Ladies and Gents,

I just want to tell you a little story, that I at the tender age of 35 have had the pleasure of being a part of.

12 years ago I was working at a upmarket gym, training beefheads when one Tuesday morning a lady who was 5 foot nothing slowly walked in with her tight white perm and sporting a brand new pair of nike runners. I stood there watching her look around for about 10 minutes before I went to ask her if I could help her. She looked extremely out of place. She said,' Son, I've had 2 heart surgeries, I have diabetes and my knees are giving way, I have an award winning garden and 26 grand and great grandkids and one great great grandkid on the way that all live in the same suburb as me and come around everyday. I want at least 10 more years. I'm 85 and my doctor has said one more heart attack and im dead. The look on my face must have annoyed her a little bit cause she said, 'I hope you dont think you lot are the only one that have a right to have muscles'.

I pulled her into my office and went through her history, she pulled out a referral for 'gentle exercise'. I also found out that she had oesteoarthritis in both knees and high blood pressure.

Eve and I started training together, every Tuesday and Friday morning she got in a taxi and turned up at the gym at 7am on the dot. It turns out the whole family chipped in for her training sessions. She never complained, did everything I asked of her, followed the plan of action and these are some of her results..

Within 2months she was getting the taxi to drop her off 500m down the road and she walked.

Within 12months she was walking  the 3.8km to the gym.

Now Eve I could tell was watching the young men pushing out heavy weights (im not sure if it was the exercising she was looking at) but at 12months she said to me one day. 'I dont have to take my diabetes medication anymore and I'm getting up and down from the garden easier, can I do some of them? She had pointed to the boys at the squat rack.  

The rest is history...

Eve was a warrior over the next 4 years she trained with me, she walked everyday and did strength training 2 sometimes 3 days a week. At the end of the fourthyear Eve was bench pressing 30kgs, squating 50kgs and dead lifting 80kgs. She became my training partner not my client, and she treated me like a son. I became part of her family, in fact I married her great grandaughter and gave her a great great granddaughter.

In November 2012 we lost Ma Ma Eve, she died peacefully in her sleep. I remember at every year anniversary from the day she walked in my gym, she bought me a new watch and the card said the same thing every year... Thanks for another year.

I dont work in the fitness industry at the moment, Im working in community aged care but I still have my fitness qualifications and am studying to be a fitness therapist because Ma Ma Eve left me another watch and a message in her will... Give others another year, time is all any of us have.

This woman is an inspiration to me, for what she lived for.

Strength Train!!!! be strong, cause I think lifes still too short, even when your 97.