03/06/2026
These photos are exactly 7 years apart.
It wasn’t a goal of mine when opening the gym, but one of the best things that has come out of it, is how much more time I get to spend with my family.
It took me years of nagging to get my mum to do some strength training.
7 years on, this is her story.
In 2019 she was in her later fifties, had been reasonably active, regularly swimming, but had never really done any gym work.
She wasn’t strong, she wasn’t mobile, she had daily pain just from standing or walking, and unaware to us at that time, she was losing bone density.
Even with my relentless nagging, she had no interest in the gym. She said she was too old, that it wouldn’t make a difference, she didn’t have the time and that she was past it.
Then everything changed.
Mum had a fall. Nothing crazy, just a simple slip, but when she landed, she broke her arm.
Then she had another. Again, just a little slip, but this time she broke her leg.
She had a scan which showed lower than expected bone density for her age, which contributed to the breaks. Something had to change.
When she started, she couldn’t stand out of a chair without using her hands, easily climb stairs, support her weight with her hands, or even stand for longer than a few minutes without back pain.
Since then, she’s come to the gym twice a week, racking up over 400 sessions.
Now, she can do single leg squats with weight, climb stairs two at a time, can get out of the pool without using the steps, has toned up considerably, can walk for miles pain free, hasn’t had a fall for a long time, and most importantly, has added to her muscle mass and actually increased her bone density, as seen in a subsequent scan three years later.
She also took great pleasure in showing up the local delivery driver by easily carrying boxes into the house after he said “I’ll leave it here until your husband gets home.”
Mum is now fitter, stronger and more physically able at 65 than she was at 40.