Photos: See this 77-year-old Body Builder




If you ever wanted real-world proof
that age is nothing but a number, you've found it. Meet Ernestine
Shepherd. With her flat stomach, toned arms and excellent health, you'd never guess that this female bodybuilder is in her late 70s. But she is -- 77, to be exact. According to Huffinton post:
As impressive as her physique is, one of the most incredible parts of
Shepherd's story is that she didn't even start working out until she was 56.
Shepherd
and her sister, Mildred Blackwell, decided to get fit after they tried
on swimsuits and weren't happy with what they saw in the mirror. The
sisters set their sights on becoming two of the oldest female
bodybuilders. However, after Mildred died, the devastated Shepherd ended
up with high blood pressure, panic attacks, acid reflux and depression.
Then, Shepherd says her sister appeared to her in a dream, urging her
to follow through with the bodybuilding dream they had conceived
together.
Shepherd did, and was declared the World's Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010. (
Edith Wilma Conner now holds
the title.)
Since then, Shepherd says her health had dramatically improved. "I do the same thing day in and day out," she says on an
episode
of "Oprah Prime" that also featured Sharon Stone. "No high blood
pressure medicine. No medicine for panic attacks. No medicine for acid
reflux. By me out running and walking, the depression and anxiety just
left me."
Part of Shepherd's everyday routine includes waking up
at 2:30 a.m. and reading devotions from her Bible. In addition to
running and working out, she eats 10 egg whites (scrambled) along with a
handful of walnuts and drinks 16 ounces of water. She also teaches
classes at her Maryland gym, Energy Fitness.
"I started my class
with 10 people in the class. That class has grown -- some mornings
everybody can't get in the room," Shepherd says.
For her
students, Shepherd encourages exercise in any shape or form. "Not
everybody wants to be a bodybuilder. Not everybody wants to be a
runner," she explains. "But find what you like to do. I say to my senior
ladies -- and the men -- 'Don't forget: Age is nothing but a number and
you
can get fit.'"