
Jody Goldenfield is an inspiration as to what’s possible for boomers to achieve, and she shares her journey on her blog Truth2BeingFit. We’re always inspired by her fantastically fit physique, her positive outlook and daily effort to elevate herself and others. Jody is super fit for any age, let alone for someone in the second half of her 50’s!
Jody’s body could pass for 25, so if you need a bit of inspiration as to what’s possible, Jody is testament! Here at Best Boomers and Beyond, we’re all about age just being a number, not an excuse.
Thanks for sharing your story and inspiration with us, Jody! You rock!
I’m Jody and this is my Story
My Journey from Fat to Thin to Fit

When I first started my blog over 6 years ago, I blogged solely about exercise, healthy eating & workout tips. As time went on and I aged, ;), I branched out to healthy living, healthy aging, healthy eating, exercise & fitness help, motivational & life posts and more! I am not a one size fits all blog. I think it makes it a bit more interesting for readers to read about different topics. Yes, it all leads back to a healthier lifestyle for a balanced life. That is something I had to learn along the way and I’ve made plenty of mistakes when I was younger!

I was heavy as a kid and lost my weight in high school. I was 35++ pounds overweight at 5’1”. Being honest, when I lost weight in high school, it was more about finding a boyfriend, being cuter, looking better – all the superficial things that come with being a teenage girl. It was not about getting healthy.
I did lose the weight by making better food choices but then being thin got away from me, and I was too thin at one point. I did put a little weight back on but in college and in my 20’s, I got into the eat less, eat salads, skip meals, all fat is bad, exercise a lot, type of mentality, and of course back then, there weren’t all the social media & online resources we have now to easily learn how to do things better.

If you want to check out my blog for more articles and a few older pictures, click HERE. Here is one of the earlier pictures after I lost weight but not as much weight training:
The one thing I did know though was that eating the wrong kind and too much food got me to being overweight. So I knew the from day one that I was not going to be able to just lose the weight and go back to eating like when I was heavy. It’s about mindset – that it was a lifestyle change for life – eating better & exercising. It was the balance in life that took me longer to learn.

It’s a Weighty Issue
In my 30’s, I finally started to understand the importance of the RIGHT food

choices along with exercise. I learned how to “listen to my body” along with what I already knew, a mind/muscle link when I lifted weights. I also became a “mindful eater”. This is not intuitive eating but just paying attention to what I eat, how it tastes, slowing down, stopping when full – all that good stuff.
So… I had already been lifting weights along with cardio (fitness classes & treadmill running) in my 20’s. In my 30’s, after meeting a bodybuilder in the gym, I fell in love with the weights even more. I started to lift to compete! I did compete in amateur bodybuilding for 2 years in my late 30’s! I won both years for my age & height group. This is my first year picture.
This is About You
After bodybuilding, I knew enough about this “dieting” stuff. I do not diet by the way – what I do is life to me. How I eat, how I exercise, how I treat myself – it is just my life – my lifestyle. So I took a few months to slowly lose some of the weight & size from bodybuilding. From that point on it was all about listening to what worked for me. In fact, it had always been that way. I never really fell for the “if it works for her than it works for me” mentality. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!! It is about YOU, not them! Always remember that! What works for others is not always right for you. This means food, workouts, rest & more! We all have different lives, different jobs, kids, no kids, active jobs, sedentary jobs – this is about YOU!

I can tell you that when I hit peri-menopause through menopause, all this listening to my body & doing what was right for me paid off! These are some hard times with lots of physical & emotional turmoil for many. I had already learned how to make changes to my food & exercise plan in a slow & deliberate way, listen to what my body was telling and is STILL telling
me & always doing what is right for me, not others. HUGE HELP getting thru this time! It is still tough but this helped so much!
Remember the Inside

After looking at all my pictures, you probably think that I really learned to love myself. NOPE! It’s still a process of learning and discovery. So along your journey, always remember to work on the inside too! I worked on the outside thinking it would correct the inside. That did not happen…. I still was not happy with myself even though I looked a ton better. I was well into my 40’s before I started working on this and, at 56, I’m still working on this.
I turn 57 in November, 2014 and my goal is to embrace me inside and out! After years of not doing this, it’s still hard and I’m always a work in progress, BUT I am so much better at accepting me for me!
No matter what journey you’re on, always remember the inside – that is what counts the most – loving oneself!
If you want to ask me about my workouts or eating or anything else, feel free to email me. You can find me at: Truth2BeingFit; Instagram; Twitter; Facebook
Hi Jody. You are looking as fabulous as ever. Thank you ofr the insight on your food evolution and how this changed as you got older. And thank you, LeAura, for having Jody on your blog today! woohoo!
Hey, Yum Yucky! 🙂 You’re right…Jody is awesome and always looks fabulous!! Thanks for popping in! And…hope folks check out your cool site: http://www.YumYucky.com
Thx so much Josie – we both have seen each other evolve over the years!!!! And LeAura – thank you!!!!!!
You too, Jody! You give aging hope! 🙂
I love learning more about Jody. Love her! She’s such an inspiration!
We agree, Debbie! And hey…love YOUR site too! Hope folks will visit you there: http://livefromlaquinta.com/
JODY! Cool article to your tribe introducing them to Best Boomers and Beyond. THANKS! And…i LOVE that you are a cookie fanatic! ME TOO! WHAT is it about COOKIES!?! It’s Chocolate chip on Friday or Saturday for me. 🙂
THANKS for being AWESOME!
Hey, the feeling’s mutual, Jody! Many people inspire us, and we don’t always say so, and you’re one of those people, so THANK YOU and keep it up! <3
Smooch Debbie!
Thank you so much LeAura!!!!
Another Jody fan here too!
Welcome ! Glad you’re here 🙂