Golden Girl

Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Four pensioners with a combined age of 413 are proving they are no lightweights - by pushing youngsters aside to PUMP IRON.

Care home residents Jessie Gallan, 106, Pearl Mitchell, 103, Ina Gall, 103, and Isobel Robertson, 101, are all fitness freaks and love working out.

The four golden oldies are training hard to take part in the Aberdeen’s Golden Games, a free festival of sport for over 65s in the city.

Jessie, who uses Aberdeen City Council’s Technogym, said her secrets to a long and active life are eating well and keeping fit.

She said: “I eat porridge every single day and make sure I drink plenty of water. But you have to keep active too. I go on walks whenever I can.

Positivity

“I like to enjoy myself, to live as long as me you need to be positive.”

The former housemaid now stays at Aberdeen’s Forestgait home and does her exercises every week.

She said: “I come from a big family who worked on farms, so I’ve never liked to just sit down. I do my workout on these type of machines every Monday.

Isobel, who has two grandsons and three granddaughters in Sorrento, Italy said she used to be a regular runner when she was younger.

She said: “I have a daughter in Stonehaven and one in Italy. They told me I should try to keep myself going by exercising on these machines.

“The benefits are great, but I think I did enough exercise anyway with all the walking I do. I even used to take part in 100 metre sprints when I was a wee girl.

“Every morning I get up, have breakfast, go for a walk, eat lunch and go for another walk. I never stop.”

Pearl, who has one daughter, two grandchildren and three great grandchildren said she enjoyed moving weights as she is used to lifting bowling balls.

She said: “I still lawn bowl whenever I can. I have bowled all my life and on my 100th birthday I rolled the first bowl to open a game with the Crown ladies team at Albury Sport Centre.

“These machines are a great idea for over-65’s to use. They’re really heavy, but they will really help people stay fit.”

But former sales assistant, Ina, admitted that she has never been too fussed with working out before because she has always been naturally skinny.

She said: “I’ve got to be honest, I normally just like sitting down in a nice comfy chair and having a snooze, but I do eat healthy to keep fit.

“I think the Golden Games is a good way to meet people though, so despite all the pain you go through, I like the idea.”

Two-day programme

The Golden Games is a two-day programme aimed at people over 65 to take part in tennis, angling, golf, aqua aerobics, fitness classes, Zumba, health walks and the city’s first-ever nursing home pentathlon.

Social Care and Wellbeing Convener Len Ironside CBE said the women proved that you can still keep fit after turning 65.

He said: “It’s great seeing the ladies here today, they are an inspiration to us all”.

 

 

By Will Lyon