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INBA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT 70
The INBA Championships in June and July in Melbourne and in Zakynthos, Greece are now not far away and that means, “Work harder Janice!” Consequently my exercise regimen needed to increase. I now get up at 5am four days a week, instead of my usual three days a week and I do my facial exercises in the car while driving to the gym. My gym workout begins with 15 minutes on the treadmill, followed by 30 full push-ups, 30 half triceps push-ups and back leg raises, folowed by 2 1/2 hours working on the various muscle groups on the gym machines, at the end of which, I do some balancing work and then stretching and in the afternoon I also do a brisk 8km walk.
On the other three days I do all of the above except I don’t go to the gym and so I don’t do the 2 1/2 hours on gym machines or the treadmill and I get out of bed about 6.30am rather than 5am.
At 70 I feel strong and excited about life. I believe we all need something to keep our life juices pumping and for me striving to be all I can be at 70 certainly gets my life juices pumping.
EXERCISE TIPS
If you haven’t done any exercise or haven’t execised for a long time, start small. Don’t do too much at once. I didn’t begin regular exercise until age 41 and I began with only two aerobic classes a week. At the time my neck bones stuck out and my upper arms flapped as I moved. I was so embarrassed I covered up my unsightliness in my aerobic classes by wearing a skivvy. Although I began doing only two classes a week it wasn’t long before I was gaining in confidence and enjoying the workouts. Over time I gradually increased my number of exercise classes and eventually I felt able to discard my skivvy.
I recommend that you start small and bulid up the habit of exercise. If you do this you’ll be more likely to stick at it. In my time at the gym I’ve seen many peole hit the gym running. These people are usually new to exercise and want quick results. They’re super keen, they’re at the gym every day and they work hard and get fantastic results but then, as regular as clockwork, they disappear because it all becomes far too hard to sustain. I call these fly by nighters, the six weeks to three months wonders.
Lasting results come from a sustained effort over time!
PAST DREAMS
Past dreams can be realised when you’re older. The vehicle to those dreams might be different but the joy and excitement and elation you anticipated can be the same. When I was a young woman I yearned to be a Go-Go dancer. I had a gorgeous figure and I also had a good sense of rhythm but so called “nice girls” were definitely not encouraged to be Go-Go dancers in those days. Even to move one’s hips slightly while dancing would be considered improper. In fact I was accused of being a ‘loose woman’ by a mother simply because I moved my hips slightly while teaching her son the Cha-cha. The way things were back then I had to let my desire to be a GO-Go dancer pass and I thought I would never experience the joy, excitement and elation I had imagined.
But I did. In Natural Bodybuilding competitions we are required to prepare a routine to music and perform it wearing a bikini. From age 56 to 67 I performed my routines to music in front of crowds of over 1,000 people and when I was on stage doing my routines and I heard the crowds cheering and clapping and enjoying my performance, I felt I was experiencing all the thrill and excitement I had expected to experience as a Go-Go dancer all those years ago.
So don’t give up on your dreams. Find another way to realise them. You’re never too old!
LIVE YOUNG
Don’t let yourself stagnate. If whatever you want to do is not aimed at hurting anyone, go for it! Surely there’s more to life than same as, same as. I believe the greatest enemy to the human spirit is the stagnation inherent in the so called ‘done thing.’ People who stay dynamic and vibrant continue to reinvent themselves, continue to push the boundaries of the ‘done thing.’ A good example is Clint Eastwood who’s still amazing the World in his 70’s and he’s had his critics over the years.
It’s never too late to be excited about life and feel good about yourself. Don’t succumb to the catch cry “Act Your Age!’ for if you succumb to this catch cry and accept the stereotypical role of an older person, you’ll slowly but surely descend into one of the living dead. It’s not over until it’s over! So blast through the Age Stereotype and Live Young!
The Older Aged Female
At age 55 I was suddenly faced with the fact that I was now an older woman. I looked around at the general vision of older people in the community and I was far from impressed. it seemed to me that older people had been sidelined and were creeping about trying to stay out of the way. I wanted more, so I decided to do something to try and raise the profile of an older woman, something which as it turned out, inspired some and shocked others. I announced I was going to compete in Natural Bodybuilding. At this time there were hardly any females competing over 40. The immediate response was: “You’re too old to be a bodybuilder,” You’re over 55, you can’t build muscle,” You’re too old to wear a bikini,” It’s not fit and proper for a lady your age to be on stage in public in a bikini,” “You’re too small to be a bodybuilder.”
But I went ahead anyway and worked very hard to improve my body shape and strength. There were those who treated my eforts with disdain and there were those who were inspired by my achievements but one night I had a most validating and wonderful experience.
It was the occaision of the 2007 INBA (International Natural Bodybuilding Association) Australian Championships and I was aged 65. I was walking through the auditorium at the end of the evening and two girls aged about 20 came running up to me all excited.
“We love you,” they said. This took me by surprise. Then they said, “Until we saw you on stage tonight we didn’t know that a woman 60+ could be muscular and in-shape, and wear bikini!” They then added with absolute joy, “We don’t have to be like our grandparents, we can be like you!”
The girls were genuinely in raptures about their new found vision for their older age. I wafted home that night on a dream. I was over the moon. Out of the blue these girls had verified for me that I was actually succeeding in my quest to present a more posiitve vision of the older age female.
The Age Stereotype
There is a persuasive argument that we become what we expect to become. When we think of a particular age group a certain picture presents itself. So now I’d like you to close your eyes and picture a person of your gender aged 70+.
Take your time and look carefully at this picture. Take notice of this person’s body shape, apparent strength and vitality. Look carefully at the way this person is dressed, the type of hair style they have, their posture and their degree of vitality.
Now open your eyes. Is that the way you would like to be at 70+? This is an important question because that image you saw in your mind is the image steering you to your reality when you’re 70+.
If you are content with the image you don’t have a problem, just settle back and let yourself gradually turn into that image, but if you want to be very different from that image when you’re 70+, you need to update it!
Weight Resistant Training
When I retired I was keen to keep my fitness and shape and imporove both if I could and being of a small frame I was also concerned about my bone density and the possibility of osteoporosis.
I had heard that Weight Resistance Training (WRT) was good for bone density and for body shaping but I was reluctant to go into the weight room because I felt a bit intimidated by the predominant male environment in the weight room at the time. However one day shortly after I retired this feeling of intimidation bolted out of me like a streak of lightening in reverse.
On this day I was walking to my car after an aerobics class, it was late morning, the day was bright and sunny and the gym car park was full of cars. As I was approaching my car I heard a timid little voice say, “I won’t be a moment Deary.” I turned my head and looked down in the direction of the voice and I saw an elderly woman trying to pull herself out of the back seat of the car parked next to mine. I waited patiently as she laboriously worked on puling herself out of the car.
When she eventually managed to get out, she stood teetering on two heavily veined legs that were as thin as toothpicks. Her arms were similarly thin and heavily veined and what flesh she did have hung on her body in crumpled clumps. She stood teetering as her support person walked towards her and offered her his arm. The last I saw of this little frail old lady she ws leaning on her support person and shuffling away. It was then, at that very moment I decided I was not going to be like her. I was not!
That was the moment I resolved to start doing WRT and become a bodybuilder. However being so small, slight and older I was concerned that the bodybuilding trainer would laugh at the idea of my becoming a bodybuilder, but thankfull he didn’t laugh. He simply said, “Let’s do it!” and after short amount of time I was deeply engaged in WRT and on my way to becoming a bodybuilder. After 15 years of WRT I’ve won seven world titles in my age group and I’m competing this year at age 70. I’m still small, I weigh only 47kg but I’m strong, muscular and in shape. Check out my website (www.janicelorraine.com.au) to see me at age 67. I’m pretty much the same now but perhaps a little stronger. You most certainly do not have to be weak and frail at 70!
VALENTINE’S DAY
Twenty six of us aged 60+ celebrated Valentine’s day on Thursday last and a happy time was had by all. We laughed and shared our romantic memories of yesteryear and listened to and moved to the music of The Platters, Jonny O’Keef, The Crickets, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and many others.
We talked about old fashioned courtship and how it might take a whole day for a young man to pluck up the courage to hold a girl’s hand and about bench seats in cars and Drive-Inns and the wonder of that first kiss and the excitement and beauty of the wonderful Balls and Cocktail parties where ladies wore satin and lace and chiffon and gentlemen wore Dinner Suits.
It was an uplifting experience for all of us joyfully reliving the wonder and beauty of those romantic and exciting and sometimes embarrassing occasions.
KEEP THE SPIRIT ALIVE
I’ve visited nursing homes where aged men and women shuffle around or sit silent in rows, some in wheel chairs, some on lounge chairs, their dull lifeless eyes staring blankly into space, their bodies rigid from inaction.
Don’t let this be you! Keep your spirit alive! Keep active and Live Young!
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS ENERGISING
If you are feeling tired, a bit of exercise will invigorate you. Many people say they are feeling too tired to exercise but I’ve found that the less exercise you do, the tireder you become and the less inclined you are to do any physical activity.
Physical activity is also good for uplifting the spirits. Some say, “I’m too depressed to exercise but guess what, exericse can greatly reduce feelings of depression. We all get a bit down sometimes and when I’m feeling a bit low I find a good walk does wonders for my state of mind. I’ve often begun a walk or gym workout feeling low but afterwards I’ve felt great.
I’ve been exercising regularly since 1983 and in all that time I’ve never heard one person say, after exercising, that they wish they hadn’t done so. On the other hand what I’ve heard consistently in relation to exercise all these years are comments like, “I’m so glad I did my work out,” or I’m so glad I went for my walk or my run or my bike ride. I feel great now. Exercise makes one feel uplifted and more in tune with life!