Your age is just a number!

I am a substitute fitness instructor at our community center. Since Halloween is tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to do something different than just lifting weights and cardio. I mess around with belly dancing at home and know how much of a workout it can be with no impact on the knees.

My class is mostly ladies who are over 60 so their eyes got big when I put on the music and got my hip scarf on. We did simple moves without worrying about dancing per se. I got them to do hip drops, hip circles, shimmy, some different arm movements, etc. I just wanted to give them an overview of how to do the basic moves. I tried to encourage them to combine what we learned and dance to the music I had brought but that was too much for them. They were good sports to try!
One of the staff of the fitness center said that maybe we should start a new class featuring belly dancing!

I was trying on jeans today as my current ones (size 6) are not fitting well anymore. Just for fun, I thought I would try the size 4 pair on. OMG… they fit… they fit awesome! I just bought size 6 jeans a couple of months ago so it is hard to believe that my body shape has changed that much so soon but I guess it did. And yes, I bought those size 4 jeans and I think I will leave the tags on so everyone will know what size I am wearing on my butt!

Since January, I have gone through the following US dress sizes: started at size 14, dropped down to 12, then 10, then 8, then 6 and am now wearing size 4. If you told me last January that I would be wearing this size in less than a year, I would have called you a liar. I really credit bodybuilding with my physique changes more than diet alone. I would have lost fat by dieting, sure, but I would have been flabby in all the wrong places and I know my dress size would not be where it is now.

I can’t wait to see what the next few months in this year hold for me… it can only get better!

Ben Weider, OC, bodybuilder and author, was born on February 1, 1923. He died on October 17, 2008, aged 85.
With his older brother Joe, Ben Weider was one of the important influences on the popularisation of bodybuilding as an international sport. The son of Polish immigrants who settled in Montreal, he and Joe began lifting weights as teenagers hoping to even things up in the street fights that were common in the largely French-Canadian Plateau-Mont-Royal district of their native city. Using discarded axles and wheels from railroad cars when conventional barbells proved impossible to find, the brothers soon found fewer challenges coming their way.

While still in his teens, Joe Weider entered and won several local competitions, leading other lifters to inquire about his training routine. When he tired of repeating himself, the brothers began producing a mimeographed newsletter, Your Physique. Within months, circulation had reached five figures.

The Second World War suspended their business activities but the brothers returned in earnest after the end of hostilities. They expanded their publishing activities and began offering nutritional supplements and exercise equipment.

They founded the International Federation of Body Building in 1946, Ben holding the presidency for the next 60 years. Originally representing physique athletes only from Canada and the US, the IFBB now oversees the activities of 170 national organisations.

Their name firmly established as body building’s dominant brand, the Weiders brought a young Austrian to the US, a move that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name, raised the sport’s profile and sent the Western world flocking to their gym.

Ben Weider’s financial success allowed him to indulge his lifelong interest in Napoleon Bonaparte. Immersing himself in Napleonic lore, Weider became convinced that he had not died of cancer, as universally acknowledged, but had actually succumbed to intentional arsenic poisoning. Written with the Swedish dentist Sten Forshufvud, Assassination at St Helena: The Poisoning of Napoleon Bonaparte was derided by historians when released in 1978, but it went on to sell more than a million copies in several languages. The founder and president of the International Napoleonic Society, in 1998 Weider endowed Florida State University’s Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution.

Support for his theory that Napoleon was surreptitiously fed arsenic over an extended period leading up to his death in 1821 has increased significantly since it was first hypothesised. In 2000 France appointed Weider to the Légion d’Honneur. A member of the Order of Canada since 1975, he was advanced to officer (OC) in 2006.

A devout Jew, Weider donated gyms to numerous communities in the Middle East, with Jews, Arabs and Palestinians all benefiting from his generosity. Closer to home, he supported or built numerous community centres around his home town, without regard for the ethnic or religious affiliations of those who would make use of them.

Over the years Weider amassed the world’s largest collection of privately-held Napoleonic memorabilia, including a trademark bicorne hat from Bonaparte’s ill-fated Russian campaign of 1812, and several locks of hair. Three weeks ago it was announced that the entire 60-piece collection had been donated to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Weider published several other books on Napoleon, notably (with General Michel Franceschi) The Wars Against Napoleon (2007), whose thesis was that rather than merely pursuing a career of military glory, Napoleon fought a defensive struggle on behalf of an enlightened revolution against reactionary European regimes, among them that of Britain.

Benjamin Weider is survived by his wife, Huguette, whom he married in 1959, and by three sons.

–Source: The Times Online, Oct. 24, 2008

Body fat was something I just didn’t want to know earlier this year when I was weighing in at 165+ lbs and wearing a size 14 dress. I knew it was high but just like the scale, ignorance was bliss.

I finally decided to see where my current body fat is at. I used a web site that has a home body fat test based on age, gender, weight and body measurements. I used my current stats and found some from April this past year when I weighed in at 156 lbs.

April 2008, weigh 156 lbs, hips 40", upper thigh 24" — Body fat was 32%.

This equals to 49.9 Pounds of fat and 106.1 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

October 2008, weigh 135 lbs, hips 37", upper thigh 20" — Body fat at 23%.

This equals to 31.1 Pounds of fat and 103.9 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

I think I probably have more muscle and less fat than the web site shows. Muscle weighs in more than fat and I know from measurements that I have gained over 5 inches of muscle on my frame and have lost 4 dress sizes. I will ask my doctor when I see her next week if she has a way to measure my personal body fat more accurately than just weight, height and measurements. Overall, I know I’ve lost body fat and am pleased whatever the numbers are!

Last week was just horrible for me! I was exhausted all the time and could only do the most basic routines for workouts. I did get my behind off the couch to exercise so I feel good about that.  Now another week has gone by… I finally have more energy and am starting to feel like my old self. I still haven’t done my usual intensity of workouts but it is getting better every day. I skipped Monday’s workout, went to my strength training fitness class (in addition to a senior fitness class I do with my 79-year-old mom) on Tuesday, a dozen laps plus water exercise class on Wednesday, and I was the fitness instructor leading the strength training class on Thursday (I really worked them hard too!). I was tired for a little while Thursday afternoon but nothing major.

So today is Friday and I think I will take today off from workouts in addition to the weekend. Rest is important to health and I have to listen to my body telling me when I have overdone it. I’m lucky I was able to quit working a while ago so I can rest when I need to instead of making myself finish the work day. I quit when my leukemia took a turn for the worse with chemo lurking in the wings and I realized that job stress was going to literally kill me. My cancer has done so much better since I gave up my job as manager of a printing company… nothing like daily deadlines to send your immune system into a tailspin!

Hoping for more workouts next week!

My lifting gloves finally fell apart after being used for several years. I have been looking for a new pair for a while but I felt like Goldy Locks in that when I tried them on, they were either too big or too small. I found a pair this weekend made by the Valeo Company. They are the Women’s Crosstrainer Plus Pull-on Gloves. They can be machine washed & dried!

I really like these gloves! They have a pull-on design that is easy to put on and off. There is a double leather padded palm and index finger with a suede palm for a better grip. I have been using them and really like how light-weight they are and how secure my hands now feel holding heavy dumbbells. I can get sweaty palms and nothing is worse than worrying about dropping dumbbells on yourself! I highly recommend these gloves to all the ladies out there!

I’ve been extra tired all this week. I guess my leukemia is rearing it’s ugly head right now. Sometimes I get super tired to the point that all I want to do is lie down and sleep. It will pass but in the meantime all I can do is keep plugging away at my workouts. Gotta keep my goals in front of me and not let my cancer control my life!
It has been hard to do intense training; all the weights seem extra heavy and it is hard to keep good form. I’ve gone to doing lighter weights and higher reps to get the burn going. At least I’m getting off the couch and working out, even if it is not the massive muscle building routine I want it to be right now. I’m hoping next week will be better!

I got out the trusty tape measure today and took my stock of my progress so far. I know my looking in the mirror that my body is changing but wanted to see exactly what was different. Here are the changes from my previous measurements of 2 months ago in August when I joined this site.

Weight: was 143 lb; now 135 lb (lost 8 lbs)

Chest: unchanged at 39"

Arms: was 11"; now 11.75" (gained 3/4")

Hips: was 38"; now 37" (lost 1")

Waist: was 30"; now 28" (lost 2")

Thighs: unchanged at 20"

Calves: unchanged at 14"

Forearms: was 8.5", now 10" (gained 1.5")

Shoulders: was 43", now 45.5" (gained 2.5")

Neck: was 16", now 16.5" (gained 1/2")

I did measure my arms flexed just to see how big they were & I got 12.75". It will be fun to get to 13" flexed; I hope to make it my the end of the year!
I am happy with my stats after 2 months. I have lost 8 lbs and 3 inches on the fat part of me while I have gained 5.25 inches of muscle! I am so very encouraged to keep up with my workouts and watching what I eat.

I walked into the exercise room at my local fitness center yesterday, after my one hour fitness class for strength training. I had a pump going on from lifting in the class beforehand. I’m not super muscular (yet) but I’ve got some muscles going on under my skin. There were some folks in there that I have not seen before at that time of day. One was a guy who looked about my age (mid 50s) who took one glance at me and gave me a serious dirty look! I honestly don’t give a hoot what he or anyone else thinks of me and my choice to work with weights again. I was using the cable machine to do my arm workouts but I could see this guy out of the corner of my eyes going around the room, staring at me with a scowl on his face.

My last set was for triceps. I was doing a push-down with the cable and the heaviest I can do so far is 90 lbs. I finish my sets and step away from the cables. He rushes in, pulls the pin and replaces it at 140 lbs and proceeds to quickly squeeze out reps doing the same exact workout I just did. He gives me a smug look then picks up his stuff and stalks out of the room!

Is he a jerk or what? Does it really bother guys to see a woman who wants to lift weights, get stronger and look better? I had to put up with this attitude when I was lifting 20 years ago… I really thought society would have advanced a tiny bit for the better on women not being seen as soft and fluffy playthings for men.

I am only going to get bigger muscles and lots stronger so someday, I will be able to outlift him! I can’t wait!!!!!!!

I have signed up to do the One Hundred Push Ups Challenge. A group of gals are going to do this and see how far we get. There is a web site we are using for our challenge; www.hundredpushups.com. It is a six week strength training program using push ups as they are a great basic strength exercise for all ages and fitness levels. They have a fitness test and a detailed workout program based on your test results. There is even a logger on site if you want to record your results and workout details.
My intial test was to see how many I could do. Now don’t laugh… upper body strength is not my best virtue! I was able to squeeze out 13 full body "good form" push ups before my arms gave up. I placed in Rank 3 out of 7 for my age group. It put me in an average category… at least it wasn’t in the totally unfit column.

My goal is to do one hundred push ups in six weeks! I’ll keep ya’ll posted.