Guess my age…
I work hard to look this good – so what’s my secret?
Whether I’m pounding the pavement, sweating it out on a bike, or splashing length-by-length in the pool, I’m the first to admit that exercise is my drug.
And at 70 years old – is it any wonder that I’m a picture of health?!
Some may say it’s just good genes – but I beg to differ.
Let me tell you, looking this good doesn’t come without constant hard graft.
This wasn’t always the way things were, though...
As a teenager, I’d been one of those lucky girls who could eat whatever I pleased and never gained a pound.
But, as I got older, my weight slowly caught up with my diet.
Bingeing on biccies and crisps saw me gain two stone and go from a size-8 to a 14. I wasn’t happy. It doesn’t sound big – but I was in the modelling industry. And two extra stone could mean the difference between being booked or ditched.
As work began to dwindle, I knew that something really had to change.
However, back in 1975, health and fitness was something of a fad, really.
Nobody would exercise then, not the way we do now.
Certainly not me, that’s for sure!
Then I married a man obsessed with nutrition.
He loved fresh, healthy foods, adored cooking.
‘Come on, it’s really easy,’ he encouraged as I winced at the monumental amount of veg – and all the
Back in 1975, health and fitness was a bit of a fad
effort – it took to eat well.
‘Can’t we just go to the pub?’ I’d whinge.
I was desperate for a lager and a packet of crisps – or two!
‘Nope, you’re the one who said you wanted to lose weight,’ he’d huff. I knew he was right... He took us on long evening walks and we’d head out on early morning marches.
Next, we started cycling together, then it was swimming. Relentless, really. In the beginning, I wasn’t impressed.
But when the weight started dropping off, I stopped moaning.
I managed to get back in my size-10 clothes and battled back to my ideal weight of 9st. Years went by and my marriage broke down. My life was very hectic and I lived in far-off places – Sydney and Asia before finally settling in Italy. Lot of changes... but one thing remained constant. My new love of exercise. I joined a gym at 65 years old and discovered Zumba, mixing up my routine every few months. My days of crisps and pints in the pub were long gone! At times, it felt like I never actually stopped. In fact, I was doing more in my 60s than I had at 20!
Years flew by, a blur of fabulous memories spent having fun around the world.
I guess that’s why, before I knew it, my 70th birthday rolled around.
As I was blowing out the candles on my cake, I almost couldn’t believe the age I was.
Because, after all, I didn’t feel that way.
You always hear about how getting older makes you weaker, that you can’t do half the things you’re able to when you’re younger. To that, I simply have to laugh. At 70, I’m in the best shape of my life. It’s not easy, and I’ve worked hard for the body I have now. So when people come to me and ask, ‘What’s your secret..?’ Or they fall over themselves saying, ‘I hope I look that good at your age...’ I can’t help but smile. I don’t have some kind of magic secret or a short-term fix. If you want a body like mine, whatever age, you must make peace with what your body needs. Only then will you be ready to commit to the lifestyle that goes with a physique like mine. That’s what I did all those years ago... I wanted to look good wearing skin-tight dresses and be a rock chick at 70! And I think I’ve made good on that wish. Everything boils down to eating well, working hard and earning the food to feel good in the skin that I’m in. Which, by the way, has a fair few wrinkles. I’m certainly under no illusions and know my skin doesn’t compete with that of a 20-year-old’s. But gosh, I don’t feel a day over 20 – and neither does my waistband. At the end of the day, who doesn’t want to feel young forever and ever? I know I certainly do. I’ll just keep on plugging away – and, maybe, when I’m 80, I’ll look even better!
My days of crisps and pints in the pub were long gone!