60 and fab!

Ilene Block began her fitness journey after being inspired by pictures of a 76-year-old mega-fit architect on social media. Pics/Instagram

One lawyer from Hawaii is unrecognisable after becoming a super-fit body-builder - at 60. Ilene Block, who is now 63, had struggled with dieting and keeping weight off for her entire life. So, when she turned the big 6-0, she decided to take a step back from things and try to eat normally, without following any sort of plan. However, in doing this, she gained 30 pounds, which bummed her out.

It wasn't until she saw pictures of Joan MacDonald, 76, a mega-fit architect on social media, that Block decided to turn things around. Inspired by MacDonald's story, who began her fitness journey at age 70, Block signed up for a macro-based programme in 2020. "Within a year, I lost 40 pounds and it felt great," Block told media. "I'd always wanted to do a body-building show, but because of my busy career as a lawyer and bringing up my kids, I could never commit to doing it during my 30s, as the preparation is intense."

With her new-found passion for fitness, the Maui woman decided to reach out to a coach to help her get ready to compete in body-building shows, and things took off from there. She has since competed in not one, but two figure body-building shows and plans on continuing. "Even now, I can't believe I have managed to do this," Block admitted. "When I walked onstage, in my bikini, posing and feeling confident, I was just thinking to myself, am I really doing this?"

She trains six times per week, with an emphasis on weight lifting, and even boasts that before she stepped onstage for one of her shows, she was back down to 120 pounds, which is what she weighed at her wedding in her early 20s. "Although I used to exercise, I was never pushing myself out of my comfort zone and I was stuck in a rut with what I was doing," Block explained.

When she competed in the two shows, she was the oldest competitor at both. The lawyer showed off her toned and trim figure by wearing a bikini and posing for the judges. She hopes to set an example for other women her age. "I want to prove that stereotypes aren't true and that women can do whatever they want at whatever age," Block said.

Also read: Jadoo ki Jhappi K-drama Style

Ba ‘na na' to this

A tattoo artist generated controversy by letting himself get tattooed by a monkey. You read it right!

Florida-based social media entertainer Funky Matas holds the world record for "most signatures tattooed on a back". He has 220 of them. But his latest stunt left everyone by surprise. He trained a young monkey to handle a tattoo gun, and then let himself be tattooed by the animal.

"The intention with this tattoo was to create the logo of the NFTs project that I started with my partner Andy Williams, The F8 Club. And while the tattoo itself wasn't the best when it comes of quality, the event was a fascinating look into the capabilities of these highly intelligent animals." Funky wrote on his social media.

But this unusual stunt sparked debate online with some applauding Funky for showing the world how intelligent monkeys are, and others accusing him of using the animal to gain attention. He told reporters that all precautions, including sanitation measures, were taken for this event, guaranteeing the safety of the monkey and all those involved in the event.

Fake tan went wrong

UK-based Darren, 48, decided to give himself a fake tan for his vacation to Spain where he also had a date. He slept off after applying the fake tan, leading to a patchy orange tan. As suggested by the woman next door, he took a shower but nothing happened! To make it worse, he shared his tanning failure with his date, and she promptly blocked him.

Sporty enough

This dangerous trend of "death diving" is going viral on Tik-Tok with videos of people jumping from great heights into the water. The reason behind this trend seems to be Norway-based woman, Asbjorg Nesje whose recent video of diving gained 42.5 million views. This sport of terrifying jump was originated in Norway, where it is called dodsing.

Best dressert goes to..

At a wedding fair, Natasha Coline Kim fah Lee Fokas, A baker from Swiss, registered Guinness World Record for "largest wearable cake dress". It weighs 289 pounds and 13 ounces. Guinness World Records posted a video on their YouTube showing the cake being sliced while still being worn by a model.

Pecker gone nuts

Nick Castro, owner of a pest-control company was called to a house to deal with a woodpecker who was causing damage. When he cut into the wall, a stream of acorns poured out. He opened more holes around the house and the acorns kept spilling out, totalling around 700 pounds.

Mask'con'fident?

Post Covid-19, people who perceive themselves as less attractive are likely to wear a mask at places where they want to catch an eye. "Our results consistently demonstrated that self-perceived unattractive individuals were more willing to wear a mask, as they believed it would benefit their attractiveness," the authors noted in a recent psychology study published in Frontiers. It looks like mask wearing can shift from a self- protection measure to a self-presentation technique.