When we first wrote this article in 2016, Ernestine had just turned 80 years old. As you can see from the photos and videos below, not much has changed, she still looks decades younger than her 82 years.
If you have ever felt like you’re too old to do something, we are here to tell you, you’re not. Ernestine Shepherd was born on June 16th, 1936, and this remarkable 82-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland didn’t even start exercising until she was 56 years old!
On a typical day, Ernestine gets moving at 2:30 am and does her daily devotionals and meditation before eating a high protein breakfast and hitting the streets for a run. She’s lifting weights at the gym by 7:30 am, teaching workout classes until 11:30 am and then heads back home for lunch, a nap, and a quick hello to her husband. She then gets back to the gym where she trains people of all ages from around 5:30 pm to 7 pm.
She got into fitness with the help of her sister Velvet who had an idea that they should “try and get into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest bodybuilding sisters in the world!”
So, they made a pact and began working out together. Sadly, Velvet passed away from a brain aneurysm soon after she and Ernestine began their fitness campaign but she made Ernestine promise to continue their goal to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Shepherd was devastated and depressed and for a while gave up on taking care of herself. She developed high blood pressure and knew that she had to honor her promise to her sister and her memory by regaining her health. She began again and soon ended up in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest bodybuilder in the world.
Ask her what her true secret of success if, however, and she’ll say it’s to ‘never give up.’ Next time you think about skipping a workout or eating unhealthy foods, you might think about Ernestine and Velvet and remember that life can be short and that it’s never too late to get in shape, lose weight and live a longer and healthier life!
Ernestine Shepherd recently turned 82 years old!
Ernestine Shepherd recently turned 82 years old!
She didn’t start exercising until she was age 56!
Happy 82nd Birthday, Ernestine!
Source: expand your consciousness
BBC, Meet the 81-year-old woman who can bench press 115lbs, 23, April 2018
All photo credits: Ernestine Shepherd.