Introduction

First things first -- I read the FAQ.

I first lifted weights years ago when I was a competitive ice skater.
At first, it was just leg work, because in those days, no one thought
that upper body strength had anything to do with skating ability. Then
I had a partner who was into body building. After all, he had to pick
me up all day, while balancing on ice skates. Talk about functional
strength! I was a lot happier when I didn't get dropped on my face,
too. So he dragged me to the gym, too.

But then life moved on, and I did very, very little exercise for 10
years. I have ALWAYS done a minimal amount, at least some walking every
day. But it was pretty minimal. I was also smoking, drinking, and
eating way too much.

Then one day I was 35 and I read "Smart Women Stay Strong." It
convinced me that women really should lift weights. I also noticed at
that time that I was actually getting out of breath climbing two
flights of stairs. I used to run stairs, so that disturbed me. I
stopped using elevators for less than 5 story trips right then.

I was that last kid picked for teams, super weak. I've never really
shed my wimp image of myself, even when I was stopping everyone dead in
their tracks at the ice rink letting my partner throw me up into a
backflip and expect me to land. I did land, too, so I am probably not
the wimp I think of myself as.

But it has been six years now, and I only managed to do my first real
pushups in my life a couple of years ago. I didn't really make a
committment to exercise until about 3 years ago. A *lot* of terrible
things happened to me all at once, and I decided that being fat, drunk
and/or high, and unable to heave myself from the couch would NOT in any
way improve my life. I did hire a trainer, and I must have gotten one
of the good ones, because he taught me squats, deadlifts, and bench
presses (even though I couldn't bench a CAT, much less the bar).

But since I've been on my own, I have wandered back to the smith
machine and hack squats, and even leg presses on really lazy days. I
recently returned to those core lifts, and I was pleased to find that I
could do them with good form, if not a lot of weight.

I've been posting on various fitness boards here and there on the net
(how I have missed usenet!). I cannot stand responding to one more
woman say that she "doesn't want to get too big" or "is just looking to
tone." Just yesterday there was a discussion of lunges and the
consensus was that they make you bulky. I said, no, FAT makes you
bulky. But I can't take it anymore. So, hi everyone.

"Lynne" <ilynne.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote
> First things first -- I read the FAQ.
>

I'm thinking the FAQ might need an update. How often have we said that in
the last, oh, ten years? Who volunteers?

> [mega-snip]
> So, hi everyone.
>

So nice of you to drop by.

Everyone