Be inspired by fitness instructer Alacia Elliott
Alacia Elliott became a trained fitness instructor at the age of seventy and is still loving it!
SOME people are surprised when I tell them I’m a trained fitness instructor still taking classes at the age of eighty-six. My love of fitness really came into its own when I retired.
Prior to that I had been a full-time working mum with two girls to look after. It was great, but hard work, and I was looking forward to some me-time in retirement!
I retired when I was fifty-nine but, as my husband was still working at the time, I decided to join some exercise classes at the local leisure centre.
They had water aerobics and fitness classes, badminton and other group sports. When my husband also retired, he came with me to these classes. We joined badminton, too, and made lots of friends.
I went to these classes for nearly a decade, until one of our instructors recommended that I take personal fitness further and become a teacher.
I started my qualifications when I was about sixtyeight and qualified in my early seventies.
I made lots of friends during this time, and went on to work in YMCAS, day centres, retirement homes and hospitals, instructing exercises for those in recovery as a follow-up to physio sessions.
When my husband and I moved to an Anchor retirement property in Newcastle, the manager Glynis soon found out I was a fitness instructor and encouraged me to teach classes to fellow residents.
It’s a very communal, social activity, and I think those who join do it for more than just the physical health benefits. I teach a class on a Wednesday morning and we have coffee and tea afterwards.
I definitely feel better and fitter than I did before becoming a personal fitness instructor. I walk well, eat healthily, don’t smoke or drink, apart from the very occasional glass of wine. I learned about nutrition during my training, and I pass this information on in my classes, too.
I don’t ever lose motivation as I love what I do.
People often ask me what my secret to keeping fit is. I reckon it’s a combination of good genes, healthy living and exercise. I also swear by breathing exercises.
Done properly, breathing exercises can relieve tension in your shoulders, neck and chest areas.
I tell the people who join my classes to breathe in deeply through the nose, keeping the shoulders back, whilst squeezing the tummy and buttocks, holding it for a few moments, and then breathing out hard through the mouth.
It’s such a simple but effective exercise.
I also love dancing, which I think helps keep me feeling young.
My husband and I have been dancing together since we were seventeen years old in our local community dance hall.
We enjoy all types, including sequence dancing, so when Anchor promoted a Strictly Come Dancing competition we were so pleased and jumped at the opportunity to join.
We went down to London for the grand final which was held in the Rivoli Ballroom – and won first prize! Jane Ashcroft, Anchor’s CEO, and Angela Rippon, a judge, presented us with flowers and our award.
It was a really lovely evening – the dancers’ outfits were beautiful, the ballroom was grand and the band was great.
I’m so glad I took to keeping fit when I retired as not only has it helped healthwise, it’s also made me many friends along the way. n