You may have seen a bit about the woman in red on the left of the picture in various posts on your Facebook timeline. If you haven’t, (from The Independent) her name is Ernestine Shepherd, she wakes up at 2.30am, embarks upon a 10-mile walk and then heads to the gym at 7.30am where she continues to work out and lead exercise classes until 11.30am. Ernestine also happens to be 80 years old.
The Baltimore native was crowned the world’s oldest competitive female bodybuilder in 2011 by the Guinness book of world records. She has washboard abs, impressive biceps and lives on three to four hours sleep every night.
Spurred into fitness with her sister Velvet at the age of 56, she previously had never done any exercise having been exempt from school physical education lessons as a child because of an injury she sustained in a car accident.
See the full story here
This is by no means making any judgement on the woman in green on the right, for this is what most people expect to happen to them. To the majority of the population, getting older means being frail, infirm and losing your independence. BUT a gradual decline into a medicated decrepitude where you are merely existing and not really living is NOT inevitable. What is clear from Ernestine’s example (and many other inspirational older people), are the choices you make every day, is what determines your health and longevity (barring accidents of course). This is not about being perfect every moment of the day but making the healthy choices, most of the time, consistently day after day.
I’ve seen a lot of inspirational fit older people videos in the media recently (I’m talking 70+) and the five things I’ve found they all have in common are:
1. They eat mostly whole foods, with plenty of vegetables, drink minimal alcohol and they definitely don’t smoke cigarettes.
2. They prioritise exercise, whether that be exercise classes, sport, dancing, weight-lifting, volunteering in an active job (dog-walking for example) or they continue to do a physically demanding job (such as farming) well past ‘retirement’ age. The additional important benefits of exercising outside is getting a daily dose of Vitamin D.
3. They have a sense of purpose, something to get up for in the morning, that they love to do. Even if they have retired, they are still contributing to their family or society in some way.
4. All the getting out and about exercising and volunteering means they have lots of social connections with people in a range of age groups. Loneliness has a huge impact on us, as damaging to our mental and physical health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Learn more here
5. They have a positive mindset towards life and ageing in general. By enjoying today’s simple pleasures, they keep their stress levels down by not feeling too much sadness about the past or anxiety about the future.
These are the kind of things my clients learn when working with me, how to transform their bodies and their lives – to be healthier, happier. Contact me today “here” or email jackie@age-drop.com to learn more about how I can help you look fabulous, feel fantastic and love the body you are in!
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