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If you\u2019re a regular\u00a0Oxygen\u00a0<\/em>reader, you know we love to highlight our badass community of fitness fanatics. Here are five women who take fitness to the next level.<\/p>\n Grassie, Ontario, Canada Medical Scare.<\/strong> In 2011, Charlene Farnsworth found a lump on her throat. Thankfully, it wasn\u2019t cancer, but doctors diagnosed her with Hashimoto\u2019s disease, a condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid. At age 40, she had her thyroid surgically removed and did a 180 on her then-healthy lifestyle: She wanted to indulge.<\/p>\n Overdoing It.<\/strong> Farnsworth ditched her workout routine and abandoned clean eating in favor of junk food like poutine and pizza. Seven years into her binge and a few months before her 48th birthday, she stepped onto the scale. The number confirmed what she had been feeling: She was overweight and in the worst shape of her life.<\/p>\n Promises and Progress.<\/strong> Farnsworth vowed to flip the script by the time she turned 50. She adopted an 80:20 approach to nutrition \u2014 80 percent of the time she ate clean and healthy, and 20 percent of the time she allowed herself some treats. She also hired a personal trainer and worked out five to six days a week with a focus on strength training.<\/p>\n Model Behavior.<\/strong> Now 51, Farnsworth is back on track and has been able to showcase her physique as a fitness model. In an effort to inspire others looking to start a fitness journey later in life, she has taken to social media to share tips and tricks she has learned along the way. \u201cStart small, one day at a time, and go for incremental gains,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Northfield, Illinois Kicking the Bucket.<\/strong> Jacqueline Duke began dancing as soon as she could walk, and she also played volleyball. At age 14, she began lifting weights as part of her team training. However, lifting didn\u2019t become a serious passion until recently. \u201cMy husband and I wanted to get into the best shape of our lives before our 40th birthdays and compete in the NPC as a bucket-list goal,\u201d she says. And they succeeded: In 2020, Duke crushed her bikini debut, taking first at a local show, and in 2021, she won the Overall Masters Bikini title at the NPC\/IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Championships. Now she\u2019s gunning for her pro card.<\/p>\n Words of the Wise.<\/strong> Duke is living proof that age is just a number. \u201cThe human body is miraculous,\u201d she says. \u201cNever did I think I would be on the verge of being a professional athlete at age 40! It is never too late to start.\u201d<\/p>\n 100 Percent.<\/strong> Balancing training, a career and a family isn\u2019t easy, but Duke\u2019s secret sauce is simple. \u201cAt the gym, I am 100 percent there; at work, I am 100 percent present and focused on my patient; and at home, my daughter and husband get 100 percent of my attention,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Why Weight?<\/strong> Duke is an ectomorph and has to work harder than the average Jane to make progress. \u201cI have seen an incredible transformation from heavy lifting using low reps and pushing to failure,\u201d she says. And though she doesn\u2019t regularly do cardio, Duke still dances for fun.<\/p>\n Queens, New York Reining It In.<\/strong> At age 25, Aja Campbell was unhappy and overweight. She had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder and had just gone through a difficult breakup. During a therapy session, the topic of fitness came up, and Campbell remembered her former self: a high-school tennis player who made team captain her junior and senior years. But she veered off track in college and gained a lot of weight. \u201cI decided that day to take the reins back on my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n From Crushed to Crushing It.<\/strong> Campbell initially tried yoga, but it wasn\u2019t a fit. Then she tried CrossFit \u2014 and never looked back. \u201cI learned not to focus on the number on the scale but rather on what my body was capable of,\u201d she says. Through consistent work, Campbell lost 60 pounds. She became certified as a CrossFit coach, earned her CSCS and started her own online coaching business called AttaGirl. \u201cNow I want to make fitness more accessible to women from all socioeconomic backgrounds,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The Path of an Empath.<\/strong> From pro athletes to cancer survivors, Campbell has touched the lives of many. She approaches each client with empathy, remembering the hardships she herself had to overcome at the start of her fitness journey. \u201cI was once a woman who just needed a plan, and I can relate to the struggle of those trying to find consistency and balance,\u201d she says. \u201cI think of myself as a little girl who is watching me from afar. I can\u2019t let her see me quit. She needs to know that [success] is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Highlands Ranch, Colorado Fighting Genetics.<\/strong> Karina Rabin was never athletic and growing up was overweight, but after her 40th birthday, she decided to change. \u201cI have genetic kidney and liver disease, and I watched my mother and two brothers pass away from this condition,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to live longer and get healthy for my family.\u201d She also desperately wanted to avoid dialysis, so she started to work out.<\/p>\n Physique: Found.<\/strong> At first, Rabin focused on cardio. She lost a little weight but wasn\u2019t really satisfied \u2014 until she began resistance training. \u201cLifting weights helped me create a completely different body,\u201d Rabin says. \u201cNow I see [in the mirror] what I had been wanting to see for the last 25 years.\u201d Her favorite physical feature is her abs, which she\u2019s managed to keep rock hard despite two cesarean sections.<\/p>\n Livin\u2019 Live.<\/strong> Rabin became a certified trainer and started a community of women on Facebook who share the same goals. \u201cSeven days a week, the Eat Your Way to Fit group meets and works out live with me,\u201d she says. \u201cMy dream is to offer more live classes so women can join any time of day, based on their availability.\u201d<\/p>\n Family First.<\/strong> Outside the gym, Rabin is dedicated to her family and cites her husband as her biggest ally. \u201cI have been married to my blind date for nearly 13 years,\u201d she says. \u201cWe meal-prep together, joined a gym together and have two young boys together. My husband has supported me the most throughout this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Philadelphia Davis Digs.<\/strong> Noel Davis always wanted to be an archaeologist. She earned her archaeology degree at Manchester University. In 2014, Davis was asked to be part of an excavation project, a dream come true. But a traumatic car accident put the brakes on her dream. She incurred a terrible back injury and had to undergo a year of physical therapy.<\/p>\n Back on Track.<\/strong> Davis lost strength and stability in her back and asked her doctors what she could do to speed the healing process. They suggested focusing on building her core, which in turn would strengthen her back. She took their suggestion and fell in love with exercise. Davis was so excited about her success that she became a certified trainer.<\/p>\n Boss Lady.<\/strong> Today, Davis owns Paris Fit Studios and offers up to 70 workouts a week, both online and in person. \u201cEventually, I\u2019d like to franchise my gym and bring affordable fitness to local neighborhoods to bring down the obesity rate,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Alexa, Meditate.<\/strong> When it comes to her own training, Davis loves to work out in the morning. \u201cThat\u2019s when I have the most energy, and it\u2019s therapeutic listening to the birds chirp,\u201d she says. Once she\u2019s done, she zones in on her Zen. \u201cI do guided meditations using Alexa,\u201d Davis says. \u201cAfterward, I am super relaxed and able to enjoy the rest of my day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nCharlene Farnsworth<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Stats: 51 \u2022 140 lb \u2022 5\u20199\u201d
Gig: Housecleaner and model<\/p>\nJacqueline Duke<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oxygenmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/jacquelineduke.jpg?width=730\")
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Stats: 40 \u2022 145 lb \u2022 5\u201911\u201d
Gig: Psychologist<\/p>\nAja Campbell<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oxygenmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Aja-Campbell-Option-2.jpg?width=730\")
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Stats: 34 \u2022 127 lb \u2022 5\u20194\u201d
Gig: Coach, strength & conditioning specialist<\/p>\nKarina Rabin<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oxygenmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Karina-Rabin-scaled.jpg?width=730\")
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Stats: 43 \u2022 124 lb \u2022 5\u2019
Gig: Mom and model<\/p>\nNoel Davis<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oxygenmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Noel-Davis.jpg?width=730\")
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Stats: 29 \u2022 125 lb \u2022 5\u20194\u201d
Gig: Gym owner<\/p>\n