A 70-year-old gym enthusiast claims after vowing never to become a boring grandmother. Retired office manager Denise Wallington left work in 2010 and started swimming at her local gym.
But hearing the music belting out from the exercise classes lured Denise in and the grandmother-of-two, of Bedfont, west London, now relishes her two-and-a-half hour daily gym workout, saying; “Everyone tells me I am in the best shape I’ve ever been. I was dreading turning 70 in September 2021, but I don’t feel my age at all.
Retirement was Denise’s trigger to exercise as, up until then, she had never used the gym and frequently felt “lethargic” in her 50s and 60s, after her operations agent daughter, Joanna Gates, 42, and son, Neil Wallington, 40, flew the nest.
She explained: “My friend recommended joining the gym to go swimming and I have never looked back. I used to come out of the pool from a swim and hear the music belting out from the studios. I was so intrigued that I asked to try a few of the classes."
Denise added: “When I first started, I would come home feeling exhausted. Every muscle ached, but as I progressed, my fitness levels improved and I got better.
Last August, she got to meet former professional footballer, Dion Dublin, when she started doing FORTIS 30-minute high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts at her local Spelthorne Leisure Centre gym. Denise, who has a special wrist splint so she can use weights despite having osteoarthritis in her left wrist, said: “With the FORTIS workouts, I love the battle ropes, slam balls, squats and press machines."
She added: “I get such a buzz in there and I feel so impressed with myself because I see those 30-something yummy mummies and I can give them a run for their money.”
Denise, who says her friends are equally impressed by her fitness, has also become something of a trendsetter when it comes to gym couture. She said: “I have one wardrobe just full of leggings and tops. I have 10 pairs of trainers now, too, because I like to have ones in different colours so I can be colour-coordinated.”
Denise has also gathered a group of gym buddies who help to keep her young. She said: “I’ve made brilliant friends. As soon as I step in the gym, there is banter with the receptionists, the trainers, the cleaner – everyone."
She said: “I’d advise other people in later life not to be daunted by the gym. Give it a go, because it’s just great.”
- For more information about Fortis and to book a free session visit www.everyoneactive.com/fortis
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
