Weight Training
The pictures below were all taken when I was 48 to show that it is possible to have a fit healthy looking body at that age. One of the best ways to achieve this result is by weight training.
At first I wasn’t sure if I would like weight training. I had a preconception that I would end up bulky and lose my femininity. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong! I found I loved the results and fine tuning it gave to my body. It gave my muscle definition and a sleek curvature, minus the bulk! Plus, weight training raises your metabolism, so you’ll be left burning calories long after you put down the dumbbells.
Positive thinking- I’ve said this before and I will say it AGAIN: It is crucial to be positive in life and find that drive that will give you the impetus to be persistent in your goal of being and staying fit. Whatever you have to do to get there, know that it is important not to give up and know that you can do it. Remember to constantly push yourself, because it will get harder before it gets easier, and eventually becomes a way of life.
Being fit is not only for the benefit of how you look, it is a healthy way to live a better and more productive life. A friend of mine once said, “When you are in shape your body becomes an awesome piece of clothing that you can wear all the time.” I really love this quote because it so true! When your body is awesome, it doesn’t matter what you wear as SO many things will look great on you. You can wear a gunny sak and still look good. I also began receiving many compliments on my body, so this gave me the encouragement to keep working on myself. I’m a huge advocate of positive reinforcement. It kept me motivated to continue. It was when I got to a certain point that I even decided to enter a bikini fitness contest. My first contest was for females over 35 in the masters class of the amateur division. This was a big deal for me because I just turned 49 years old and thought why not? If I look good at this age and have the balls to go through with it then what is there to lose? 
I had less than a month to prepare but decided to work hard to attain my goal to be my personal best no matter what happened. First, I went on a high protein diet where I had to eat ever few hours in order to build muscle and loose fat. I took all types of vitamins drank shakes and eat a hearty lunch and dinner. I was never hungry. The only bummer was cutting out some foods I loved but knew it was for a good reason. The first four days of the diet really went well and my stomach flattened really nicely. I have a photo shoot of this. I continued the diet till after the contest.
I then had to learn the protocol of the competition so I studied online contests. I realized that I may need a bit of coaching, so I decided to hire a coach to teach me how the girls walk in the bikini fitness contests. It was far different than I imagined. She told me I had to walk a certain way with a wiggle, to lean forward and other useful information, making me more seasoned when I reached the stage.
Donnas Diaries
Although I had been a model in 20s and early 30s, I had settled into a long term relationship of eating out and no exercise. I woke up one day to find that although my body was slender, I had no muscle tone. I was like a marsh mellow! I was becoming a skinny fat person (explain this)
I have been working out now for about 2 months, I went on the diet Roland Kickenger (Sexy Nutrition) put me on for about 3 weeks and feel like I am somewhat of a plateau. Every time I work out with al I feel like I am accomplishing something. We are on a deadline and I am not sure it will work but I am focused on it. It has been hard on Richie as I am not as focused on him so he has been having fits. It can be extremely difficult on a mate as it takes lots of focus and determination to get to the place that you need to when trying to compete.
I went through a time that I had to deal with depression and found the only thing that drew me out was exercise. Every time I felt like I was going down the path of darkness, I did some type of physical activity to fight it.
The bottom line is that you have to work on being fit. The more effort, the more reward. It is a lifelong venture, just like eating and breathing. You will have to work at it every day, and make serious lifestyle changes. But if you do, you will reveal a self you didn’t even know existed. A self that you are proud of. And that you can’t wait to show to the world.
You have to do the work … If there is no pain there will be no gain.
It was when I got to a certain point that I even decided to enter a bikini fitness contest. My first contest was for females over 35 in the amateur division. This was a big deal for me because I just turned 49 years old and thought why not? If I look good at this age and have the balls to go through with it then what is there to lose? I had less than a month to prepare, but decided to work hard to attain my goal to be my personal best no matter what happened. First, I went on a high protein diet where I had to eat ever few hours in order to build muscle and loose fat. I took all types of vitamins drank shakes and eat a hearty lunch and dinner. I was never hungry. The only bummer was cutting out some foods I loved but knew it was for a good reason. The first four days of the diet really went well and my stomach flattened really nicely. I have a photo shoot of this.
I then had to learn the protocol of the competition so I studied online contests. I realized that I may need a bit of coaching so I hired a coach to teach me how the girls walk in the bikini fitness contests. I participated in 4 contests and eventually, I won first place in my category. The hard work and time was all worth it! 