Body building grandma Ernestine Shepherd sets the benchmark
June 26th, 2011 | by Jessica Teakle |If you’ve been wishing for a toned body without the inclination for a rigorous fitness regime then turn to Ernestine Shepherd for inspiration. This 74-year-old grandma from Baltimore can put people less than half her age to shame with her dedication to fitness and weight training.
Ms Shepherd has been crowned as the oldest competitive female body builder ever in the Guinness World Record book 2012 for her feats and is an inspirational figure for many. She has won two trophies in bodybuilding contests and has run nine marathons in the past 18 years. She also trains women in all age groups for five days a week and advises them not to be afraid of weight training.
Cutting a unique figure in a fitness gym Ms Shepherd can be seen in sports outfits which read, ‘Determined, dedicated, disciplined to be fit’. This retired school secretary and certified fitness trainer wakes up at 3am every day, meditates and then runs 10 miles before lunch. She works out religiously with weights and follows a strict diet of brown rice, bland chicken and a glass of raw egg whites three times a day.
Some would argue that a septuagenarian should be enjoying life from a park bench rather than lifting weights on a bench press. Having been a self-confessed “couch potato” until the age of 56 she started working out at a local centre when she and her older sister found their bodies were going soft.
Ernestine Shepherd has been featured in the Essence magazine and appeared on ‘Today’ and ‘The Mo’Nique Show’, models for Nova Models and has even participated in the Senior Miss America pageant. An inspiration to her husband of 54 years, she has also helped women half her age drop dress sizes and live a healthier life, Ms Shepherd truly means it when she says “Age is nothing but a number”.
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