Day 90 +

"Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly,
training it to do what it should, not what it wants to."

1 Corinthians 9:27, Living Bible


I have always enjoyed physical fitness. In school I played volleyball, basketball, and ran track. I picked up a tennis racket at age twenty-nine and still play a lot. My five-foot-ten-inch frame has always been reasonably slender, even eating anything I desired. So when my body began to change undesirably, it was a whole new game that I'd never before played and the rules were foreign to me. It was only a few pounds, but I noticed that I began to lean more and more toward clothing that covered the little roll starting to appear around my middle. I did not in the least like this. Because I am so tall, most folks didn't notice, but I did, and when I saw myself in recent Christmas photos I knew I needed to find what would work for me.

I have always worked out. After my first baby was born I bought a record album (yes, for you younger ones, an album that plays on a turntable!) called Jazzercise. I open up the accordion-style guide book and laid it on top of the dining room table while I played the album and tried to do the exercises. Talk about the dark ages! I did, however, quickly rid myself of the baby weight. In the past I could just exercise harder, drop sugar for a time, or bread, and get right back to that ideal weight. Enter menopause, and no longer!!

Right before Christmas my Tulsa Daughter-In-Law emailed me asking if I would like to do a session with her and her personal trainer during the holidays. I had never done that before and it sounded like fun. We arrived at 6 a.m. at Body Sculpt and this buff guy takes me back in the office to weigh me and get my body fat percentage. I shucked shoes and jewelry so I could get on that scale and be OK. He weighs me in at 162 pounds and 30% body fat. Here's how the conversation went:

" Are you sure this scale is right? My scale at home says something totally different!"

The trainer chuckles and sighs, and I can tell he's heard THAT before! "Yes ma'm, believe me, it's right."

"Oh gosh, you've GOT to be KIDDING!"

But he wasn't....and since this was absolutely unacceptable to me, on January 15, at age 53, I started a journey into new territory that has not only changed my body but also has helped me to completely renew my mind. Three things were key, actually four.

First, I put myself on 1400 calories a day. Come on...I don't need to do that. I eat healthy. Yeah, I found out I was eating healthy to the tune of about 2500-3000 calories/day! The first week was grueling. I DETEST counting calories. But I did it, and after the first week I didn't have to run to calorieking.com every few minutes. Now I hardly ever look anything up and I can even guess on things I haven't eaten before.

Second, I added a LOT of protein to my diet. The trainer said I needed at least 113 grams/day. If you're an athlete you need a gram/pound of body weight. More is better that too little.

Third, I started a really rigorous weight training program. In the past I had injured myself lifing weights and so I went to other exercises. But I found a really great training program on beachbody.com called Chalean Extreme, similar to P90X. One dvd exclusively teaches you how to correctly lift weights so you don't hurt yourself. There is also intense cardio in between days of strength training.

Last but not least, I dug into God's Word to renew my mind because that is where the real battle is fought.

Was I ever shocked when at the thirty day mark I had lost seven pounds and seven inches. Now, at the 100-day mark, I have lost 18 pounds and that many inches. My body fat percentage is hanging around 20, which according to Chalene's charts is on the lean side of lean for my age. Here are some of the really fun things I have noticed:

~The roll around my middle is gone.

~My cheeks (NOT the ones on my face!) no longer rest on the tops of my hamstrings!

~The little pooches on the sides of the tops of my hips at the back are almost totally gone

~When I'm bouncing my tennis ball getting ready to serve, out of the corner of my eye I can see a cut, defined shoulder

~For the first time ever, I HAVE ABS!! I'm just starting to see the rip in my abs! Oh wow, I didn't have that when I was 18!

I noticed so many other benefits. I have absolutely no pain in my joints after I finish three hours of tennis or thirty minutes of jogging up my mountain road. That would stand to reason since for every pound lost, four pounds of pressure are taken off the joints! And the more muscle you have the better your immune system works. My back is rarely sore or tired because my core is so much stronger. In fact, the only drawback is that now I need some new clothes!


Before



After

I have to say that it took hard work, discipline, and a LOT of talking to God, but the journey has not been unbearable. It was very rewarding to see the transformation week by week, and my husband's compliments are music to my ears. Also, I've been able to help some other folks, especially those my age, who fall into that dreadful, deceitful trap of thinking that "it's just the way it is" when you get older. Nonsense!! Anyone at any age can get fit and healthy.

Well, gotta run now. It's time to go work out, and then I'm going shopping!!