Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: I Don't Look the Part, and I Don't Care

 

Not all grandmas have extra spending money—or extra time, energy, or opportunities to earn more. So when it comes to gym gear, I keep it simple: my everyday shorts, long pants, pullover tops, or t-shirts. Nothing fancy. No label-heavy leggings. And definitely no matching sports bras in high-tech fabrics. My everyday clothes work just fine, and more important, they cost me nothing.

Do I look like a misfit next to the younger women in coordinated, brand-name ensembles? Probably. But I’m not there for a fashion show. I’m there to train. And what I’ve noticed is... I’m often stronger than many of the gym-goers who look the part. Considerably so, in fact.

At 75, I was leg pressing 360 pounds. (I’ve since dropped to 200—at my physiotherapist sister’s urging, just to be kind to my knees.) Meanwhile, the stylish crowd next to me is huffing and puffing at 40 or 60 pounds. The same goes for upper body and core machines. Or take the treadmill: I can run at 5.6 or 6.0 (briefly, sure), and an incline of 15 is no big deal—because I walk up a hill near my house every day that’s easily a 30-degree climb. I drag oversized garbage cans up and down that thing like it’s my own ninja-level training ground.

So, who cares if I look like someone who staggered out of a Goodwill and into the nearest gym? I feel strong. I don't care if I look good. I care that I am good—good, as in physically fit. Good, as in capable. Good, as in still here and still pushing.

That, to me, is more powerful than any outfit ever could be.

For more posts about/from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary, click HERE.

To purchase copies of any MSI Press book at 25% discount,

use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore.

Want to read an MSI Press book and not have to buy for it?
(1) Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.
(2) Ask us for a review copy; we love to have our books reviewed.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR AUTHORS AND TITLES.

Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter

(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)

Check out recent issues.

 

 

Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, Pinterest, Bluesky, and Instagram. 

 

 

Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?
Turn your manuscript into a book! 
Check out information on how to submit a proposal. 

 

We help writers become award-winning published authors. One writer at a time. We are a family, not a factory. Do you have a future with us?

Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help.

Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process.

Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.

Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.

Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.

Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.

Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.

   

MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.