Every once in a while, a person comes along who completely inspires you in a profound way. It could be for this reason or that, but at the heart of it, they make you re-evaluate your own choices and goals. For me, this woman is Ernestine Shepherd.
She is the oldest female competitive body builder in the world...and she just turned 80! She didn't even start body building until she was in her 50s!
Ernestine's life philosophy with everyone we know. We could all use this advice.
Every morning, 80-year-old Ernestine wakes up at 2:30 a.m. She says she never needs an alarm clock.
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After she wakes up, the first thing she does is read her devotions. Then she makes breakfast.
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Ten scrambled egg whites, a handful of walnuts and 16 ounces of water.She eats the exact same thing every day without fail.
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She sings the same song every morning."Oh I can't sit down, gotta keep a 'rolling like the rolling of the sun...today I am happy and free. Nothing in the world is troublin' me. Oh, I'm on my way."But there's a very important reason why Ernestine does this every day...
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Ernestine runs about 10 miles a day and upwards of 80 miles per week."Exercise is fun for me. I want to see how far and how long I can keep up the running. If I had it in my mind that it was work, I really wouldn't want to do it."
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So how did this award-winning body builder get her start? It was all because of her sister. The two were extremely close with each other. Where you saw one, you saw the other."[My sister] came to me one day, and she said, 'Gee, we're sitting around, we're like couch potatoes. We need to do some exercise.' And we decided that we wanted to take weight training."
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"Finally she came to me one day and she said, 'You know what we're going to do?' She said, 'We're going to be in the Guiness Book of World Records as two of the oldest female body builders. And what's gonna happen, we have something else — we'll be sisters.'"So we went on back and worked hard.
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"Within a year's time, she said, 'If anything were to happen to me, I would want you to keep this up.' "She was having some kind of health problems, but I didn't know that she was at the time."She had a brain aneurysm..."
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"When she died, I went to pieces. I didn't want to do anything. "I ended up with high blood pressure, panic attacks, acid reflux, and depression. "It was just an awful way to live.
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"But finally, one day, my sister came to me in a dream, and she said, 'Get up and do what I asked you to do.'"I didn't get up right away. It took me maybe a good two weeks after that. "I made up my mind that I was going to fulfill the dream that my sister wanted."
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Ernestine worked hard and did her first competitive show.She came in first place in her age category.
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A month later, her manager called. He had huge news...
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The Guinness Book of World Records had called to confirm that Ernestine was the oldest female competitive body builder in the world.She had made her sister's dream come true.
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As the years passed, Ernestine's awards and trophies began to grow in number. She was surpassing her own expectations. She also lives by a strict philosophy...
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"I do the same thing, day in and day out. I eat the same way, day in and day out.""And by me out running and walking, the depression and anxiety just left me."
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"Because, I have to practice what I preach. I can't tell anyone to do anything if I'm not doing it."Ernestine started teaching exercise classes for more mature adults.
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At first, she started out with about 10 people in the class.But that quickly grew.Now it's so popular, there sometimes isn't enough room for everyone! Even men are taking her class to train with her specifically.
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It's clear that Ernestine touches the lives of every one of her class members in a profound way. One member said, "I am so inspired by her. I'm, y'know, I am 66 years old, just celebrated a birthday, and I feel like I'm 21."
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Another woman emotionally said, "It's deeper than just coming to this class and working out. It's deeper."She made me want to live again — mentally. The spirit of this woman grabbed me back. I bless her and honor her because she's the greatest woman on this earth."
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Ernestine has this advice — "Not everybody wants to be a body builder. Not everybody wants to be a runner. But find what you like to do..."And I say to my senior ladies and the men, 'Don't forget, age is nothing but a number, and you can get fit.'"SHARE this story to wish Ernestine a happy 80th birthday and to inspire everyone you know!
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