Staying fit with Hong Kong’s greying gym-goers: poster boys and girls Catherine and Geoffrey, both in their seventies, show age no obstacle
- Regular exercise can keep older people healthy longer, but they need role models, help to get started
- Many older people in community exercise programme became less frail, had less fatigue, walked better
Hongkonger Catherine Chow Pik-yuk rarely exercised when she was in her 20s. Bending over could land her in bed for days because of a spinal condition.
Today, the retired trading officer is one fit 70-year-old. She goes to a government-run gym in Tai Kok Tsui three times a week and runs three days a week.
Last year, she was the oldest woman in a fitness race, doing eight sets of gruelling gym workouts. They included eight 1km (0.6 miles) runs separated by challenges such as walking 200 metres (656 feet) holding two 16kg (35lbs) kettlebells, doing lunges with a 10kg sandbag and throwing a 4kg ball at the wall while squatting.
The mother of two grown-up sons took two hours, and won first place in the 65-69 age group.
“Many elderly people say their bodies are becoming useless. It may not be true. I can do things I could not do before, with the right training,” she said.
Chow’s transformation could inspire more elderly Hongkongers to exercise, get fit and slow down deterioration in their health as they age.