Anne Marie Chaker: 50-yr-old bodybuilder

Not many professional bodybuilders start in their late forties. Fewer do it after overcoming a drinking problem. Almost none started out as a newspaper journalist — trust me on that one.Anne Marie Chaker is that rara avis who overcame a large amount of personal adversity to inadvertently reinvent herself, a story is captured in her just-published book, “Lift.”In this 18-minute conversation, Chaker reveals the road she traveled to become not only physically strong but also a more powerful person, and the many different ways in which her muscle-building lifestyle helped turned her life around.Time-stamped highlights:0:51 — “I remember being in the car, craving a drink,” and how a chance meeting with another hockey mom motivated Chaker to stop ignoring nutrition and start working out in a gym.02:15 — How Chaker’s 2020 first-person essay in The Wall Street Journal, titled, “I never thought I’d write this: I’m a female bodybuilder,” launched the idea for “Lift.”03:15 — “I just didn’t feel like I needed the booze anymore.” And, “I performed at my best when I was well fed, when I was strong.”05:02 — Going from “meh” to “Girl, you look good!”05:29 — “Aging Beastfully”: What it means and how you know if you are.08:15 — Flexing, or not, in the gym mirror: “I would love to have the balls to strut across the room — a woman — in a double-bicep pose.”11:50 — Chaker’s journey from muscle building to professional bodybuilding.13:28 — Chaker’s food and eating regime: A fridge full of salad and all the protein under the sun.15:33 — How people new to weightlifting and working out can build muscle, at home or the gym.16:43 — Chaker’s home gym set up: Some weights, a bench and some bands. “If you have a body, you have a gym.”17:15 — Chaker’s frustration with fitness gadgetry. “They make it way more complicated than it has to be.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.agingwithstrength.com/subscribe