Crazy! In a good way, I mean. How admirable, that this woman has such an inspiring attitude, about aging not meaning we should become stationary!

I’m surprised any former gymnasts can even walk past age 50! The sport is so hard on your body.

My young gymnast... who is, of course, recovering from an injury at the moment.

I have other videos I've showed in class. So impressive, not only her body composition, but her balance and agility.

Oh, Ida. You awful, cruel woman.

This morning, I was FINALLY able to add a few more minutes to my elliptical workout. I would’ve jumped off and done a victory dance, but I was shaking too hard and trying not to cry or throw up. It ... is ... kicking ... my ... behind. Literally. I thought I was in pretty good shape from hiking, kayaking, etc. NO. NOT.

And you rub this in my face.

Seriously, she’s awesome and is my new inspiration to working out. Wow! How amazing is that! :)

ETA: Wow again at your beautiful gymnast, Sueb. I can’t even imaging doing that! Super impressive — I sure hope she heals fast. :)

ETA Again: I love this picture. Those two guys in red T-shirts behind her. I had to make a meme ...

Wow Sue....i can’t believe how high off the beam your DD is! Such talent! And what can you say about a 95 year old still at it?

Whoa! Very inspiring.

Haha, jinx, I walked with friends for an hour this morning then did about 15 min of yoga on my own and I was pretty pleased with myself. Even though my ankles hurt inexplicably and now I could really use a nap.

I’ve always been impressed by gymnasts of every age. The closest I’ve ever gotten was my talent to do a back dive. While someone was holding me.

Although one brother was a gymnastics coach for years he was never able to help me do a cartwheel. Never could, never will.

If interested, Netflix is currently running a documentary series called "Cheer". This is about a competitive cheer (part cheer, part gymnastics) squad in rural Texas. I am not a wimp, but this sport is dangerous!

I watched Cheer last weekend. Those kids are fearless. Loved the coach, Monica. (she reminded me of Sheryl Crow.) Good show.

I know, I know ... this is both an inspiration and a reason to be depressed. And eat donuts. (OK, so maybe not eat donuts, but now that I'm back into "get fit" mode, just about all of me hurts. I totally feel the pain of those of you who are, well, feeling the pain!)

I just can't imagine how gymnasts manage to do what they do. It fascinates and perplexes me, because I've never even been able to do a cartwheel. Amazing!

Oh, and I'm still planning to run my first 5K in over 20 years in less than 72 hours. I fully plan to be dead after that. Nice knowin' ya. ;-)

We’ll be cheering you on spirit! My palms start sweating, just thinking about running a 5k. Or 1k. Or up the street.

I played basketball all through school. Since the track team was always too small, they forced us b-ballers to do it. Oh, man. I did not like. But it’s weird — I can run up and down the b-ball court an entire game, loving every minute ... but putting me on a track field and firing the starting gun makes me just want to curl up in a ball. Why is that? :D

Anyway, GOOD LUCK! You’re going to do great, I know it.

I love this so much! I feel it's a privilege to be able to remain physically fit, always striving to improve our fitness level for as long as our health permits. So many are unable to.

I didn't read her story, but the key to her continued ability to do gymnastics is probably that she never did it at an extremely competitive level and kept doing it continuously over the years. Much easier to maintain a certain level of physical ability, than to try to regain it after stopping.

Ida, good luck on the run. I did a 5k years ago and hated being surrounded by by so many people. Running was a solitary quiet activity for me, and having all these people breathing and making noise around me was not enjoyable.

Yeah, that made me feel a bit depressed about my own physical condition. She's amazing, though. Great balance and strength even compared to someone 20 years younger.

This 101-year-old yoga instructor took up ballroom dancing in her 80s. It's never too late!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAqv1KMNUUU

I follow her on Instagram. She's such an inspiration.

Good luck, IdaClaire! Enjoy the 5K. Let us know how it goes.

Good luck Ida. I heard really good things about losing weight & gaining bone mass by jumping on a trampoline. Sounded like a good idea so I bought a small one I spotted at a Thrift Store. I was quite surprised how quickly I ran out of steam jumping on that thing. I so admire people who are able to focus on getting healthy and following through (amylou comes to mind). Jinx ... hahaha!!! My sentiments exactly.

I did gymnastics in my earlier life, although only up to a certain level (and I think I did an adult competition after the age of 30). Quass is amazing, and it is really stretches the bounds (no pun intended) on what lifelong fitness can do.

Uzbek gymnast Oksana Chusovitina recently qualified for the Olympics, her 8th, at the age of 44. Not 91, but she is literally competing at the highest levels for 30 years. She placed4th on vault behind Simone Biles at the last World Championship. Yes, she's a mother to a son older than her competitors.

I am pretty sure exercise is the fountain of youth.

Thanks so much for the encouragement! I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'm approaching it with a sort of "eager dread", which makes little sense. I know it'll be tough since it's been more than 20 years since I was doing 5 and 10k events regularly, but I also know what to expect and I always enjoyed the air of excitement and camaraderie. I hope this spurs me on to really get back into a running groove. I think these old knees still have a bit of life left. (But Johanna still has better legs!)

I saw this story on tv recently and was just gobsmacked -probably partly because my kids were competitive swimmers but also because she only learned to be a proficient swimmer at an advanced age.Late to the Pool

I just commented on another thread about not being as strong as I once was. I cannot lift as easily as I once did. However, I’m convinced that the walking and yoga that I do helps me tremendously. If I can’t get out there and move (recuperating from a cold), the stiff joints come back. I feel so much better when I exercise.

I feel like the Tin Man when I don’t.

Wow, that 95 yo is AMAZING!!! How inspiring! Good luck on your 5k Ida! You’ll do great. :)

Maddielee and Ratherbe, my dd does competitive cheer just like on the Netflix series. The only difference is Navarro is a college squad that competes against other colleges at Nationals, and dd is in AllStar, which is the same thing except for younger divisions. It is so funny to me about that series bc I am hearing so much about competitive cheer in the mainstream media and among acquaintances who have never understood the sport before! thank to Netflix! :) Navarro is amazing, and many high level cheerleaders want to go there bc of their winning reputation, but we keep telling dd that college is for getting a degree first and foremost...cheer is secondary.

That woman is amazing and proof one should never back off exercise. It truly is harder to resume and get back to where you were if you stop for a long period.

Sue, your DD looks in fantastic form. Those balance beams scare the heck out of me. I hope she is healing well.

I don’t run races much anymore, as I don’t care for the crowds. I do it occasionally but I have learned to stick to the side of the road or trail and just stay out of the way unless I am passing someone. Since I’m older and slower than most anyway, it works for me. I do enjoy having running buddies that are compatible and who encourage and celebrate with each other.

My mom is 78 years old and runs 9 miles a day at an 8 minute mile pace. She has worked out my entire life...she was dragging us to muscle gyms in the 70s to lift weights way before fitness was even a thing, She always ate well...we were the house without sweets where a glass of orange juice was a treat. She instinctively practiced intermittent fasting, ate tons of nuts, lower carbs her whole life. Routinely she only eats 2 meals with a few handfuls of nuts in between meals and has done so for decades.

She just went to get a medical work up for the first time at 77. The doctors were incredulous at her fitness. Her arteries were as clear as a 3 year old.

She truly is a testament to the effect of lifestyle choices on aging as my dad is the same age; he smoked, drank, ate terribly and is housebound and ill. Maybe had they remained married, her choices would have kept him healthier.

Ironically, her work out time was always a source of arguments and one of the reasons they didn't get along.

Cleo, that's amazing!!

Good luck, IdaClaire! Check out Couch to 5K if you haven't already. Heck, even I could do it!

Well, I did it! It was tough, thanks to a brisk north wind and a partly wet and muddy course, but at least I finished. I expected to run it in about 42 minutes and ended up doing it in 38:30. That's slooooooow, but better than I'd hoped for. I felt sluggish and like I could be faster with some of this weight off me. But it's a start.

Good for you! I could never do it and I consider myself to be in good shape. I've just never been a runner. My hat's off to you!

And you beat your goal? That's great! Congratulations!

I was thinking of you this morning, thank you for the update! Great going! I’m so impressed — awesome accomplishment. :)

Very good, IdaClaire! 👏 I think that was around my time when I ran through the Y a few years back but I know I couldn't do that now!

Awesome!! Congratulation! 🎉🎊🎈

Congratulations, IdaClaire! Good for you. Thanks for this update.

Thanks so much, ya'll! DH asked me if it was fun. I told him to ask me that tomorrow. ;)