My husband of 62 years had just died, and I needed to decide what to do with the rest of my life. I could give in to the enormous loss and let it swallow me, or I could move forward and take on some of his responsibilities. I chose the latter, and for the first time, I started mowing our lawn, hauling heavy bags of mulch around the yard, and taking care of the household chores.
I was always recreationally active and had walked a few miles a day for most of my life, so I was comfortable on my feet. But I hadn’t done any organized exercise consistently in decades, so taking on this kind of physical work at 83 was challenging. People told me I should hire someone so I wouldn’t get hurt, but the truth was, I enjoyed it.
I felt strong and capable, and it was empowering to know that I could still take care of business. That sense of independence became a way of life for the next several years. Then, shortly after my 90th birthday this past spring, my daughter-in-law, who is a serious athlete, saw me casually lift a 40-pound bag of mulch.
She decided I was ready for something bigger: Hyrox, a fitness competition that combines running with functional workout stations like sled pushes, wall balls, and ski ergs. (She’s competed in numerous Hyrox races around the world.) I had never heard of Hyrox, but I’ve always been competitive, so I was immediately up for the challenge. We signed up for a race in Dallas this November, deciding to compete as a relay team, meaning we’d split the events and race together as a pair. Within a few days of signing up, I was in the gym and ready to train.
I’d done a little weightlifting here and there in my 30s and 40s, so I was generally familiar with the gym, but I knew I had a lot to learn. Luckily, I had the perfect teammate and coach, as my daughter-in-law programmed my workouts and began training with me three days a week. Each workout lasts about an hour to an hour and a half, and I always start with 15 minutes of walking on the treadmill to warm up.
From there, we move through different exercise stations, focusing on the events I’ll encounter in the Hyrox relay: ski ergs, sled pushes, sled pulls, burpee broad jumps, rows, farmer’s carry, sandbag lunges, and wall balls. The number of reps and sets varies from workout to workout, but I typically train three or four exercises during each session. I’ve already noticed a big difference from staying consistent: I’ve built visible full-body muscle, my everyday house chores have become even easier, and I have more energy throughout the day.
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