jcorbett’s BodyBlog

Lessons learned, no more Lipo 6 & liquor, especially on an empty stomach; in fact I’m done with liquor. Secondly, create a plan that includes eating and hydration the next time the kids are away.

It’s rare that I get free child care on weekend with a bonus of an overnight, but a friend kept the kids a couple weekends ago. Of course I felt compelled to go out and do something. I failed to plan anything so I winged it. I decided to go to a club for dinner and live music, but missed my usual eating time by 3 hours. While I was waiting for dinner I decided to have a Mojito (note: I took Lipo 6 earlier in the day—probably another factor). The drink was strong and didn’t taste good, but after downing it in a few short minutes I forgot about my hunger. Eventually my dinner arrived and I ate it without incident. I also had a few cups of water b/c I was feeling a little dehydrated (not a good sign). After dinner I moved closer to the dance floor to get a better view of the band and was enjoying the Salsa music until an unnamed fellow approached me with a request to dance. I tried to explain to him that I was tired, etc., but he was very persistent. All of the sudden I felt extremely hot and dizzy. I quickly excused myself to get some air and while standing outside of the club I began to think, “I really need to squat before I faint….”  I was awakened by the impact (my head hitting the sidewalk) and the sensation of water (it was raining that night. As the bouncers picked me up off the ground I heard a voice somewhere in the distance say, “oh, no, she broke her nose”. Well thank goodness that it wasn’t that bad, but I did get some ugly scars. Water & ice on my head helped me recover quickly—how embarrassing.   

Now that my muscular development is visible to others I am getting comments such as “don’t lose too much” while these morons glance at my chest and butt. What’s that about?  I remember an early email on this site from a male that seemed to equate attractiveness and femininity to roundedness. This person along with some others seems to think that lean & angular are masculine attributes.  When I was younger I wanted to be like Pam Greer (Foxy Brown) and Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones). These were strong Black women who could kick butt and “rock your world” all in the same film. They also had “brick house” figures (36, 24, 36) and they wore great outfits.  

Clearly the media and culture shape our definition of femininity.  Some cultures view lean figures and the ideal. Other cultures view “phat” figures as sex goddess symbols. Many in the body building community consider muscles sexy for both men and women. Additionally, various women on this site have raised the standard for those of us who are 40+. These women are lean, muscular, and sexy. Caroline Bryant writes, “To be big and freaky. Or not to be.” (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/other44.htm).  She discusses the double standards and some of the gender equity issues in the body building profession.  Do such standards affect your judgment about femininity? Secondly, is a woman’s femininity affected when she achieves a figure that has less than 5% body fat (for example)? 

I don’t want to look like anyone I’ve seen in the magazines. And I am definitely not locked into the Eurocentric Ideology of what looks good (e.g. ultra thin). I’m proud of my shape and am only in competition with myself; trying to get the best “me” possible. Is this what body building is about or is this an unhealthy obsession?

I have exceeded my fat loss goal and have really met my weight loss goal. I am glad to reclaim my body, but I want more…. Now I want the 6 pack and thighs made of steel. I’ve started taking Lipo 6 again in hopes of losing the inner thigh body fat. Yes, I am eating clean and doing extra cardio too. Check this out, I know darn well the fat didn’t show up yesterday, but I want it to be gone with the snap of my finger so that I can get to the good part, which to me is muscle development.  Can I get a witness?

I’ve been trying to embrace the healthy lifestyle mindset, but the reality is that it’s sheer vanity that keeps me motivated to not eat the crap, work the abs at night, and do more cardio. I enjoyed a decent physique in my 20’s and 30’s and now realize that my body can be “whipped” into shape at age 45. I want a quarter to bounce off my assets (LOL). I want to stop traffic (in theory), etc. This doesn’t sound like a mature attitude, but now that I have seen numerous examples of 40 plus year olds on this site who are ultra fit, I want a piece of the action. So is this a healthy obsession, vanity, or insanity?

I am aware that I need to reduce my body fat to at least 12% before I see some ab definition, but want to know what types of ab exercises do you do? How many reps? I’ve read a number of articles, but would like to know what works for you. I’ve just added abs to my routine and try to do leg lifts, crunches, side bends and crunches on the exercise ball for 3 sets of 30 with a goal of six times weekly.

Today I did arms, shoulders and chest. For a bonus I did a superset of jumpsquats (onto 4 steps) and leg extensions, oh what fun. My knee and foot hurts.  Additionally, I changed cardio from the elliptical trainer to the stair master. I’m sure many of you run during your cutting phase, but I dunno………jogging/running is not the same for me. The thrill is gone.

My Jan. fat loss goal was 15% by May ‘08. I just got measured today and it’s 14.5%. Unbelievable.  I didn’t think it was possible to shape up that quickly. Guess the extra cardio helped. This is a significant achievement for me and I am very pleased with my progress. Now it’s time to begin working on the abs and continue toning the thighs. I’m almost bikini ready.