felt more optimistic. My weight had eased down, I had completed another resistance workout, and the trip had given me a needed break from physical and mental stress. I also know there will be more bumps. Weight loss is not linear; neither is training when a painful joint is involved.
Next week I want to keep doing the basics well: follow the nutrition plan more consistently, train within what my joints tolerate, and allow enough recovery to keep showing up. My aim is not a perfect seven-day scorecard. It is to build a pattern I can sustain.
If you are working to lose body fat, gain strength, or remain active as you get older, I hope this week offers a useful reminder: a setback, a modified workout, or an unplanned meal does not have to become the end of your progress.
ABOVE ALL — NEVER SETTLE.
Follow My Fitness Journey and explore the Healthy Aging Brief (HAB) at www.metabolismu.com.
Medical disclaimer: This is a personal account for educational purposes, not individualized medical advice. Exercise and nutrition plans, and management of joint pain, should be individualized with appropriate healthcare professionals.
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