You're never to old to go to the gym!
In our recent Shine a Light photography competition, we set out to focus some much-needed attention on older people and celebrate what it means to age in a society that too often turns a blind eye to getting older.
Throughout the competition we had thousands of people engage with the idea of ageing – from those who read more about our competition, to those who entered, and the scores who saw our exhibition in the Marketplace and voted on in People’s Choice award.
One of the unexpected (and delightful) outcomes for us was the number of stories we heard throughout the competition about people ageing well, in ways that aren’t stereotypical. People like Sue Hunter.
Sue worked for The Forrest Centre’s Mary Potter Nursing Home for 15 years throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and initially took up a gym membership when a colleague wanted to start going. Now, at age 76, Sue goes to the gym nine times a week and has developed a community of fellow health enthusiasts.
“Before I started in my 40s I had never been to a gym. The first few weeks I could hardly walk I was that sore, but everybody starts like that! It was amazing. It’s so friendly. I’ve now got so many friends at the gym and of course we go for a coffee after class, and most of them are a lot younger than me.
“Some days I’m full of aches and pains and don’t want to go to class but I’m determined to keep moving. It’s so helpful with balance and mobility, which is something people lose as they get older. The trouble is people get it into their head that they can’t do it. If you think you can’t do something, you won’t be able to. You’ve got to tell yourself you can do it – and you’re never too old to start.”
One of Sue’s friends from the gym is fellow 76-year-old, John Cook. John attends classes at Workout Wagga and runs resistance training classes for over at PCYC Wagga Wagga, which he says is great for people in later years.
“Resistance training is not just exercise. It is about strengthening your muscles, heart, bones, and it also makes you feel more engaged and boosts your mental energy and focus,” John said.
“People do not realise that you start to lose muscle mass from around the age of 30 and if you don’t do some strength training, then you keep losing it. Luckily, the loss of muscle mass is mostly reversable with resistance training 2-3 times a week.
“We have a man in the class aged 90. He was losing his balance and wanted to get some more strength. His balance and his mood improved. He was doing things in the yard that he hadn’t been able to do for a while and wished he had started resistance training earlier. You can rebuild your strength and enjoy life; that’s what it is all about.”
If you know someone who is breaking the stereotypical view of ageing like Sue and John, let them know about our next Shine a Light competition, which will be kicking off in September. Keep an eye on our Facebook for more details.
Photo of Sue, courtesy of Workout Wagga.