tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post5161005728548967232..comments2023-05-11T07:38:23.708-07:00Comments on Pretty Strong: Does size= health?Sarah and Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10665557648340012143noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-73416603353681872012013-07-20T22:11:08.509-07:002013-07-20T22:11:08.509-07:00Right on!!! This is totally awesome. Strong is the...Right on!!! This is totally awesome. Strong is the new skinny. Keep on kicking butt, Sarah!Michelle Klein-Hasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-83094673089151503912012-07-27T05:31:17.100-07:002012-07-27T05:31:17.100-07:00I never comment on blogs, but you are super awesom...I never comment on blogs, but you are super awesome. I'm a large women just starting out in weightlifting. My goal is not necessarily to lose weight but to become strong and enjoy what my body can do. You are absolutely an inspiration in that. I'll be cheering you on at the Olympics!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-66773749730212739232012-07-05T12:30:20.349-07:002012-07-05T12:30:20.349-07:00This was a very thorough look at your health vs. w...This was a very thorough look at your health vs. what the charts say. Thank you for taking the time to write it all out!Jennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06666555088992266185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-54487487471422030622012-07-04T21:08:25.680-07:002012-07-04T21:08:25.680-07:00Sarah, you are amazing and inspiring. Some day, I...Sarah, you are amazing and inspiring. Some day, I hope to be as TOTALLY AWESOME as you are. Much love.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-57851783074694905472012-07-03T08:46:48.927-07:002012-07-03T08:46:48.927-07:00Thanks for this article, Sarah. I have a 10 yr old...Thanks for this article, Sarah. I have a 10 yr old daughter and recently she was weighed in a physical for school. She weighed 98lbs and immediately her doctor wanted to do a round of blood work, telling me she is borderline obese.<br /><br />Now, here is the problem. My daughter trains in the martial arts. She trains in her dojo about 6 hours a week, as well as at home. She also does strength and cardio training as part of her regiment. She also swims 4 to 6 hours a week as well. She is muscular and does not even look overweight at all. I am careful with her diet because I am obese and want to ensure she has a very clear way on how to eat healthy. Even though they know she is an athlete, it doesn't matter. <br /><br />Yet, it seems that her doctor has predetermined my child's health based on my appearance. We have done this round of bloodwork and it came back absolutely perfect. However, now my daughter is starting to obsess about her weight and it has all started with this doctor's comments. Needless to say, we are searching for another doctor.<br /><br />Thank you for your example and your transparancy. This way people can see you can be bigger than whatever society's "standard" is still be healthy.Yolandanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-43173132616240158862012-07-02T10:54:01.692-07:002012-07-02T10:54:01.692-07:00Sarah, I'm a teenage girl from London and I ca...Sarah, I'm a teenage girl from London and I came across an article about you today, and I find you totally inspiring. I'm no professional athlete, but it drives me crazy to have people assume that I can't out-swim or outrun them because I'm a bit bigger. You're an incredible role model, and I love that you prove people's assumptions wrong. All the best for the Olympics!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-54052053840649121442012-07-02T02:02:47.135-07:002012-07-02T02:02:47.135-07:00LOL at this: "That scan of the skeleton and f...LOL at this: "That scan of the skeleton and fat is actually me. I want to be as honest and transparent as possible. I guess I did that quite literally this time."<br /><br />You are so funny! And very informative as well as concise. I agree with your top three there. I just recently went to the doctor as my hubby and I are planning to have a baby next year. My body fat distribution and chol, etc. are ok, but I have terrible joints. I experience a lot of neck, shoulder, and lower back pain--I'm not excited to find out how being pregnant is going to affect that D:<br /><br />By BMI I'm considered normal weight but I'm nowhere near as healthy or athletic as you! I can barely make it through 1/4 of my hubby's usual 3-mile hike, and if I try to lift more than 40 lbs of anything ever, I usually trigger sciatic nerve pain and have to sit on ice on and off for a few days. I'm hoping by the time my (still hypothetical) kid is that weight he or she can help me out by doing more clinging than I have to do the carrying.<br /><br />I wish people would pay more attention to their overall picture of health and not just what the covers of "fitness" magazines tell us we should look like. Thanks for all the great info and good luck this summer. :DAletheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00492709176141379178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-77651942679975055832012-07-01T00:44:43.840-07:002012-07-01T00:44:43.840-07:00Thanks for setting such a great example, Sarah!Thanks for setting such a great example, Sarah!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-53303391155754562402012-06-30T14:29:08.103-07:002012-06-30T14:29:08.103-07:00Hey, good luck in London, Sarah.Hey, good luck in London, Sarah.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-51317629344502845422012-06-30T14:27:07.076-07:002012-06-30T14:27:07.076-07:00Because I've always been thin, no one seemed t...Because I've always been thin, no one seemed to think it was a problem that I never exercised and ate junk food all the time. My doctor never urged me to improve my lifestyle. I eventually wised up by myself and started taking steps toward being healthier, but wouldn't it be nice if I had started earlier! This mentality is damaging to everyone, skinny, fat, etc.<br /><br />By the way, I wonder if you can get your HDL up by eating more olive oil and avocados, that sort of thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-90359133798393024342012-06-29T22:13:41.564-07:002012-06-29T22:13:41.564-07:00Just stopping by to say how glad I am to hear your...Just stopping by to say how glad I am to hear your story. Wishing you every blessing as you pursue your goal!Beth Woolsey: Five Kids Is A Lot Of Kidshttp://www.putdowntheurinalcake.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-28292077783573702612012-06-29T18:03:34.676-07:002012-06-29T18:03:34.676-07:00I just read a profile about Sarah, linked from And...I just read a profile about Sarah, linked from Andrew Sullivan's blog. I am so excited to read about your journey through health, both emotionally and physically. I wish all the best for you both in London! As a women gaining strength in the gym, I am seeing how it gives me strength out of the gym. Keep it up, sisters! You're beautiful! Don't forget it!Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01291831595069960330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-46719575224333390272012-06-29T18:02:52.558-07:002012-06-29T18:02:52.558-07:00I just read a profile about Sarah, linked from And...I just read a profile about Sarah, linked from Andrew Sullivan's blog. I am so excited to read about your journey through health, both emotionally and physically. I wish all the best for you both in London! As a women gaining strength in the gym, I am seeing how it gives me strength out of the gym. Keep it up, sisters! You're beautiful! Don't forget it!Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01291831595069960330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-24154064351313715962012-06-29T12:09:02.053-07:002012-06-29T12:09:02.053-07:00Keep trucking, Sarah! You should know you are beau...Keep trucking, Sarah! You should know you are beautiful on the outside, and you need to keep showing that. From what I've read here, you're a strong woman, inside and out. I hope you accomplish all your dreams.Crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04601293946510434810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-69968544155244939102012-06-28T22:49:46.555-07:002012-06-28T22:49:46.555-07:00What a great post. Youinspire me to see myself out...What a great post. Youinspire me to see myself outside of societies box.Allisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04572513801602050447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-59301767570593637902012-06-28T07:36:09.611-07:002012-06-28T07:36:09.611-07:00How funny! Jules is a friend of mine. :) Glad to s...How funny! Jules is a friend of mine. :) Glad to see her opinion on the matter. <br /><br />I noticed you had a DEXA scan as one of your first images; I think that was a smart way to go, considering the precision of DEXA scan vs. other methods like a dunk tank or electrical resistance.<br /><br />This is my first read of your blog, so I haven't delved very deeply, but I am just curious what foods you choose to eat? I am generally 80/20 Paleo. I just converted to Oly-lifting a few months ago after 4 long injury-filled years at Crossfit. 5'5",165 lb, getting stronger by the day...<br /><br />Also a funny anecdote for you: at my gym the other night, a lady who is relatively thin asked us all what we weighed. The majority of the people lifting at the time were women. I think the responses kind of shocked her: "165", "189", "160", etc... she is still in the mindframe that beauty is the number of lb you weigh, and I think we gave her something to chew on in the sense that muscle is denser than fat. :)Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12173528378403726248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-63128354551524340642012-06-28T01:33:29.712-07:002012-06-28T01:33:29.712-07:00I have a lot of admiration for you and I hope that...I have a lot of admiration for you and I hope that you go far this summer. I don't know if you know anything about Health At Every Size, but if you don't you should check it out. It talks a lot about how weight and BMI has very little correlation with health and how everyone can be healthy no matter what size they are. The book and original research study is by Linda Bacon. I really hope this helps you when you start feeling down about your physique. As a woman who lifts (though not as much as you!) I have found ti to be helpful.Rhiannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17399348725018474307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-52093513257424264312012-06-26T09:13:52.296-07:002012-06-26T09:13:52.296-07:00Yes! Not sure why this is so hard for people to w...Yes! Not sure why this is so hard for people to wrap their head around, but I completely agree. Thanks for posting!Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09531066471698015279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202331164991493087.post-69474183488255461072012-06-26T06:42:45.088-07:002012-06-26T06:42:45.088-07:00Great article! It's something I worry about a...Great article! It's something I worry about a lot. I suppose I should preface by saying that I'm actually a couple of pounds heavier that you, so not trying to judge. I will say that, diabetes/obesity is the plague of our era. Americans are trending towards shorter sicker lives on the whole. In certain areas of the country, notably the southeast, it's quite dramatic. Body fat percentage is a good indicator of metabolic health and a pretty good predictor of a lot of health problems.<br /><br />BMI makes me want to scream. The medical profession horribly abuses BMI. BMI is a retrospective, chart review tool. If you're a medical researcher, and you've got a stack of charts from patients, and need to seperate them into obese or not obese, BMI is a wondereful tool. All the charts will have a height and a weight in them, and on a population basis, bmi correlates fairly well with obesity. The problem with BMI is that it assumes you have average (i.e. sedentary) muscle mass. That works ok as an assumption on a population basis, but in individual patients it can be WAY off. If you have an individual patient sitting in front of you, there are much more acurate ways of determining if that person is obese. Something like whole body DEXA is going to be MUCH more acurate in assessing obesity in a strength sport athlete.<br /><br />I guess i do think that as a super, there's a tradeoff between optimizing your weight for weightlifting vs optimizing you weight for health. If my goal was to be maximally healthy, I'd probably need to be 20-30 pounds lighter. Then I couldn't lift as well. All sports involve some degree of health risk. Down hill skiing, polo, soccer, or even marathoning involve considerable health risk. In my opinion, weightlifting is healthier than those and certainly MUCH healthier than being a couch potato.<br /><br />I think the thyroid thing is interesting too. Me and another weightlifting friend had quite a bit of trouble with our thyroids last year. Maybe its just coincidence? Maybe something related to all the heavy training?Jules Marshnoreply@blogger.com