Rose Mary Fries has been a competitive bodybuilder for more than thirty years. At the age of fifty-one, her last serious injury was ten years ago. Though she nurtures a competitive spirit, she also is a strong believer in “common sense and medical sense.” She will not push herself to injury even for a win. Overtraining is not an option for her. She loves bodybuilding and wants to train and compete for life.
Sport became like a metaphor for her life, wanting to achieve God’s best in all areas.
Rose Mary’s childhood was much like the Leave It to Beaver sitcom. Both her parents were teachers, and her classmates considered her a “goody two-shoes.” One thing the other students did not account for was her God-given drive to compete. She wanted to show others and herself that “God-fearing people could excel and win.” In school, she competed in sports with all her heart, feeling God’s presence and favor during every competitive event (Colossians 3:23).
This childhood competitive drive translated into her adult years. Sport became like a metaphor for her life, wanting to achieve God’s best in all areas.
As a neo-natal nurse practitioner, she manages the care and procedures of premature and sick newborns. And as a competitive bodybuilder, she manages the care and procedures of her health, maintaining the professionalism and caution she exhibits for her body as she does for her patients.
Rose Mary explains, “The way that I prep, I could do it forever.”
When she feels even a twinge in one of her muscles, she will rest that muscle and train around it. During “peak week,” (the difficult final stage of bodybuilding preparation when the competitor achieves muscle definition by shedding fat), she will not powerlift, opting for high energy, lighter lifting and training exercises.
Also, Rose Mary is a mindful eater, monitoring her food consumption with the precise macro-nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) needed to power her body with the nutrients and fuel to thrive and prevent injury.
For more on mindful eating read
How To Eat To Gain Or Lose Weight.
Like the cliché, Rose Mary pushes herself to the limits—but not the unhealthy limits that some in competitive sports promote.
Her limits are set by a higher standard—a standard that may not always lead to the win but does lead to a lifestyle of physical and spiritual health.
Rose Mary met Ronnie Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympian winner, in 2005 when he gave his famous speech about bodybuilding and his faith. At that moment, she knew that God had planted the passion in her to compete in order to be a healthy role model to those around her.
Rose Mary explains that “the more she empties herself of western culture, the more she is filled with spiritual clarity.” Bodybuilding competition draws her closer to God and causes her to lean into His presence. She knows that she can achieve all things through Jesus Christ because He gives her strength (Philippians 4:13). She wants to be “healthy and physically fit for as long as possible,” saying that “You don’t have to succumb to the years.” At fifty-one years old, after twenty years of training and competition she won her pro card. She demonstrates strength and beauty in the middle years of life.
Other than God, the reason for Rose Mary’s successful health and fitness journey is learning how to bring her passion for fitness into all areas of her life. Whether living on the coast with her young family or retiring with her husband on a ranch as empty-nesters, she has always kept her health a priority.
For another story of a fit couple living on a ranch read The Dangerous Femininity Of Susie McEntire.
However, she has learned that sometimes life can interfere, and she has unapologetically walked away from competitions (that she trained and paid for) in order to be a serving presence for her family and friends during emergencies and times of need.
She could easily choose to push her body along downward spiraling extremes that many take in competitive sports, but she will not compromise her ethics or her health—no matter the scores the judges may give her.
Rose Mary knows that the key to a long, active lifestyle is finding balance within competition and never compromising her health. She has found peace that surpasses all understanding, and the limelight of the stage could never force her to cause damage to her body and to her relationships because of unhealthy, unbalanced training. (Philippians 4:7).
