TRANSCRIPT
Former Olympic gymnast, world class aerial skier and circus performer Trudy Kristensen traded an international lifestyle to open her own gym.
She now lives and works in the seaside town of Woolgoolga in regional New South Wales.
And she co-owns and coaches at Crossfit Woolgoolga, where she’s proud to be training one motivated group of over 55’s.
“It just brings so much joy to me when I see 55 plus doing more than a 20 year old . They push themselves, it gives them this meaning and purpose, self-confidence, that they know their capacities as physical, emotionally, they push through the discomfort”
For Cazzie and Steve Petsis it’s about more than just keeping fit.
Cazzie: “We just love it, because we do it together, we train together, and then we go home, we're still talking about what we did, we encourage each other.”
Steve: “And longevity too, we're 60 now, we still want to be fit and able to do lots of good stuff with the grandkids when we're 80, 90 years of age.”
Government statistics show that Australia’s population is ageing – on average men living to 81 and women outlasting them to 85.
Older Australians use more healthcare than others, so spending on this age group is forecast to double to $270 billion by 2035.
70-year-old Annette Kramer says she’s exercising to keep herself out of the health system for as long as possible.
“So that I can improve my condition of myself going into my later years, basically so I can get off the floor if I fall over, that kind of thing. I think that's why we're all here. Build my strength, because I'm only a slight person, and so just to get good bone strength, build some strength there.”
Dr Elissa Burton is Associate Professor of Healthy Ageing at Curtin University with more than 15 years’ experience of working with older adults.
“Exercise is really important for older people because we don't really think about it too much, but all of our everyday activities are pretty much determined by how physically active we are. So things like getting off the toilet, you actually are doing a squat. Anywhere that we walk is a type of physical activity or exercise. So, if we can keep ourselves as strong as possible, that will definitely help us to live independently for a long, long time.”
Dr Burton says changes to our bodies are inevitable as we get older.
“So our age goes this way and our physical activity or our exercise goes this way. And we find it more and more difficult if we're not staying physically active and doing some strength and balance and endurance training. If we were not doing that, then we find it more difficult to actually eventually do our activities of daily living, showering, getting dressed."
Trainer Trudy Kristensen agrees that exercise is the key to a longer, healthier life.
“Our healthcare only does sick care, so when you get sick, they'll take care of you, but there's no preventative, so when we move it strengthens our joints, it strengthens our ligaments, cardiovascular health, it ticks all the boxes, so when we fall, it's not going to be life threatening, when we get sick, like a cold, we'll get over it faster, our immune system is high, and we are just healthier as a community, and we're happier.”
At 64, Craig George is living proof of the benefits of exercise.
He is among the one-in-six older Australians to get a joint replaced. And just one year ago, underwent surgery for a new knee.
“Part of my process was to come to the gym beforehand to keep, I guess, muscle structure as strong as I possibly could before it. I had the operation, I was back in the gym about eight days after. Pretty close to normal now, I'm back surfing, I'm back being able to run a bit if I want to, and just doing all the different gym activities .”
Michelle Wilson is 61, knows all about the benefits of Crossfit – after 12 years of high-intensity workouts.
“I love the fact that it incorporates cardio, strength, flexibility, and I just love the fact that because we do incorporate so many movements, you can do everything. You can live your life. You can go into the garden, you can dig holes, you can lift heavy stuff, you can just go to the shops and carry out your shopping and just do things and live. // I love the social aspect of it. It's a really lovely community down here. I've made some really good friends over the years.”
The social side of training is a big part of its appeal, says 59-year-old Linda Landi.
“It's the thing that gets me up in the morning and gets me going. These people have become a second family to me, I love them, they're probably the best part of my day, actually.”
Whereas friendship, a healthy lifestyle and the opportunity to challenge herself is the motivation for 75-year-old Marney Courtenay
“I come to Crossfit apart from the social interaction, to maintain some sort of mobility, so I don't fall, to keep my head organised so I don't drive people nuts sitting at home, which is the alternative for a retired old person, because once you come and get started, you actually get addicted. And it's not about beating the person next to you on the floor, it's about beating the you you were yesterday.”
The advice from Dr Burton is clear:
“Definitely pick something you enjoy and do it in the fashion that you like to do it. So if you want to do it at home, do it at home. If you like to do it in the park with friends, do it in the park with friends. There's so many options available to us today that there's really no excuse that we can't find something that we really enjoy doing and being active.”
