Pensioner, 79, says exercise has given her a new lease of life
A PENSIONER who once relied on four pumps to help her breathe has turned to the gym to give her a new lease of life.
Kay Owen feared her health problems were so bad she would end up having to use a mobility scooter.
But instead of sitting back and letting that happen, the 79-year-old signed up to Keri McKibbin’s Personal Training Gym in Burry Port in a bid to transform her life.
Mrs Owen, who lives in the town, said: “I had a chronic and quite a serious respiratory problem.
“One day when I was experiencing particularly bad breathing difficulties, I saw the red T-shirts of members of Ted’s Gym working out on the hill in the town.
“Quite unfit at the time and very breathless, I felt a mobility scooter may well be on the cards in the near future unless I made a choice.”
She added: “I thought maybe I could join the gym and perhaps if I improved my health and fitness through exercise I would not need an aid to stay mobile.
“I approached the owner and personal trainer Keri McKibbin who assured me, as he gave me an introduction and rundown on the gym and its success, that he would devise a personal programme which would for sure improve my health and therefore my quality of life.
“That was five years ago and I have never looked back. A huge thanks to Keri for his continued belief and encouragement.
“Apart from the obvious advantages of regular training, there is wonderful camaraderie between members and an amazing sense of ‘gym family’ which is a welcome bonus.
“Since I joined the gym and started working out three to four times a week the happiness I experience through the health benefits is immeasurable. It has transformed my life and really made a difference.”
Not only has she been able to transform her own health, but she has turned her efforts into a charity drive in aid of the UKbased charity, Smalls For All, which sends bras to poverty-stricken girls and young women to help protect them against rape.
The gym trainer has allowed a bra basket to be placed at the gym door and a total of 200 bras have been collected to send off.
Mrs Owen said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to all who have caught the vision, and have given so generously for this wonderful cause.
“There has been a real sense of community as we have worked together collecting, packing and posting the boxes off to Smalls For All. What a privilege it is to be a part of something so worthwhile.”