Meet Lift for Life
Model of the Month Denise James, an
athlete with
enough ambition to hold back the hands of time.
Born into a family of athletes, Denise was fortunate to have positive
athletic role models during her formative years. Raised on a cattle
ranch, Denise and her three younger sisters were accustomed to doing
things the "old fashioned way". Milking cows and churning butter by hand
and respect for nature became the brick and mortar of her own personal
strength and character.
And in time, she was going to need a lot of personal strength!
Shortly after High School where she played softball, track and HS Rodeo,
she moved to Australia to participate as a circus performer in her
families show. These were good years in which she learned everything
from clowning and animal acts to the flying trapeze.
Denise
returned to the states in 1983 and began weight
training. Little did she
know that her background, mental fortitude and physical training were
about to play a major role in her own survival.
It was
during this time that Denise was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition
which resulted in "four very ill years on chemotherapy drugs".
She was
sick, she was weak, but she was still Denise James, and Denise wasn't
about to take her condition lying down.
"totally woke
up one morning tired of it all and slowly weaned myself off all drugs
and started living again with training and proper nutrition and no more
negative TV etc. Of course Prayer helps too. It's amazing what you can
do with a positive attitude and living a bodybuilding healthy
lifestyle."
In 1996, Denise began the Body
for Life program and from there moved into the INBF (International
Natural Bodybuilding Federation) finally winning her pro card in the
WNBF in July of 2004.
"As a life
time
natural athlete and an older female this has totally changed my
life from when I was ill. If they say 50 is the new 30's----well then I
am only 29!"
Competition History:
Jul 29, 2006:
WNBF Augusta GA pro show - Placing: 5
May 06, 2006:
WNBF Austin TX pro show - Placing: 3
Sep 24, 2005:
NPC The Evergreen State Championships - Placing: 1
Jul 17, 2004:
INBF Capital City Bodybuilding Championships - Placing: 1
INBF Capital City Natural Bodybuilding Championships -
Placing: 4
Jul 21, 2001:
INBF Capital City Natural Bodybuilding Championships -
Placing: 1
Jan 01, 1999:
Body for Life - Placing: dnf
Jul 29, 1987:
Treasure Valley bodybuilding Championships - Placing: 2
Denise and her husband now promote the
Washington State Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships which is
a INBF pro qualifying event. To learn more about Denise, visit her
website at
www.unitedfitness.org.
Current
Stats:
Age: 49---yikes! 5'7" small frame---contest wt
120ish @ 7% bodyfat (want more muscle) off season 126-130 lbs. I was
very thin prior to weight training and learning to eat correctly to gain
muscle & curves.
My goal for next year (keeping my fingers
crossed)! is to be 125 lbs on stage at 6% bodyfat and 50yrs old/young!!!
"We take be
natural very seriously and have been asked to guest speak at high school
athletic dept regarding the dangers of performance inhancing drugs and
the recipe for success with out them. All of this has been extremely
rewarding!!!!"
