I love this ad! I bet Death is a smoker.
Everything I learned about fitness models I learned from a stripper. Well, an ex-stripper. She was at the book-signing table next to me at local event a while back and because neither of us were selling any books (book signing = sitting and trying not to cry into the water you had to buy for $5), we ended up chatting most of the night. First, I learned a lot about the stripping business as she was selling a book about how to apply stripping principles to the business world (they have more in common than you’d think). My favorite story, included in her chapter on real estate: she used to tell her customers she had three kids and that that night she’d had to feed them “ketchup soup” because “mommy has no money.” She never had children. And she made a crap ton of money.
But as soon as she heard that I write for Shape and do workout slideshows for Shape.com, she was on a one-woman mission. Despite me telling her repeatedly that I have zero input on casting models for the magazine (ZERO), she kept trying to convince me to get her friend, an aspiring fitness model, in the magazine.
“She’s got the best body I’ve ever seen!” she gushed – an accolade I took seriously considering how many female bodies she’d likely seen over the years.
“What kind of workouts does she do?” I asked out of curiosity. (For the record, I also asked her what kind of workouts she did (answer: nothing) and if stripping was a good workout (answer: pole, yes. Lap dancing, not so much.))
“Oh she can do whatever you want her to! She’s amazing!”
I considered repeating for the tenth time that I couldn’t help her friend but instead asked, “No, I mean what kind of training does she do to stay in such great shape?”
“Oh, not much actually. She runs sometimes. I kind of hate her.” This, coming from a woman so gorgeous that when she said she was in her 40’s I demanded to see her ID as I would have guessed she was 25. I kind of hated the both of them. “She was pretty much born that gorgeous.”
And there it was. The answer to one of the perennial fitness questions: Does your training determine your body shape or does your body shape determine your training? Also known as, “Will I get a ‘dancer’s body’ by dancing?”
This conversation was brought back to mind as I was reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women
He writes, “Let’s say you accept the impossibility of developing a celebrity’s proportions without being a clone of that celebrity. Chances are, you still believe you can achieve a ‘type’ of physique if you train like people who have that type.
“Magazines feed this notion, rarely stated in so many words, by showing tall, lean models doing workouts that promise readers a long, lean physique. Of course this makes perfect sense from the magazine’s point of view. They aren’t going to sell many copies if they show short, chunky women in their workout features. But you have to understand that the models doing the workouts are just that. They were cast by photo editors specifically because they already have what the feature promises. If the exercises in the feature are unique, you can bet the model is doing them for the first time. She had that body when she walked in the door of the studio, and she’ll still have it when she walks out. That’s why she’s a model.
“An obvious point? Okay. But raise your hand if you believe that running will make you look like a runner. If your hand isn’t in the air you’re probably not being honest.” (Emphasis mine.)
I was nodding in agreement the whole time I read it. And I still raised my hand at the end. It’s hard to look at those whippet-thin women who run marathons professionally and not think that it was the running that gave them that body rather than thinking it’s more likely they naturally excel at running because they are built like a whippet. I’m not saying they don’t work hard to be that good – I’m just saying they are attracted to the sport because they have some natural ability in it. When you look at the non-pros that run you will see every body type imaginable because lots of us enjoy it regardless of our shape. But when you look at elite levels there is very little deviation from the lithe mold. Kind of like professional models.
I think the other reason I’ve believed this for so long is because I want it to be true. I want to believe that Pilates will give me “long, lean muscles” even though I know that the length of my muscles was determined by my genes before I was even born. I want to believe that if I do Gwyneth Paltrow’s workout that I will look like her. Even though I know Madonna does the exact same one and she and Gwynnie look totally different. I want to believe it because the alternative is learning to accept and the love the body I’ve been given and that can be very hard work. But you, if you believe this myth too, and I pay for this belief. We pay in money when we buy the magazines or DVDs but even more we pay with our tears, body hate and punishing workouts in pursuit of a goal that was never attainable.
This is the best argument in my mind for exercising for health over exercising for looks. Of course workouts have the ability to help you look the best with the body you have – dropping fat and gaining muscle looks good on everyone! – and workouts do, to some extent, shape your body to the work you are performing (see boxers and their buff arms). But no workout has the ability to give you a new bone structure or more height or make your body suddenly decide to start storing extra fat in your boobs instead of your thighs. I don’t know why this is a lesson I have to keep re-learning. Thank goodness for (ex)strippers!
What do you think – do you agree with Lou Schuler that this is a myth or do you think you look like what you do? Were you as surprised as I was when he said that the photoshoot was likely the first time the model had ever tried that workout? Anyone else have Lady Gaga’s “Born this way” stuck in their head now too?? You’re welcome.
I was listening to a sports radio show (yes I’m a chick who likes football) where Herschel Walker (former NFL player now MMA) was talking about what he eats. He said in college, while playing football, he lived on snickers bars and didn’t work out, and had 2% bodyfat. Crazy.
When I talked to my hubby that night he was not surprised at all and rattled off a number of different NFL players who had super-ripped physiques in college and never lifted a weight or ate healthy until they got to the NFL.
So yes, I believe that there are those types of people who simply won the genetic lottery.
I completely agree that it’s a myth. There were some heavier girls on the cheer and dance squads in my high school that did the exact same workouts as the skinny girls (who were already skinny when they started) and it never made a difference. And I’m pretty sure the fitness models don’t do enough reps for the photo shoot to make it count as even doing the workout once.
I think I heard Weird Al’s “Perform This Way” first, or at least like it best, because that is what comes to mind when I or hear “Born This Way.” (If you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend finding it on YouTube.)
Hahaha I love Weird AL! No, I haven’t heard that one – gonna go look it up right now!!
I disagree. I don’t look like I did about 10 years ago. I have lost quite a bit of weight and body fat by adding weight lifting in during that time. Sure, there are people who do look the same their whole lives, regardless of what they do or don’t eat/do, but those people are few and far between. And I kind of hate them, too.
I did the first workout from stage 2 on Monday and am doing workout b tomorrow! It only took 30 minutes. BAM!!
Oh I don’t think anyone is arguing the power of exercise to change your body (like I said in the post, everyone can lose body fat and gain muscle and it will def. change how you look) – rather, Schuler is saying that it can’t change your body type into someone else’s body type.
Enjoy Stage 2B! It’s even shorter than 2A since there’s no intervals at the end! It’s kinda freaking me out, not gonna lie.
I want to second the recommendation for Weird Al’s version.
And yeah… it’s hard to remember, when I’m looking at “perfect” fitness models and celebrities, that they really did strike it rich in the chromosome department. That’s not to say that they don’t work hard to look good, just that.. y’know… results may vary.
I think for the most part, unless we get down to an extremely low body fat percentage (like, single digits), we will have the same body type. It may be more muscular or thinner in certain areas, but for the most part – it will generally be the same. Most of my friends and I, when we lose weight – we look the same – just in a smaller size.
Ummm…I’ll admit, I registered for a ballet class with the intention of looking longer, leaner, and carrying myself differently. I think I’ll get the last one. The first two…doubtful…but at least I enjoy the class!
You’re 100% right though- I think that there’s only so much people can do with their genetic makeup. I could theoretically run as much as Paula Radcliffe, for example, but I’d still probably be a crappy runner, and definitely not be shaped like her, even though I’d be leaner.
Essentially, I don’t think that I look like what I do. I think I have a certain shape, and I can alter it to be a smaller of the same, or a bigger of the same, but…it will be the same.
Ballet is so fun!!! And yes, I’m sure you will definitely learn better posture and a more graceful way of carrying yourself – sounds like a win to me:)
It’s the same as those shampoo commercials with the girls with the most amazing hair you’ve ever seen– I guarantee you that girl hasn’t been using Pantene or whatever for the past 3 years. They hired her because she has such great hair to advertise the product.
Good point!!
I think I needed this kick in the pants. I see my skeleton skinny relatives thinking that I want to look like them. Then I remember that I have boobs. And muscle. And can pistol squat. I think that’s pretty awesome.
Again, I’m gonna repeat why my AP Euro teacher told us (I really can’t remember the context): eat healthfully most of the time, exercise regularly, and don’t worry about what type of body you have. He’s also the one who emphatically told us close our books because the Venus of Urbino was eyeing him funny.
I’m short and have wide hips and shoulders: so I’ll never have that looong and lean look. But I’m ok with that. Ever since I started my diet and exercise program (and lost weight successfully for the first time in 7 years!) I know that I can reach a healthy weight and be fit and strong at the same time. I know I’ll look better when that time comes then I do now – and I look forward to being the “best me” and I’m not trying to aspire to be someone else.
Just the fact that ‘the experts’ have 3 classifications of bone structure/frames (designated, of course, as small, medium, and large!!) proves that, no, we cannot achieve the same body shape by performing the same workouts.I do not have strong shoulders; however, with the right exercises, proper posture, and distracting clothing (hel-lo Stacey and Clinton!!), I can fool ya. Or not! Anyone who has spent any amount of time in a women’s locker room appreciates the variety of body types the good Lord gave us (and I’m not talking about creepy appreciation lol). This does not mean that I’m still not over the tragic surprise of waking up on the morning of my 16th birthday to discover that overnight I did not grow 5″ in height, sprout gorgeous Breck-commercial-type hair, and Barbie’s curves.
I know that I have a certain body shape no matter what I weigh – I have strong, muscular thighs and child-bearing hips. I’ll have them regardless of my workout. But I do have control over the fat that covers said thighs and hips.
I know I’ll never look like a fitness model. I’d have to grow an extra 3-4 inches in height and that ‘aint happening!
That said, I still wish there was something I could do to make me look more like those fitness models and runners, not going to lie. I look at their long, lean legs and down at my short, stumpy ones and I sigh.
Disagree.
I look so so so different from when I was in college and it’s all lifestyle.
Almost less workouts (now that I ponder there were times I worked out LOTS more than I do now) but lifestyle.
Hi! I had the homecoming queen cousins in one family. They did *not* try very hard. I ate far less than them, but had too big of bone structure and an unspectacular face to be considered homecoming queen pretty. Their thighs were naturally thin and waist naturally small, hair glossy, and beautiful eyes. I personally can do better, but I’ll never have that look.
🙂 Marion
I appreciated this article a LOT. I’m OK with my body but can’t help but look at some of the really top women triathletes (in my 40’s age group) who are “whippet thin” as you aptly describe and think I should be too. My body is different because of all my training but it’s basically the same body with a little more muscle here and there. I bounce back and forth between thinking I need to obsess to get leaner and thinking you know, I’m just fine how I am and I feel great! There are times I have gotten leaner but I was hungry and not happy — not sure it’s worth it. I appreciate the message that what we sometime aim for might not be in the genetic cards for us. We should aim for what is good and right for us as individuals.
Thank you for this reminder! I think we need it every now and then. We can change what our body looks like, but we can’t make it look like someone else. I can reduce fat and add muscle, but even though I’m doing everything Rachel Cosgrove tells me to do, I’m still not going to look like her. I look like me, and I’m pretty darn fabulous no matter what I look like!
This is why I love your Shape slideshows featuring your gym buddies – they aren’t fitness models, can actually DO the workouts, and are having a great time with the exercises!
I’ve said for years that people look like what they do! I see it and I’ve lived it. Sure there are genetic limits but that’s no excuse to not be your best.
I think that you can shape your body into almost anything you want…the question becomes how natural, healthy or unhealthy, or sustainable is this. For some people, they are naturally thin and that’s just them and for others, they aren’t and tend to carry more weight. So both can get down to a size 2, it’s just that one will have an easier time doing so, it may not be unhealthy for her, and it will be more sustainable.
Genetics and the theory of a “set point” are powerful.
That said, everyone needs to do their best to be healthy and strong and that does mean some discipline, period. You cannot just say, well I am not genetically destined to be a size 2. Maybe not, but you’re not genetically destined to be a size 22, either. Some discipline has to enter.
My .02 only of course!
I disagree. I had a conversation with my cousin recently who (now a us size 12) said re lowest she can get is a size 8 because her hips are that big. So her upper body is tiny and shrunken yet she still has wider hips. Sooooo yea anyone can improve the body they were given by earthy eating an exercise but as the article was trying to say, not everyone is going to look the same. Also size 2 can look very different on different people depending on their frame.
I think this is a very touchy subject, particularly for most women, but ultimately you have to work with the body you have. No one would disagree that Michael Phelps is built for swimming. Lance Armstrong has been analyzed by different professionals that can list certain body querks he has, that make him a better cyclist and a more efficient athlete in general. If these things are true for athletes, why not for models (fitness or otherwise.)
If you are 30 years old, 5’2″ with a tendency to have bigger hips and thighs, you are not going to look like Gwyneth Paltrow no matter how many cleanses or hours of Tracy Anderson workouts you do. You might be as thin as you can be, but your 5’2″ will not suddenly look 5’9″ because of long, lean muscles.
I noticed a couple of people commented on how very different they look than they did in college. That is why I put my example age at 30. Some people continue to grow/change well into their 20’s, so it is possible that you would see a pretty major change between college and now.
I think this is the biggest weight loss/workout lie out there; that if you do this, you will look like this person. It causes a great deal of self esteem issues; i.e. I must not be working hard enough…The point I am trying to make is: try and look at you body realistically. Be proud of your stengths (for me, I have finally accepted my muscle,) and do not belittle yourself for perceived weaknesses.
Here’s the link for Weird Al’s video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_BmTGv43M&list=PL1168574742EA97B0&index=20
The blurb that such-and-such will give you “long, lean muscles” drives me nuts. Leaner, yes, but unless your muscles are surgically reattached to a different part of your body, they’re not going to get any longer.
Let me start by saying I would be in the front row at your book signing with bells on. I may even bring an airhorn.
This post is exactly what I needed to read today. I don’t trust magazine photographs. I know that those girls have teams of people who are experts at making them look their best. They have flattering lighting that outlines their abs of steel and chiseled shoulders, they are Photoshopped to have perfect skin, and although they are definitely in awesome shape, their JOB is to be in awesome shape. They are MODELS.
You are absolutely correct that when I look at pictures of Kara Goucher running, I sometimes wonder if I ran longer/harder/faster if I would eventually look like her. And the answer is no. I am me, not her. Running changed my life, but only after I stopped doing because I hated my body and started doing it because I loved my body.
Thank you Charlotte! Great article and a terrific reminder for all of us. Yup, I look better than I did in college. Back then I was just diagnosed hypothyroid, sedentary, unhappy with my life in general, and wore a size 12. Now, at nearly 52, I’m healthy, happy, active and a comfortable size 6. A workout (like ballet or T-Tapp) might give you better posture and carriage – so you look taller and leaner, but there are limitations based on your body style. Once you figure out what your body style is and you can make REALISTIC goals for that style. A short torso may never have a 22 inch waist, but DANG she will have nice legs into her 90’s!
I think everyone has a good point. So much to think about. I know my body has been through a lot in my life, stress, weight gain, extreme weight loss, muscle gain. I think some people have lucky body chemistry and others don’t.
This post makes me think of the recent sisters post. I have two sisters. My youngest sister and I have similar body types – largish frames with giant shoulders (seriously – every PT and orthopedist I’ve seen has asked if I swim). We look like 5’1 vikings or amazons. My middle sister though looks like a porcelain doll – she’s all dainty features with super long legs (for someone 5’1). But I know that nothing I do – even if I did the exact same workout as her will ever make me look like her. My youngest sister even tried and could see her ribs before realizing she’d never look smaller.
I am ok with it though (now). I also know that I’ll never look like a fitness model. My only real goal is to be able to do the types of physical things that I want to do.
In the past year, I’ve really come to terms with the fact that my body can get leaner and stronger, but I’ll never be able to change the wider hips, short torso and muscular thighs that I have. I have the SAME body type as the women on my mom’s side of the family. There are some seriously strong genetics there!
After losing 45 lbs., I still have the same build, just a slightly smaller size, but I know I’m stronger, healthier and faster that before and that’s what counts.
And why do Lady Gaga’s songs get stuck in my head so easily?
I’m like you – I know that I can’t change my body type (which does not mean I can’t be fit & healthy, just that I’m always going to be 5 feet tall with a predisposition to carry extra fat on my lower belly and have a double chin) but I still keep wishing and hoping for that magic workout. And while we’re at it, I’d like to look 25 forever. Thanks! 🙂
(I LOVE the Weird Al video!!!!)
Charlotte, AMEN!!!!! Magazines, like any media, do casting sessions. They look at a group of people and figure out which one they want to hire. In the majority of the cases, the person who is hired is pretty blessed, genetically, like most models. They may work out, but chances are they do the bare minimum required to continue looking the way they do. (There are some instances where actual fitness professionals are used as models.) I had a friend in college whose workout regime consisted of lifting her cigarette to her mouth, yet she looked like she spent hours at the gym. (Yeah, I kinda hated her, too, lol!)
Sometimes a client will ask me if Pilates will make them taller. I tell them the truth: no, it won’t. It WILL strengthen your postural muscles, so you stop slouching and stand taller. It will also ease the compression that develops between the vertebrae of the spine, so you have less back pain and, agaon, stand taller. It can help prevent injury by strengthening your core muscles so you move more efficiently. But if you are 4’9″ and looking to add a foot in height, sorry. You’re just gonna have to stand on a stepladder.
And I LOVE what you said about people gravitating towards the sports/workouts they excel at. It’s SO true! Over the years I have tried so many times to be a runner, and I just hate it. My body loves short sprints, not long runs. ( I’m a GREAT walker, through!)
It is something I have to keep relearning. I hope against hope sometimes but have to remind myself that even this summer at my absolute thinnest and fittest where you could see all my abs and boliques and I still had cellulite and a jiggly htthigh and butt. Doing the butt workout from magazines wehre fitness models had perfect butts helped a bit, but I will simply never look like that without living on a strict diet I doubt I could maintain.
I try and focus on health and fitness. If I compare myself to others I miss the point entirely…
boliques = obliques
I have noticed that over the years with all the different sports I do that my muscles change shape a bit, but the underlying body shape is still there. I had a bigger butt when I was a figure skater, I had longer “lines” when I did pilates and ballets, and I’m getting monster calves (bulls) now that I run. But I believe that I’ll always hover around the same size pants and have a little bit of a tummy to hide. Thats just genetics.
Trust me, even if you had been born with ‘long, lean Pilates muscles,’ you still wouldn’t be happy. You’d find something else that was wildly unattainable to shoot for. I know i do. I have “long, lean muscles” naturally but still obsess over/abhor my butt with its perma-cellulite. The grass is always greener.
I agree with what most everyone has said here. I would like to say if you look fit, who cares how thin you are? Who are we trying to look thin for? Guys? Got news for you, they like boobs and hips, it makes you “not a guy”. Other girls? What, are you trying to sexually attract them? Status? Oooh, who can make into the hospital with anorexia first? Lets get our goals straight, why do we want what we want?
Thanks so much for this post! Sometimes you write things and they just click for me. I know all of this. I know models are models and elite athletes are elite because they were born to perform that particular sport (literally). I know that logically. But I needed you to write it out very precisely before I truly understood it. I love to swim and I’m a good swimmer, but I’ll never be elite because I’m not tall enough and I don’t have what are essentially long flippers for feet (Hi, Michael Phelps). Remembering this just makes me all the more appreciative of all the different types of people who are out there, being athletes, even if maybe they weren’t made to be the best. We’re all so awesome!
Now I totally have Born This Way in my head (and will look for Weird Al’s version on youtube tonight!) I know that song sounds just like Express Yourself, but I still like it.
While I agree that genetics are a huuuuge factor, I do think childhood nutrition and exercise also matters. My mom was so underweight as a kid that they gave her “fattening pills.” I used to joke that I didn’t know what they put in ’em, but it skipped a generation. In reality, it’s probably just that I take after my dad (mind, I don’t complain when it comes to the curly reddish-blondish hair) and the fact that I basically didn’t exercise from the age of 10 to 18. I was extremely out of shape until well into college. My body shape didn’t change dramatically, but it certainly changed — and what’s interesting to me is that it’s changed in a lasting manner. During my first grad program, I gained a lot of the weight back, but I wear it differently now. It could just be aging, but I think being in shape once was good for me and I’d like to get back there eventually.
I’d have to be almost dead before I’d ever be a size 2. It’s just not possible. As a lean, teenage gymnast, I was still a size 6. I have a large frame, bone-wise, and I’ve added muscle and, now that I’m 32, a fair amount of breast and butt. (With, luckily, a little waist – I’m the classic hourglass.) 🙂 I have a healthy body fat percentage, and can do push ups with my 95 pound little brother on my back, plus pistol squats, etc. And 500 jumping jacks in less than ten minutes.
However, I’m still a size 12, and I know many people regard me as fat/chunky/heavy. And, try as I might, knowing better, I still find that painful.
I love this. Thank you! I really liked the point that certain skinny runners may not look like that because of running, but they are good runners because they are naturally built like that. I’ve often thought, “Wow, for running a marathon, she’s not very skinny.” There’s so much more that goes into that! (I’m also sad that I even have those rude thoughts.)
I’m new to your blog, and I love the honesty. Keep it up!
You know, I don’t believe that at all. I’m 5’0 at 125 lb pregnant with our first baby and before the baby I was 100 lbs. I ran, worked out almost 6 days a week and still didn’t quite fit the mold of what a running is suppose to look like. I was toned but not the definition of a whippet by any means. I think you will look like whatever you body dictates you will look like. So, I mean just because I’ve gained all of 25 lbs since I’ve become pregnant and I’m at 7 months now does not mean that someone else that gains the same amount of weight is going to look like me. Everyone’s body is different.
I wouldn’t want to look like Madonna or even Tosca Reno. I want to look like myself a more tone version once this baby gets here. 😛
I just want to look like me.
I found that I could change my body by lifting weights, and that running have me the legs I always wanted. But i think that genetically my body was “ready”. This post was fantastic. And that’s what I like about P90x–there is a body type one wants (Dreya’s), but are so many different body types, it’s in your face that they’ve all done the workout and they all look different, which I appreciate being reminded of.
I think this is the reason I am so attracted or lean to bloggers who are loosing weight and getting fit or running and have a before and after story to tell. On pinterest.com there you can see a lot of before and afters with Jillians 30 day shred or p90X with normal people. I would prefer in almost any magazine esp Shape to show a real woman go from out shape to in shape. I know they have those features monthly but for some reason the one’s I prefer are the reader submitted stories.
I agree completely and every time I see one of those pictures I try to imagine what they’d look like if they had 30 – 100 more pounds on them. Is that my body type? That to me is what makes this journey toward losing weight and getting healthy so fun … it’s like opening a present and not being certain what’s inside. What is your body type if you’ve never been small enough to know?
Now stop imagining me all wrapped up in a bow ok, I’m getting uncomfortable 😉 Great post today!
I don’t think we can shape our bodies to whatever we want. I will never ever look like a waif model no matter how thin I get. Like you said, we can change a lot but there are something things we can’t change even with plastic surgery. When I pick women for inspiration I never pick women I know would be impossible to “look like”. I use that in the loosest sense. I pick women that have a similar build as me without added parts.
I’ve managed to deal with my pear shape by trying to add size to my shoulders and arms and trying not to add any size to my legs while maintaining my strength.
PS I do sprints b/c I like the way sprinters look. Personally, I’m NOT a fan of the way marathoners look. I don’t get the “runner’s body” thing at all. I rarely see a runner that I think looks awesome and when I do I assume they must lift weights. 😉
Great post! I totally agree that we can’t fundamentally change our body shape. Luckily I like my body shape which is generally hourglass, but I’m working towards a slimmer version of it because I am overweight. I accepted hears ago that I have the shortest legs imaginable for someone of 5ft7 and that my thighs are never going to slender.
I think you make an excellent point about exercise for health being so much better – mentally it is for me. Even better as people have touched on is exercising to be good at a sport.Workouts are much more motivsating for me when I can see how they’ll help me be competitive. It is great to find a sport where short legs, strength, and a bit of weight can be an advantage – roller derby. Not to say other body types can’t play – that is partly why I love it, there is something for each body shape there.
I also have NROLW and will be doing that programme once I’ve done Female Body Breakthrough to shake things up.
Thanks for a great blog as ever!
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I would just like there to be an athletic activity that 5′ tall girls with boobs and hips were naturally built for…right?
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Found my way here from Fit and Feminist, and couldn’t agree with you more. I will never have that long, lean look no matter how low my body fat gets, because I’ll always have muscles (which I love). Our bodies change over time, and they can change with what we do, but they’ll always change into a morphed version of *the same body*, not another body.
Actually, at one point I was carrying less weight than my body naturally should (I wasn’t technically underweight, just living a lifestyle that wasn’t really sustainable for me), and suddenly I had no hips, and it was a REALLY weird sensation. I kept feeling like my body was a “toy body,” like it wasn’t really mine. So even on the off-chance that we can change our shape if we do enough to our bodies, it can be disconcerting (and sure enough, once I gained just five pounds, my body returned to the same shape it had been for 15 years).
(And as for fitness models, it’s incredibly aggravating to see models who have poor form. I used to edit exercise copy and it was so frustrating to have to work around the form that a shameful number of fitness models had. Oi!)
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What was the name of the book that the stripper wrote? It sounds very interesting!