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Age is of no concern for 61 year old Erin Swensen.

As people enter their fifties and sixties, many of us assume that they are now far too old to do much. Nevertheless, Atlanta woman Erin Swensen bucked this trend, proving it is never too late to start a fitness routine. She puts many a younger person to shame with her energetic chosen activity. The 61-year-old is not content with her old routine of lounging on her leather sofa, munching cookies and watching TV, generally waiting for old age to catch up with her. What is most striking is that she developed her interest in fitness only in recent years, proving you are never too old to try new things!

Like many people, Ms Swensen had never been one for exercise, until she discovered a book that suggested how older people could help themselves stay young through physical activity. She began her route to fitness gradually by training at a local gym, but soon moved on to greater challenges. As she slimmed down, she became intrigued by the notion of training for a triathlon (a three-part race that involves swimming, running and cycling).

Ms Swenson used magazine articles to develop her own training programme. Even without the help of a professional trainer, she succeeded in finishing the triathlon in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Even more impressively, this first-time contestant actually beat all other contestants in her age group, all of whom were male. It was not all plain sailing however. Ms Swensen experience many challenges and subsequently decided that she would do better finding a coach to train and support her. She now works on her training six days a week. As a result, she finished her third triathlon by achieving a time just over thirty minutes faster than her first attempt.

Although Erin Swenson’s athletic achievements may be too energetic for the average septuagenarian, she nevertheless shows that with commitment and effort, anyone can reap the health benefits by taking up exercise. Even if you have not been accustomed to doing anything more energetic than climbing the stairs, a twenty minute walk can do wonders.

According to fitness coach, Debbie Alexander, a growing number of older people are participating in triathlons, and are capable of doing extremely well. Debbie Alexander continues to ensure that Ms Swensen has made excellent progress. Erin Swensen herself notes that her peers believe themselves past such strenuous exercise, but as she says ‘I got convinced’. While many older people might not wish to imitate her achievement, this reformed exercise-phoebe demonstrates that it never too late to get fit.