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Sports med doc here 💁🏽‍♀️

One of the best types of exercises any woman/person identifying as female can do for their bone health is weight bearing/load based exercises! Don’t skip it ladies, there’s no such thing as too late to make a difference for your health!

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Thx for the shout it! Also love lifting weights bc it makes me feel strong. I also have issues around body and disordered eating so I get the skepticism…it’s smart to always be checking in on the “why” behind exercise.

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Yes!! There’s a level of caution I think I’ll always have around gym culture and anything diet-related just to ensure I never go down that path again.

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Jul 15·edited Jul 15Liked by Natalie Borton

Thanks for the reccs, Natalie :) Especially loved Kirsten Powers' article about envy and how telling it is about ourselves. / For working out I use Taylor Toned who does barre on YT and her own platform. Sometimes weights can bother my joints and I find the lighter weights with higher repetitions easier to recover from. And she has never mentioned "bikini body" etc. Always about strength and health, nothing more. / Think you might be interested in this convo Pandora Sykes had with the author of the "Anxious Gen" which you mentioned before. A good multi-perspective on it: https://pandorasykes.substack.com/p/on-smartphones-teenagers-and-anxiety

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

My husband is a physical therapist and is very encouraging of lifting weights (especially for women as they age) to increase quality of life and bone health. It has definitely encouraged me to add it to my Pilates based workout routine, but I also find it hard to know what to do on any given day, so I’m intrigued by the app - keep us posted!

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

Hi. I've been lifting weights for 18 years now and am certified to teach yoga, but I just teach my husband. lol-- Don't be afraid to go up in weight-- that's how you build muscle and get stronger! Keep up with yoga and always warm up before lifting and stretch after.

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Both my grandmothers lived into their mid-90s and I think about them a lot, too, when contemplating my future self! I actually just wrote about the science behind how we can make the best decisions for our present AND future selves...take a look here if you'd like: https://abbydavisson.substack.com/p/are-you-night-guy-or-morning-guy

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

I also think about aging in terms of being active & staying able vs looks. I see so many different kinds of grandparents & want to be able to be the parent/grandparent that travels, plays, & can (somewhat) keep up with the littles.

& of course I want to feel good (& look good for myself) so those things keep me motivated

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

Don’t be afraid to lift heavy. Our bones need it to stay strong as we age. And, unless you’re eating a ton or are blessed genetically, you won’t bulk up. But who cares even if you do!

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

Thanks for sharing authentically about your struggle with body positivity. I really appreciate what you share on social media, in my email and Substack. Have fun with the moves app! I’ve been using it for a few months and really love it!

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Oh that's great to hear!! So far it's been really easy to follow along with.

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

Hi Natalie, I just love your content, style and your overall perspective on life and values. Hearing you share about healthy aging and body positivity is so wonderful. You're truly a breath of fresh air and have helped me refine my closet (and make up routine) immensely. Although I have no children I am a trying to emulate the legit mom style! It is definitely effortlessly cool. Thank you for sharing and for all you do. I know a lot must go in to this! I love you're into yoga. I have a YouTube Channel if you ever want to mix things up! @Littlebylittlefitness It is very, very small tho! Also, your skin is so beautiful. Would love to hear more about any skin treatments you do! Have a fabulous day!

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Jul 12Liked by Natalie Borton

I recently found @shemoves_coach on Instagram. I signed up for her online program and I love it. She schedules a different workout for every day of the week, moving through glutes, core, upper body, and mobility. I find some days very difficult so I’m not sure how beginner friendly it would be. Something to keep in mind as you progress though.

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Thank you, appreciate that!

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So much gratitude for yoga for the mind/body benefits! And for sharing my Italy recap ;). 🤍

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Yoga has been SUCH a healing practice and is always the highlight of my week!

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I am interested in weights too but hate gyms. Do you love the Moves App? Is it just $20 a month?

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Yes, I’m trying the Moves App! It’s $20/mo or they have an annual plan that brings it down to around $16 I think.

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Hi! I joined the Moves app in late April and have loved it. There’s a free week trial and then it’s $20 per month. I do it all from home with some equipment (but not necessary). I love its focus on building a strong body!!!

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Thank you for sharing about working out and disordered eating - I too have struggled with this and sometimes feel like I'm overwhelmed by the amount of workouts and trainers that still focus on looks? So again, thank you for being a sound voice!

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I started lifting weights about 4 months ago and cannot recommend Caroline Girvan on YouTube enough!! She delivers *so* much value and she has so much amazing content. I’ve never been able to stick with at home workouts until hers. Her workouts are super clear, informative (so you stay safe), positive, and real. She does the entire workout with you in realtime which I find super motivating— feels like working out with a super buff friend. I do her Iron Series (a 6 week series, 30 mins each video) and am on my second go around! I’ve seen (and felt) amazing results without consistently doing her workouts everyday so the whole thing takes me closer to 12 weeks and I love that she targets different muscle groups. She has tons of different work out plans depending how long you want the series to be, individual workout length, etc. I use Bowlex dumbbells at home but would recommend a different adjustable set bc sometimes I find them too bulky! One of her fans put together the spreadsheet of the various workout series she offers: https://airtable.com/app90kt6Fz0MBfrty/shrCApiBkaRj96F2D/tblYUQZ5tiHHku1dI

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That’s great you’re going to add in strength training. I started over a year ago but this March I’d say I truly started being more consistent each week and pushed myself to lift heavier. I’m finally seeing the definition I’ve been wanting and I love the sessions. I use the Faster Way app, but whatever you use I think having someone tell you what to do/something structured every week is key.

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