WT actual F
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So, this one time, my best friend and I thought it would be a great idea to hike up Pike’s Peak on Christmas Eve. We got up at 2:30 am and went up the Incline in the dark, we were about 2 miles past Barr Camp and I was breaking trail (post holing up to mid-thigh with each step), when I hear my friend behind me say, “Ames, Ames, I can’t feel my toes.” And that was when we decided that if we wanted to live to see another Christmas, we should probably turn around. lol
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Anyone know her OF handle?
Asking for a friend
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Wait, wait… there’s something beyond the Incline? No. Way. Pretty sure that’s the top. Has to be. 
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I have no words.
None for this either.
OH MY GOODNESS. That is a level of ambition and athleticism that my brain cannot comprehend. You ladies are so incredible for even making that attempt!
Neck exercises, probably.
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after a motorbike accident 20 years ago, my neck doesn’t even like to turn tideways let alone all the way round !!! Thanks for the reminder to never do yoga.
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Try searching updog exorcism. 
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Oh noooooo! That sounds really painful!
I’m pretty sure that picture is just some really bad photoshop. 
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I really hope so for her sake. That might seem impressive in your 20’s but in your 40’s that would be sleepless nights and headaches for sure. LOL
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@Dani_Shugart Questions without notice ?
Have you always liked physical activity, exercise or working out ? What got you into the gym in the first place ? Tips for women keeping disciplined ?
Reason I ask is that Em whilst being slim and healthy, dislikes most forms of exercise. She is happy to put her ear pods in and go for a long walk but that’s really it. She has tried many other forms of exercise over time from martial arts to the gym but nothing seems to stick. Luckily she is very active and from a general health point of view in a better place than me.
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She’s slim and healthy without hard exercise?! Maybe we all should be asking HER for advice! 
That’s basically the holy grail for most women. I have a couple relatives like that and am just in awe of how trim and cute their figures stay. It’s a phenomenal state to be in.
I saw a statistic decades ago that said if you have one overweight parent, you’re 40% likely to be overweight. If you have two, you’re 80% likely. So I got into lifting to try and escape what seemed inevitable… and then fell in love with it.
I had some excellent guidance early on though. So I kinda feel bad for women who didn’t learn to lift in high school because many struggle to make it a hobby later on in life. (Some get bitten by the weight training bug as adults and they do incredibly well!)
But my first coach had me lift as heavy as possible. He helped me learn the basics and get strong. Awesome dude. But my second coach taught me how to get a mind muscle connection and how to dramatically change the appearance of my physique. He was my bodybuilding coach.
A lot of things kinda fell into place over the years though. At one point after college I let go of lifting and exchanged it for tons of cardio and group fitness. But then Chris and T Nation came along and reignited that love of building muscle.
The thing I had to accept is that I will always be a large female. I can either be large with fat or large with muscle. I choose the latter. Fortunately, I freaking love the look of muscle and enjoy the heck out of building it.
It needs to be enjoyable and they need to have a compelling reason to be there day after day. There are plenty of other compelling reasons aside from weight loss.
A lot of women seem to do well when they focus on hitting PRs and seeing themselves get stronger week after week. Or maybe acquiring new skills (Olympic lifts, gymnastics, etc.) would be more her cup of tea. Self defense is a pretty compelling too. That might give her the drive to show up for a martial arts class.
Another compelling reason is just making new friends and developing a sense of community. This is actually where group fitness shines. Women often get hooked on exercise when they make friends in the process.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a considered and thorough response. I love that you were able to discover lifting early on, there definitely seems to be much more focus on stregth / barbel work at school in the US.
Yer its pretty annoying, three kids and she now weights a couple of kilo’s less than before kids. When ever we do anything that requires stamina or general fitness without big strength she just seems to cope really well, where I am sweating and huffing like a train. LOL
I think this is a big big part of why she doesn’t stick with most things. She just doesn’t like it. I find that hard to understand sometimes because I don’t find the gym fun at all, but I like training.
This is a great and interesting point. I have tried a few times to get her to sign up for a team sport but she always finds a reason that it doesn’t fit into the family schedule. To be fair, with 3 kids we do have a lot going on and mums do seem to put everyone else first.
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Fixed it for ya.
This is just one example of Amy and Laura’s Adventures that sounded like a good idea. Actually, this is probably one of the more mild ones. lol
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Thank you for asking such great questions! In retrospect, I didn’t mean to throw my parents under the bus. I think they prioritized their kids and jobs over their own health. But they did the best they could with what they had.
So I think we need to know all her secrets. Haha love that!
That’s okay. Different people can get motivated for such wildly different reasons that it’s kinda funny. And now just may not be the right time for her to get excited about doing something different.
I think she’ll come around when she’s ready. With 3 kiddos, she’s basically already on a team sport. And she’s a pro at it! 
Everyone’s interests evolve over time, and that seems especially true for parents since their time and focus is largely dictated by the needs of their children.
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You got an adventure out of it! I love that you took a huge risk and now I want to go on an adventure with you. (Maybe one in the warmer months without snow because I have my limits.) 
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I love this comment.
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No workout today, but good news! My testosterone is in the healthy normal range now!
Now, if the healthy normal range is 8-60 ng/dL, and mine is at 17, then it’s low-normal, but still. It’s five times higher than it was in November. No wonder I was feeling a little down.
I had an appointment with my chiro and he went over all my labs. My kidney and liver health are great. My lipids are good. And my MCHC (which I didn’t even know he had tested) is actually in the healthy normal range too. I just learned about that metric on Bagsy’s log.
Fake Hair Fun and the Joy of Alopecia
You guys. I have never known what it feels like to have long hair or thick hair… let alone long AND thick hair. So this is awesome.
Discovering wigs and being able to have vastly different looks from one day to the next is just as satisfying as choosing the perfect pair of shoes to go with your outfit. You can be blonde with a bob, and then be a redhead with waves, and then go with a super straight brunette style, and even crazy shades of pink.
I’m hooked. This is the biggest perk of alopecia.
Also, just to clear things up, some people think high testosterone levels in women (often as a result of drug use) is what causes hair loss. Well, as you can see from my testosterone results above, that’s not always the case and it’s often more complicated.
Sure, in many cases, it can be related to DHT levels, and DHT is a form of testosterone. But a ton of things can cause hair loss from auto-immune issues to deficiencies, and in my case, genetics.
Also, that pic is proof that I hit the funny-husband jackpot. 
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WOW!