Age is no barrier to reclaiming fitness, healthy lifestyle

Albany woman, Lorna Thompson may be just over 50 years old, but she is as fit and healthy as someone half her age.

The 52-year-old started to maintain a regular exercise regime after a shoulder injury and has dedicated herself to a healthy and active lifestyle.

“What drives me to maintain a standard of fitness is observing others in my age group who have totally given up,” she said.

“For one reason or another they seem to end up with lifestyle-related issues from poor diet and inactivity, which could so easily have been avoided and things like osteoporosis in middle-aged women due to falling hormone levels and reduced activity that normally stimulates bone density.”

Ms Thompson said simple weight bearing exercise on a regular basis can greatly help health issues, adding that diabetes, high blood pressure, poor cholesterol test results and depression are all health issues that are greatly improved if regular exercise is incorporated into everyday life.

“I started at the gym due to a workplace-related shoulder injury, and was faced with the choice of surgery or a lengthy gym rehabilitation and I chose the rehab, and had to start with 1kg dumbbells and eat humble pie while I watched others more advanced in their routines,” she said.

“After two years, I did my first chin-up, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“If I give up now, I will be back to the days of being unable to even pick up my own bags of shopping, which is incentive enough for me.”

Ms Thompson said she encourages others to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“As our bodies get mature, it is easy to fall into the trap of having an old and negative mental age, so joining a gym and training alongside young positive people with high energy levels and good fitness, encourages you to be the same,” she said.