Female empowerment is a trending topic, and don't these women know it. As both personal trainers and senior citizens, Wendy Ida and Ernestine Shepherd transformed their bodies and work toward inspiring women who admire their transformations. Each of these women has a noteworthy story that inspires their clients on a daily basis. While Ida carries her ID in case someone questions her age (65-years-old), Shepherd carries her smile to the gym every morning at 7am to inspire a group of women who aspire to look just like her when they turn 80.
Both Wendy Ida and Ernestine Shepherd hold Guinness World Records and spend hours in the gym maintaining outstanding figures.
Both of these women inspire others to work toward their goals and transform themselves in more ways than one. Each of these women started their fitness journey at different points in their lives, but now they sing the same song to the women they train. Shepherd and Ida can both attest to adopting the following key ingredients to reach their goals, despite their age: determination, dedication, and discipline.
Six-packs were not always in the cards
They were each inspired differently, but both of them were inspired by someone. For Shepherd, it was her older sister, and her journey started in the dressing room. When the pair of them tried on bathing suits, they discovered that at age fifty-six and fifty-seven their bodies had changed -- and not for the better.
After this, Shepherd's older sister, Mildred, as well as Ernestine, were invited to a gym -- where they both started working out.
Mildred always worked much harder than Ernestine during their workouts. Mildred always pushed herself in aerobics classes, and when Shepherd noticed her sister working hard, she would work harder too.
Mildred and Shepherd were inseparable from the time they were young. They acted as best friends; they dressed similar, they walked to school together, and they made pinky promises. There was one pinky promise in particular that changed Shepherd's life forever. One day, Mildred made Ernestine promise that she would work toward a Guinness World Record no matter what happened to her -- little did Shepherd know that Mildred would have a brain aneurysm one morning.
After they pulled the plug on Shepherd's sister and best friend, Mildred, Shepherd was a mess. She ran all over the hospital feeling lost. Of her five siblings, Shepherd had always been closest to Mildred. Shepherd spent five years grieving, and she was only able to pull herself together once she remembered what she promised to achieve before her sister's death.
When Shepherd was ready to get back to working out, her family was right there to support her. Sure enough, Shepherd did achieve a World Record just as she promised. Today, Shepherd trains women of all ages, and inspires each and every one of them with her six-pack and empowering story of staying true to your word. Shepherd may have been through the worst, but her mind is healthy and her body is looking its best.
These women are bodybuilders and grandmothers
As for Wendy Ida, she reached her goals through triumphing over the trials of her past. Wendy Ida is a domestic violence survivor, and a mother of two children. She lost a total of 80 pounds from the time she was 43 until now. She underwent an incredible transformation and feels more confident in her body now at age sixty-five than she felt in her thirties. She has also written a book called "Take Back Your Life" that inspires women to value their self-worth, to live up to their potential, and to become all that they were made to be.
For Ida, it took some self-recognition, and digging deeper to take back her life. For Shepherd, it took a loss and a truly supportive family.
Both of these women are rock-solid and they have strengthened their mind, bodies, and souls through hard work and dedication. These women celebrate their similar accomplishments in different ways. Shepherd sports her six-pack and runs for three hours a day while Ida rocks her bikinis in a size 4. These women are the epitome of goals and deserve a round of applause to go with their World Records.
We all have different stories, and start from different places, but no matter how old you are, how sad life seems, or what might be stopping you, you can overcome it, and you can take your life back. You are never too old, and you can always set your mind right to work toward achieving your goals.
