Rosie Stancer is the first woman ever to reach both the North and South poles!

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Rosie Stancer is the first woman ever to reach both the North and South poles!

April 10, 2008

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Rosie Stancer
I knew this guy who used to always say that after a woman had reached her 30th birthday it was all downhill from that point on because she would never have the same “beautiful and sexy” body she had in her teens and 20s and that a woman’s body after the age of 30 was just not as desirable. He always talked about how much woman lost their muscle mass and their firmness, gained a belly, acquired flabby arms and how everything on their bodies turned to mush. This is not something this guy said once or twice, this is something he said constantly and in time, I came to understand that he actually truly meant it … he wasn’t trying to be comical.

Every time he’d utter those words, it would make my blood boil because at the time I had passed the 30 mark and I knew in my heart and I could see it in the mirror that my body was way better at that point in my life than in my teens or 20s. I never commented on his remarks because I simply didn’t want to make him think that he was important or that his comment had any importance. I simply looked at him with a half smile and thought to myself that a man with a gut that’s sticking out like a beach ball should not comment on the desirability of a woman’s body after she’s passed the age of 30 … because he was certainly no Brad Pitt.

I’ve always said that you can take your fitness level as far as you want at any age you’re at. No one can dictate that … it’s in your hands to control.

When I first heard of Rosie Stancer, I was immediately seduced by this woman’s incredible prowess, her strength and her determination. If you don’t know Rosie Stancer’s story than you are about to discover a woman who conquered the South Pole after he had placed 37 candles on her birthday cake and she then went on to conquer the North Pole on her own when she was 47!

I simply adore finding stories like this because this has less to do with your physical strength and everything to do with your mental ability … the power to believe that you can do anything at any point in your life (the mind comes before the body).

Rosie Stancer (born in 1960) became part of 20 amateur women who were selected for a place on the first all-women’s expedition to the North Pole, The McVities Penguin Polar Relay in 1997. This relay was very demanding. The women set in groups of five had to haul sleds of up to 331 kilograms (150 lbs) across 805 kilometres (500 miles) of shifting pack ice, surviving temperatures down to - 40ºc, disintegrating ice, pressure ridges and polar bears. Not only did Rosie and her teammates survive, they finished at the top of the North Pole after 73 days of gruelling battles with Mother Nature.

I’ll be honest, if I had to pass a geography test, I’d flunk miserably because I’ve got no immediate clue as to where the North Pole is located. I could place it vaguely, but not specifically. Just in case you’re also in my shoes, you’ll be happy to know that Canada is the closest country to the North Pole. Precisely, the North Pole is the axis of the earth’s rotation where all lines of longitude and time zones converge. It lies on floating packs of ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean 415 nautical miles from Canada.

In 1999, Rosie Stancer took on the challenge of the South Pole, but this time she did the journey solo (YES … on her own)! During her 43-day expedition she carried a sledge more than twice her body weight for over 1,126 kilometres (700 miles) because she decided to undertake the trip without re-supply to the South Pole … so she had no choice but to carry the supplies she’d need to survive during the expedition. In the end, Rosie not only successfully made the journey, but she also broke all previous years’ speed records by seven days (the average expedition duration is 60 days).

In March 2007, Rosie went back to the North Pole, but the second time around she did the gruelling journey on her own. This really gives a whole other definition to “man against nature”. When it comes to conquering her fears and conquering the unpredictable nature of a wild terrain, Rosie kicks butt!

If you have any fitness or life goals and if you’ll soon turn 40 or if you’ve already turned 40, remember that you are still entitled to go after your dreams. If you don’t think it’s possible for you, jut remember Rosie Stancer and remember that at 48, she’s the first and only woman to have reached the North and South Poles solo. Rosie Stancer is an inspiration to us all and she proves that any goal, however daunting, can be achieved and you CAN make your dreams come true!

You can track Rosie Stancer’s escapades on her Web site!

So my question to you is this: What are you wanting to achieve that you’ve not yet had to courage to do and when will you jump in and throw caution to the wind to achieve your goal?

‘360° after 40’ is a celebration of your first monumental accomplishments after 40 (if you’ve passed 40) or your DESIRED ‘first monumental accomplishments after 40’ (if you’ve not yet added 40 candles on your birthday cake). Thanks for sharing!

Posted by Beauty Match on April 10, 2008 | Permalink

Topics: 360° after 40 |