This 76-year-old woman's incredible health transformation proves exercise can change your life!
- Replies 7
Geraldine Vinall had endured decades of chronic pain from serious injuries early in life. As a child, she contracted polio and was thrown from a horse, injuring her back. Later, a major car accident at age 21 left her with severe neck problems.
Diagnosed with advanced osteoarthritis in her spine in her 30s, Geraldine struggled with increasing joint stiffness and immobility over the years.
But during lockdown, the 76-year-old decided she still had plenty of life left to live. She sought help from community healthcare provider Connect Health.
Geraldine mentioned that she had been taking her dog for a walk and seeing a chiropractor regularly to address her stiffness and mobility. However, she still requires assistance in managing her pain.
‘The women on both sides of my family live well into their nineties, and I wanted to be able to plan for the next 15-20 years,’ Geraldine said.
After discussing her options and receiving advice from her general practitioner (GP), she reached out to Connect's musculoskeletal (MSK) clinician, Charlotte Hopper.
‘During that first chat, Geraldine had so much to say—she’s a very bubbly, motivated lady, but she felt she’d been ignored by medical professionals in the past. She’d been told her spine was crumbling, she’d been passed from one person to the next and never offered any real solutions,’ Charlotte said.
She added: ‘She needed reassurance about how to manage her pain and to understand what is going on with her conditions.’
Charlotte introduced Geraldine to a new approach: using a gym for physio and rehab.
Geraldine admitted that she initially thought physio referred to ‘a bit of massage and maybe some ultrasound’, which unfortunately hadn’t worked for her in the past. She then shared: ‘But Charlotte’s idea made sense, and hope started to return.’
Charlotte stated: ‘In the first one-to-one, it took me 20 minutes to get her on the cross-trainer, I think she was weighing me up. But once she got going, she made amazing progress.’
‘Then we moved on to small group classes, which I think was the fix for her. She’s quite competitive, so she would be watching the other patients—most were younger than her—and want to be better,’ she added.
Charlotte mentioned the progress Geraldine had made: ‘At first, she’d barely do a squat, but soon she was lifting 4 kg weights, and then she’d pick up an 8 kg kettlebell and start squatting. She flew through the circuits we set for the group.’
Outside of classes, Geraldine would update Charlotte via the app. Later on, Geraldine withdrew from the group to give her slot to others who needed it. She still keeps her exercise at home and in the gym and plans to sign up for a virtual spin class.
Aside from the weight training—which helped with some of her chronic pain—Geraldine also created a ‘life plan’ to take her well into her nineties.
‘I’ve gradually switched the focus over the years from [looking after] everyone else to looking after me. I’m finally, truly, independent, although I’m still evolving,’ she stated.
Science backs up Geraldine’s experience. Studies have shown that regular weight exercises are linked to a lower risk of death from any cause.
Dr Graeme Wilkes, Chief Medical Officer at Connect Health, explained: ‘Resistance exercises using gravity or weights to strengthen muscles are commonly recognised as contributing to musculoskeletal health and recovery from injury, as well as for some in “looking good”.’
‘What is not well known is that research has found muscle-strengthening activities are independently associated with a variety of improved health outcomes including increasing life expectancy, improvements in heart function and mental health,’ the doctor continued.
‘As we get older, there is not an age where people should become sedentary—resistance exercises should remain part of life to the grave, providing a better quality of life until that day. This should include whole body resisted exercises, so arms and legs,’ she added.
Dr Wilkes advised: ‘As well as older people continuing to resist weights, their friends and families should encourage this and not conspire to reduce such essential wellbeing training. Seeing an elderly person in the gym should be a normal event.’
What do you think of Geraldine’s story, members? Do you have exercise tips you can share? Let us know in the comments below!
Diagnosed with advanced osteoarthritis in her spine in her 30s, Geraldine struggled with increasing joint stiffness and immobility over the years.
But during lockdown, the 76-year-old decided she still had plenty of life left to live. She sought help from community healthcare provider Connect Health.
Geraldine mentioned that she had been taking her dog for a walk and seeing a chiropractor regularly to address her stiffness and mobility. However, she still requires assistance in managing her pain.
‘The women on both sides of my family live well into their nineties, and I wanted to be able to plan for the next 15-20 years,’ Geraldine said.
Geraldine contacted Connect Health to help manage her chronic pain. Credit: Connect Health
After discussing her options and receiving advice from her general practitioner (GP), she reached out to Connect's musculoskeletal (MSK) clinician, Charlotte Hopper.
‘During that first chat, Geraldine had so much to say—she’s a very bubbly, motivated lady, but she felt she’d been ignored by medical professionals in the past. She’d been told her spine was crumbling, she’d been passed from one person to the next and never offered any real solutions,’ Charlotte said.
She added: ‘She needed reassurance about how to manage her pain and to understand what is going on with her conditions.’
Charlotte introduced Geraldine to a new approach: using a gym for physio and rehab.
Geraldine admitted that she initially thought physio referred to ‘a bit of massage and maybe some ultrasound’, which unfortunately hadn’t worked for her in the past. She then shared: ‘But Charlotte’s idea made sense, and hope started to return.’
Charlotte stated: ‘In the first one-to-one, it took me 20 minutes to get her on the cross-trainer, I think she was weighing me up. But once she got going, she made amazing progress.’
‘Then we moved on to small group classes, which I think was the fix for her. She’s quite competitive, so she would be watching the other patients—most were younger than her—and want to be better,’ she added.
Charlotte mentioned the progress Geraldine had made: ‘At first, she’d barely do a squat, but soon she was lifting 4 kg weights, and then she’d pick up an 8 kg kettlebell and start squatting. She flew through the circuits we set for the group.’
Outside of classes, Geraldine would update Charlotte via the app. Later on, Geraldine withdrew from the group to give her slot to others who needed it. She still keeps her exercise at home and in the gym and plans to sign up for a virtual spin class.
Aside from the weight training—which helped with some of her chronic pain—Geraldine also created a ‘life plan’ to take her well into her nineties.
‘I’ve gradually switched the focus over the years from [looking after] everyone else to looking after me. I’m finally, truly, independent, although I’m still evolving,’ she stated.
Science backs up Geraldine’s experience. Studies have shown that regular weight exercises are linked to a lower risk of death from any cause.
Dr Graeme Wilkes, Chief Medical Officer at Connect Health, explained: ‘Resistance exercises using gravity or weights to strengthen muscles are commonly recognised as contributing to musculoskeletal health and recovery from injury, as well as for some in “looking good”.’
‘What is not well known is that research has found muscle-strengthening activities are independently associated with a variety of improved health outcomes including increasing life expectancy, improvements in heart function and mental health,’ the doctor continued.
‘As we get older, there is not an age where people should become sedentary—resistance exercises should remain part of life to the grave, providing a better quality of life until that day. This should include whole body resisted exercises, so arms and legs,’ she added.
Dr Wilkes advised: ‘As well as older people continuing to resist weights, their friends and families should encourage this and not conspire to reduce such essential wellbeing training. Seeing an elderly person in the gym should be a normal event.’
What do you think of Geraldine’s story, members? Do you have exercise tips you can share? Let us know in the comments below!
.png){kind=icon}
