Fitness terms for ageing atheletes

Today was my official, at least for me and the trainer, weigh and measure in before the ride. While I have put on a bit of weight, I am still within the five pound limit on my goals. I have also dropped my body fat 1.1 % which finally puts my bmi in the normal range instead of the overweight range. Of course this is a simplified height to weight ratio not taking into account the ratio of fatty tissue to lean muscle. There has been a three pound fat loss since last month and a 4 pound gain in lean body mass, so all in all, the weight training has paid off.

So after my workout, I went to the sauna to recover a bit.

There are several of us older ladies who work out on the same schedule at the gym, and occasionally hit the sauna together after our workouts. While relaxing and feeling virtuous, as well as old and worn, at some point our casual conversation invariably comes around to such burning questions as "why is it that the harder I work out, the more my nose runs?" , " Now that I've lost the weight, why is so hard to keep it off," and "where can find workout clothes that will feel comfortable, look reasonably good, and still cover enough of the sags and wobbles to be decent?"

In the course of our discussion today we started coming up with all the different terms we have heard or used for our various sags, bags and droops. The following is a paratial list of some of the alternative terms we have come up with for our own personal bits and pieces.

"Ta Tas" , also known as tiny titties, and chest pimples- Apparently Ta Tas is also a comon generic term for breasts, that is in the vogue by various women's health groups. I even spotted a pair of pink biking socks with the motto "Save the Ta Tas" at the bike store the other day.

"Bye Bye Arms", also "bingo arms", those lovely underarm flaps ofexcess tissue, so called because they continue waving long after you stop moving your arms. Last year in Tennessee when I was enjoying a 30 mph speed streak, I heard this strange flapping noise. I was dismayed and also hysterically amused when I turned my head and realized it was my "bye bye" arms vibrating and wiggling in the wind of my passing.

"Muffin top" aka midriff bulge and belly wax is the charming acronym for the roll of fat, or old skin previously stretched out byy fat, but now limb, which hangs over the top of the tights and pants. In my case, while I have firmed up my abdomen and midriff, the excess skin makes my six pack look more like two blobs of wax melting down towards the ground.

It all goes to show that losing weight and getting fit, much like getting old, is not for sissies.