You’re never too old to exercise – senior influencers share on TikTok, Instagram their secrets to ageing well
- There is a well-established link between fitness level and longevity, trainer says, and senior influencers on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are living proof
- The ‘granfluencers’ are great role models for old people who may need motivation, but doctor cautions viewers to take their own fitness into account as well
For years, Singaporeans Ng Bee Kia, 77, Ngai Hin Kwok, 73, and Victor Chan, 70, have made it a point to get together a few times a month to exercise and try new workout routines.
Wanting to inspire other old people to get healthy, they called themselves Team Strong Silvers and began sharing their exercise videos on Facebook in October 2013. Two years later, they started posting content on Instagram (@teamstrongsilvers), and have since gained more than 7,000 followers.
The group also includes overseas members Peng Lin Hua, 82, Ng Siu Chi, 64, and Qian Hong, 62, who exercise with Ng, Ngai and Chan whenever they are in Singapore.
Seventy-one-year-old American Sheila Agnew McCoy is another fitness influencer who is inspiring others on social media via her Instagram account, @sheilasfitfiftyplus.
Based in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia, the grandmother, breast cancer survivor and personal trainer – she got her certification at age 65 – regularly shares exercises that are “fun and enjoyable as opposed to strenuous and repetitive”.