Ugh. Strength training.

My husband has been pushing me for years to start. I’ve hummed, hawed, and protested. I argued that I shouldn’t lift weights because of my prolapse and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). I claimed yoga is basically bodyweight training anyway. I insisted I was already strong enough.

Then came this past January. I was diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc and told that even my three-year-old was too heavy for me to pick up. Right around that time, a trend hit my social media feed. It showed mothers picking up their teenage children with captions like, “One day will be the last day I ever pick you up, but today is not that day.”

Well that did it. Cue a teary, sniveling, fiercely determined pact with myself: if I ever stop picking up my children, it will be because I’m dead! (I might lean towards the dramatic at times.)

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Fast forward through several months of herniated disc rehab, and I have finally started my strength-training journey for real. Now, this is no sprint from the starting line. Think tortoise, not hare. But I’ve started—and now I have a goal. I want to deadlift my children (who currently weigh roughly 45 kg combined) by my 40th birthday. 

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The Contender: A 39-year COMPLETE weight training newbie with a herniated disc, a pair of 12kg kettle bells, and a dream.

The Goal: To build strength, gain health, and always be able to lift my babies!

The Timeline: About 50 weeks to be able to deadlift my children, with a hope to keep building strength and keep up with their growth. I’ve split it up into four phases to correspond with my Roadmap to 40 plan. 

Starting Over After a Herniated Disc

I’m beginning with zero added weights. Honestly, the equipment was always one of my biggest turn-offs. My current phase of life is far too home-based for gym visits, so I knew I’d be training at home. But weights are expensive and bulky. Where do you store it all? I’m no minimalist, but to keep clutter at bay, I follow one general rule: objects must have the potential for more than one use. The single exception to this rule is books. I love my books. But bulky, heavy, expensive, single-function fitness gear? No thank you.

So, when my physical therapist recommended starting with zero weight, it was the “ah-ha” moment I needed. I started researching calisthenics and body weight training, and devised a schedule to build a routine and learn proper form.

Clever DIY Home Gym Weights

Now this is what really clinched the deal for me, my PT noted that when it is time to add weight, I don’t have to join a gym or even buy expensive weights. I can use household items. 

Well that kicked my crafty brain into high gear. Now everything I see in my house is a potential weight lifting tool. An empty two-liter bottle filled with water is about two kilograms. Bags of garden soil can range up to 30 kilograms. Or, bringing it back to those clutter-approved books, a backpack stuffed with a changing number of novels makes an excellent adjustable weight.

Modifying Strength Training for Neck Injuries

Finally, my PT gave me a few crucial modifications to protect my neck. Above all, I have to avoid exercises like overhead presses, or anything that places weight directly across my neck and shoulders. She also gave me a small ball, slightly smaller than a tennis ball, to hold under my chin. This keeps my neck in an ideal, safe position while I move.

Facing chronic injuries and conditions is terrifying, but doing nothing was no longer an option. So, if you happen to walk into my house and see me awkwardly squatting with a tennis ball under my chin and a backpack full of classic literature, please don’t call for help. I’m just getting strong. It might take me a while to get there, but I’m officially on my way—one page, one water bottle, and one tortoise-step at a time. I’m building the strength to keep holding on to the people who matter most.

Now, I want to hear from you: Have you ever had to redefine what fitness looks like for your own body? Or, if you’re a fellow home-workout warrior, what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a makeshift weight? Let me know in the comments below!