Marlaine,

I can't afford the BFL book and am still waiting for it at the library (it's very popular!!!).

Can't really fit in exercice six days a week (have a DH, four kids, two dogs and a father-in law), can't afford a lot of weights or a bench BUT, I have some weights, been reading whatever I can get my hands on about beginning weight lifting and have been trying to follow a M-weights/aerobics, T-TH-aerobic, W-F-weights exercise pattern.

Right now each weight session, I do a total body workout but will start to focus on upper & lower body eventually due to the time factor. Right now I am enjoying the differences which are happening already. I already have good definition happening in my shoulders, arms, legs and I am working hard on the abs!

And like Nat says, I feel really good--more powerful, stonger and more confident physically than I have ever been in my life. I am working hard on being able to do pushups. Right now I can do three sets of seven (believe me, this is very good. At one point I could barely do one! And to think as I kid I could "walk" across the monkey bars hanging by my arms!)

Can't wait to get the BFL book from the library to see what else I should be learning/doing. It seems, from what Nat has written that Bill P. explains how and when muscle growth happens, why you only need 20 minutes of aerobic activity 3X a week ,etc. This is the kind of info. I am hungry for.

I am not taking any supplements or vitamins. Can't afford. But I don't let that stop me. My philosphy is "Where there's a will, there's a way." I think anything I can do to try to reach my goal is better than sitting back and not bothering because I don't have all the "things/elements" I need to get started.

Anyway, good luck. Here's to improvement in 2002!