A super fit gran has revealed the key to her youthful appearance is being able to deadlift double her bodyweight - and says people online often think she is in her 30s or 40s. Jacqueline Hooton, 59, from Bognor Regis, has been a personal trainer for over 20 years and now trains five days a week.
The grandmother-of-two feels confident wearing hot pants and crop tops and wants to empower other middle-aged women too. Jacqueline said: "I'm going to be 60 in February and I am excited. I'm not frightened and I’m not apologetic about my age. I want to help other women feel strong and confident in mid-life too."
The personal trainer, who shares fitness posts with her 227,000 followers on Instagram, works hard to maintain her impressive physique.
"I get my cardiovascular training in by walking, running, or cycling on the beach where I live every morning," Jacqueline said.
"I have a personal training studio and have converted a garage to hold a power rack and Olympic bars and weight plates.
"I do strength training in my studio, my garage and in a local gym 4/5 days per week.
"I focus on key strength exercises such as squats, pull ups, and deadlifts, and include accessory exercises to support overall strength.
"I have osteoarthritis in my knees, and I have also had three shoulder surgeries for frozen shoulder – a common issue for women in their 50s – so I have to work around these issues and modify my workouts accordingly.
"When I do share short clips of my own workouts – like deadlifting 100kg, which is twice my bodyweight – many people are often surprised how strong I am.
"This is the whole point though. I want other women to realise that they can build incredible strength at any age, and this will help them maintain function as they grow older, avoid injury, and potentially reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis which is an increased risk for women post-menopause."
Despite her strict fitness regime, Jacqueline insists she doesn't restrict herself in the kitchen.
"My diet is nothing extreme and nothing is banned. I have always enjoyed a healthy relationship with food and have never dieted, apart from when I needed to strip a little body fat for bodybuilding competitions," she said.
"I try to incorporate a variety of fresh foods, lean protein, healthy fats and unrefined carbs. It's hard to give a typical day because I mix my food choices up to achieve a good variety."
While she receives plenty of well-intentioned comments about her age, for Jacqueline, it is just a number.
She said: "People tell me I look good for my age. I understand they mean this in a kind way.
"However, I think I look my age and I am comfortable with this.
"The description of 'good for age' is problematic. It tells women they are still being judged on appearance, even as they grow older.
"It is a distraction from what really matters, our physical health.
"I am more interested in how we are ageing physically and what we can do to support healthier ageing, in terms of physical function, heart health, bone health, cardiovascular health, cognitive health and so on.
"Ageism is a real issue in society. Many people stereotype older people or treat them differently based purely on age.
"Women especially become aware of this in midlife and feel their worth is diminishing.
"There's this idea that we are too old for some things, like items of clothing such as shorts and bikinis.
"People have this idea that dancing on social media means we aren't acting our age.
"I for one refuse to become invisible, and I am not embarrassed or apologetic about my age.
"I'm visible, I let other women know I see them too, and I aim to serve them. If we can see it, we can be it."
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