Walks etc.
82-year-old half marathon runner reveals her fitness routine
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She ran her first half marathon in her early 70s and is still doing so in her 80s. What is Wilma King’s fitness secret?
Her first participation was in 2014, and since then Wilma King has been running the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington DC” every year Half marathon”. Also this year in March, at an incredible 82 years old. “For me it’s normal and natural, and I just don’t think about it,” she reveals to Business Insider. Sounds very simple!
Your family runs with you
Wilma King already had good support during her first half marathon: her daughter, her sister, her brother-in-law and her daughter also ran. “It just looked like they were having too much fun and I wanted to join in,” says the 82-year-old about her initial motivation. In addition, doctors discovered several problems in her heart in 2014 – from then on, Wilma King wanted to do everything she could to stay healthy.
Now she walks 200 miles per month
At first, the then 70-year-old only went down the block and back up again. Over time, her endurance increased, her walking turned into running, and the distance became longer. It became her routine to run eight miles. Today she mainly goes for walks, every day and for very long periods: she walks 200 miles a month, which is equivalent to 322 kilometers. “I’m slower now than I used to be, but I’m 82, so what can I say?” she laughs. “I’ll do it as long as I can.”
She also takes photos for entertainment
As she goes for walks every day, Wilma King takes photos of her journey and shares them with her family and friends. “I run for the health of my heart and entertain myself. I have some daily contacts and along with the photo I send them a message like ‘Hello, how are you?'”
In addition to this walking routine, the 82-year-old also does stretching and mobility exercises, such as deep knee bends. Or she trains with weights: “I have a couple of six-pound weights (2.7 kilograms) and I lift them up and down and back and forth and swing them back and forth and all that. Nothing really special,” she says modestly .
It seems like you don’t need that much to stay fit as you get older – mainly three habits: walks, a few other exercises and maintaining social contacts. Let’s remember!