At 96 years old, Jean Stewart has a clear message for anyone who thinks they are too old or too busy to exercise: think again. This remarkable woman, who first walked into a CrossFit gym at the age of 81, now credits her twice-weekly strength training sessions with keeping her alive and fiercely independent.
From Frustration to Fitness: An 81-Year-Old's Bold Decision
Jean Stewart was always active in her younger years, playing hockey and softball and working with the Girl Scouts. However, as she entered her ninth decade, she felt her strength diminishing. Everyday tasks became a struggle, and she reached a point where she could no longer prune her beloved roses. The growing frailty was frustrating, but even more grating was being treated as incapable by others.
Determined to change her trajectory, Stewart, then 81, read about a local CrossFit gym. She decided to pay a visit and ask for help. This bold step marked the beginning of a 15-year, on-and-off training relationship with gym owner Cheryl Cohen. At the time, Stewart was Cohen's only client over the age of 60. Inspired in part by Stewart's journey, Cohen now specialises in classes designed for older adults.
Building Resilience Through Weights and Willpower
Stewart's initial training focused on practical movements to support her daily life, such as getting up from the floor and walking while carrying light weights. The progression was steady. Soon, she was performing full-body press-ups, keeping pace with women a decade younger. She developed the core strength to hold a plank long enough for a fellow senior to tell a two-minute story. By the age of 83, she achieved a personal milestone: a 70kg deadlift, which she recalls thinking felt "light."
Her journey was not without significant setbacks. As she approached 90, Stewart battled a MRSA infection and survived a serious car accident that left her needing two months of rehabilitation. She later suffered a fall while walking her dog, and at 91, required surgery for a broken hip. Each time, her stubborn determination and commitment to exercise saw her through recovery. "I continued with exercise and got the strength back," she states simply.
A Lifelong Commitment to Independence
Today, while spinal stenosis prevents her from deadlifting, Stewart's resolve is unshaken. She continues to train twice a week at the Desert Fitness Collective in Palm Springs. Her sessions are tailored but challenging, featuring elevated push-ups, kettlebell squats, and pushing a weight-loaded sledge. "The older I get, the more I tell myself I've got to keep going," she affirms.
The practical benefits are undeniable. Stewart can once again tend to her garden, rise easily from a chair, and possesses the strength to help herself up if she falls. She has become an evangelist for exercise, urging friends who believe they are too old to start and advising younger, time-poor people to simply "Make time. Do what you need to do to live longer."
For Jean Stewart, strength training is not a hobby; it is the foundation of her vitality. "Without strength training I wouldn't be alive," she declares, a powerful testament to the transformative power of defying expectations at any age.
