WHEN it comes to finding inspiration at the gym, it’s hard to look past Glenda Elliott.
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The 70-year-old completes more than 20 classes per week at her gym in central Bendigo – from the bike and boxing, to strength work and conditioning.
And it all comes after she suffered a stroke at the age of 24.
“I’ve exercised most of my life. As an older person, you need to make sure you’re still active,” Glenda said.
Her lifelong obsession with fitness has followed her across the state of Victoria, whether it was while working in Melbourne or living in country Victoria.
She has always been happy to lend advice as well.
Glenda once took the Kyabram and Tongala football teams through pre-season strength and conditioning workouts.
Tongala won the premiership that year, but she refuses to take the credit.
Now aged 70, she said it was more important than ever to stay active.
Glenda accepted that gyms can be intimidating places, but encouraged everyone to just focus on their own personal fitness goals.
“I’d recommend people start at a lower option, then build yourself up. You don’t want to do an injury right away, that’d defeat the purpose,” she said.
“Gyms can be very intimidating places. If people don’t have someone to go with, they might get frightened off, thinking they are making a fool of themselves.
“I would say: Don’t look at what the person next to you is doing.”
Her grandchildren have taken her lead, and compete in Little Athletics. They also love to go for runs with their nan, Glenda says.
She remains an inspiration for women attending the Fernwood gym in Bendigo too.
Her message is simple for those wanting to work on their fitness: start small, and the rest will follow.
“Just start with a half an hour walk around the block, then build up from there,” Glenda said.