It's Never Too Late

In 2002, at age 47 as a single mother with 2 kids, Eva Birath decided to stop her career as a marketing executive and become a professional bodybuilder. Birath sold her house and moved into an apartment. She sold her car. She had no idea what to do next. She began going to a nearby gym, where one of the regulars told her she had a good physique for bodybuilding. She began adhering to a strict diet -- porridge for breakfast; chicken or fish, rice and vegetables for lunch and dinner; and no butter, milk, or animal fats -- in early 2003.

1 year later she was a tournament champion.

Last year she finished fourth at the Swedish national championships.

And this year, she is one of the favorites to win the Swedish national championships.

In the process, Birath changed her lifestyle, letting go of many of her possessions and embracing a love of painting she had cultivated since attending art school as a young woman.

She says she makes enough money selling her paintings to get by from day to day, and that her daughter, Victoria, 27, and son, Andreas, 20, have been supportive. Her son is eager to train with her, but Birath says he often strains himself trying to lift the same weights as his mother.

Birath has also discovered that not everyone is accepting of her new self. "The hardest part is people's attitudes," she says. "You know how you have those circle of people who are your friends? Suddenly, I wasn't invited to those parties anymore. I think they thought I was strange, but I don't care."

At some level, she says she is not concerned about how she may be judged at competitions; she is doing this for her well-being.

"My life now is so much better," she said. "I've stopped searching for a job because I realize I don't want it. I do what I love now: I paint and I train."

Source: Weinreb, Michael. "At 51, Establishing a New Body of Work." New York Times, September 21, 2007