Introduction

   My Name is Linda Baxter. I’m the 40 something mom of two teenagers with a full time job. I like to lift heavy things, challenge my body, read about fitness and help others move in a new direction.

Early Years

   When I was younger I spent many years on the cardio cycle. I took Jazzercise, Step-classes, ran 5K’s, walked, and Zumba. If it was a new trend, I tried it. But I never looked like Cindy Crawford or Christy Brinkley. Of course it didn’t help that I’m 5’1”. But when I was young it was easy to stay fairly thin with just cardio. Then I had kids. And I don’t have to tell the women reading this what happened to my body. Weight gain, stretch marks, and loose skin showed up and just would not leave. I was never obese but pleasantly plump would not be a stretch. No matter how much I ran on the treadmill or climbed the Elliptical the weight would not budge and my self esteem sank lower. I did starve myself down to close to pre-baby weight once in my 30’s but no one can maintain that type of diet and back it came with a vengeance.

40’s

   At 40 I had a DEXA scan for bone density baseline. At 42, I had another and it showed the expected bone loss women start to develop. Nothing the doctor was worried about but I did not want to be a hunched over old lady. Several friends broke bones just doing routine things. So I started looking for something new to do. At the time there was no gym near me, so I tried P90X. What a revelation that was. I worked out till I almost puked and lifted dumbbells. I realized how sad it was that I could not do a pull up at all or plank for 30 seconds. Tony Horton and crew started me on the road to a new way of looking at fitness. But you can only do DVD’s for so long and luckily a gym opened nearby. I started New Rules of Lifting for Women and found how fun it was to lift weights. I started reading about weight lifting and getting stronger. While I didn’t lose weight I lost inches and my body started to become tighter and look younger. I was the only woman in the free weights section and got lots of strange looks, but I pushed on. Soon I could do a pushup and lift heavier weights.

Plateau

    But after two years I was stuck making no progress. I was unable to increase my squat and my bench press was in slow motion. Sure I looked better and was stronger but I wanted to go further. I did a lot of reading on line and found a gym near my work that focused on strength training. I also found a trainer that would train me like his male clients and he showed me how my form was wrong on practically everything from squats to push-ups. Just a few months in I’m hitting new PR’s and learning to focus on my progression in the gym and not just the scale.

Progress

    Now I measure those problem areas to see progress and try to stay off the scale. I’ve learned to eat a ton more protein and stay away from snacks. I’m also lucky enough to have enlisted my husband into my love of lifting and have a great workout partner in him.

   I went back for a repeat DEXA scan this year and was stunned to find that not only had I reversed my bone loss but it was now better than the baseline. I had gained 7lbs over 5 years but lost 3% of my body fat. The results are amazing. Now I’m training for Powerlifting and having the time of my life.

    Am I an expert in fitness? No, but I love to learn and I hope to share my knowledge and motivate some other over 40’s to get started on a road that can change their life. I hope you will follow along and get answers to some questions and feel more confident about starting weightlifting. Feel free to contact me or ask questions