Sportsgirl Barina: it needs to make a comeback

It's another Midlife Shift that needs to happen

There’s something comforting about brands you grew up with.

Michelle Bridges is one of those personal brands I’ve grown up with. I have done her 12WBT program more than once (yes, I have severe acute boombalitis and, like Oprah, go up and down like a yo yo).

I LOVE Michelle’s cookbooks.

And I had the privilege of interviewing this very strong woman who loves exercising far more than I do. (I prefer the eating).

LISTEN OR WATCH MIDLIFE SHIFT HERE

Now I loved my time working at Citro - they are SUCH a great bunch of people truly doing awesome things for people over 50. And now I get to talk, talk, talk for a podcast called Midlife Shift. And oh how I wish I could shift my midriff. Not my midlife. I am loving my midlife.

Anyhoo, moving right along

When Michelle turned up for our interview on crutches, I was a little taken aback.

It turns out this action Jackson had torn her ACL (or something else technical that I didn’t really get the gist of) skiing in Japan. That’s what happens to people who love being fit. She is now committed to six months of rehabilitation to get her knee back to what it was. Ouch!

Three things I loved learning about Michelle

She used to drive a Sportsgirl Barina.

Sportsgirl was my first fun job at school and uni. I would have killed to have a Sportsgirl Barina like Michelle.

Instead, I drove a rusted old bomb of a Mazda 323 that my friends called The Flintstone Mobile because the floor was rusted out and they thought I should drive it like Fred and Barney did (with their feet).

She had her first child at 45

My hat goes off to her.

Her son’s pretty cute. And I love that she has an oodle that sleeps on her bed. His name is Banjo. She thinks her dog is neurotic.

Michelle left her hometown of Newcastle with a couple of hundred bucks and everything in her Sportsgirl Barina

She shared her first Sydney house with Shannon Ponton, who she later worked with on The Biggest Loser.

She really does like eating greens.

And she plans to spend her old age on physiotherapy, personal trainers and staying in shape.

Pretty please go and have a listen to the podcast and let me know what you think. There’s more coming …