“The word that matters now is s-l-o-w,” she says, spelling it out. “When you’re my age, you have to work out very slowly so you don’t get hurt. You can do exactly the same things – but slowly. When I use weights, they’re lighter weights. But I still lift. I have dumbbells of different colours – beautiful pink, orange, yellow and turquoise, which makes them more pleasant to pick up.”
She doesn’t like working out, she admits.
“But I force myself to do it, because it makes a difference not just in my body, but in my brain. If I go too long without taking a long walk or working out, I tend to get depressed. I come from a long line of depressed people. If you don’t work out when you’re young, your body will forgive you. When you’re older, if you don’t keep moving, stay flexible and keep your muscles strong, it really makes a difference.”
Such as? “Getting in and out of cars. You don’t want to take ten minutes to do it because you don’t have strength in your thighs and back. Picking up a grandchild. You want to still be able to do it. When you’re driving, you want to be able to steer and look over your shoulder where you’re going.” She looks deftly over her left shoulder, as flexible as a gymnast. I tell her I already struggle to look over my shoulder, and feel like everything is crumbling.