Super fit 73-year-old pulls off planks, chin ups and handstands while working out six times a week
If you’re looking for conclusive proof that age is nothing but a number, you need to check out the impressive fitness regime of 73-year-old Lauren Bruzzone.
Forget putting her feet up, instead the super fit senior spends her free time lifting weights, performing planks and then flipping into handstands.
Despite being in her eighth decade Bruzzone isn’t showing any signs of slowing down on the workouts, with the maths professor hitting the gym six times-a-week with her personal trainer Wesley James, 32.
Bruzzone from Stamford, Connecticut, in the US, said that the trick to staying fit in old age is to push yourself to get started and power through the first few minutes.
“It’s a matter of getting past that first five minutes, whether it’s getting out of bed or starting a workout,” she explains.
“Your mind tells you it’s going to be awful. Then you start doing it and you find out it really isn’t so bad.”
Read more: Exercising regularly could have an anti-ageing effect on the body
As well as maintaining her fitness, Bruzzone believes her rigorous exercise regime has helped to give her freedom in her seventies.
“I can move freely,” she explains. “If I drop something, I can pick it up. I can get up out of a chair or take a walk.
“These may not seem significant, but when you can’t do them, it matters.”
Impressive videos of the senior easily performing handstands beside her PT show that she has no difficulty keeping up with her trainer, who is 41-years her junior.
In another clip, Bruzzone switches between a plank and downward dog pose while balancing on top of a stack of weights.
Read more: Meet the 80/90somethings redefining old age (and rocking their nine plus decades)
It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that the fitness coach is full of admiration for his elderly client, describing himself as her “number one fan”.
“Lauren embodies every desirable quality that I could ever ask for in a client and friend,” he says.
“We have been working together for over a year and a half now and to watch her growth and willingness to make changes, especially at her age, is both humbling and rewarding.
“I know that my workouts are pretty intense, yet she shows up to see me at least six days a week.
“Lauren is just too dope.”
James, who owns his own fitness company Basiq Fitness, hopes that his client’s impressive workouts will inspire more people to exercise later in life.
“We just really wanted to show the world that anything is possible, at any age, if you truly believe,” he says.
“So stop making excuses, trust in your abilities, and never give up.”
If Bruzzone’s impressive workouts look a little too energetic, one expert has suggested tai chi could be the perfect exercise to take up in your older decades.
Dr Samuel Nyman, from Bournemouth University, is urging elderly people to practise tai chi to keep them fit into their twilight years.
According to the NHS people aged 65 or over sit down for an average of 10 hours a day, making them the most inactive age group.
While aches and pains may make exercise unappealing, a sedentary lifestyle has been linked to everything from a higher risk of falls to obesity and heart disease.
Staying active could also give the elderly an energy boost, enabling them to socialise and stay independent for longer.
Read more: Couple thought to be Britain's longest-surviving married pair celebrate 80-year anniversary
The NHS recommends adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, which could include fast walking, water aerobics or playing tennis.
It also advises people take up muscle-building activities, like weight training or heavy gardening.
While this may seem a lot for a senior to take on, the NHS stresses they should build up to it slowly, with anything being better than nothing.
Additional reporting SWNS.
