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Resident proves fitness is for any age
By Senitra Horbrook, shorbrook@acnpapers.com
People of all ages often begin the new year armed with resolutions to lose weight and get fit. For 53-year-old Carrollton resident Sharon Simmons, healthy living is more than a resolution, it’s a lifestyle.
“Fitness is for any age,” she said. “It is a state of mind.”
The mother of two and grandmother of two is a national fitness competitor, bikini model and, as of last month, a published author. Simmons is the author of Triple F – Fifty Fit and Fabulous, available for purchase through amazon.com and triplef.me.
The book is broken into eight succinct chapters with titles such as “Exercise at Any Age,” “Nutrition Made Easy,” “Supplemental Drugs – To Do or Not to Do,” and “Competitions – Down and Dirty,” each providing Simmons’ foolproof ways to get and stay in shape.
“The book is fashioned so anyone can pick up the book,” she said.
Simmons, a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist, said the key to nutrition is to eat non-processed foods. When it comes to beginning a new exercise routine, Simmons said consistency is most important.
“You don’t have to stay two hours in the gym,” she said. “Doing a little something every day is good.”
She said walking is a good way to start.
“Walk around the block,” she said. “If you hate it, find something you might like. The key is you’ve got to find something you like. You need to find something you enjoy. With walking, if you like it, increase it every day.”
Simmons, who also works full time as a property manager, said she noticed a coworker seeing results from using the Nintendo Wii Fit video game.
“If it works, do it,” she said about the use of video games. “Find what works for you. As long as you’re doing something and keeping your body moving and watching your nutrition, you’ll see results. For my coworker, the Wii is working.”
Simmons’ own fitness regimen includes 45 minutes of daily exercise. Her workouts include activities like weight training, jumping rope and plyometrics, which she described as the latest form of training used by athletes.
Simmons has more than a dozen fitness competitions and five first-place titles to her name, including the 2007 and 2008 Master’s Universe of Fitness Champion and the 2009 Fitness Texas Overall Champion. She didn’t compete in her first fitness competition until the age of 50.
“It’s surreal,” she said about her first competition experience. “When you stand on the stage, it’s like, ‘I’m really here.’ Starting at 50 with no gymnastics or cheerleading experience, they treated me with respect, like I was an equal.”
Simmons has begun training for a competition on Feb. 12 at Lifetime Fitness in Carrollton, where she will also be a guest speaker.
“My big time of year is August, September, October and November,” she said. “I do anywhere from four to five competitions.”
Getting “competition ready” includes abiding by a very strict diet of lots of chicken, fish, fresh fruits, vegetables and non-processed eating. Simmons said she loves chocolate, but it’s out of her diet for at least two weeks before competing.
“There’s a certain look I have to achieve,” she said. “This is strictly fitness, not muscle –that’s a different look.”
Simmons also works on a routine for competition.
“I do the routine two to three times per week,” she said. “I have a choreographer for a good two months.”
Simmons said her big secret to success is believing in herself.
“It’s never too late. Always believe in yourself first. Have a firm belief you can accomplish anything, no matter what the goal,” she said. “The first step is simply ‘just do it.’ Never allow anyone else to set your limitations for you.”
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
ckaspereli wrote on Feb 14, 2010 8:56 AM:
" Sure, more power to her, she's great but lookng at that fair complexion and all those freckles, she needs to stay out of the sun or use more sun-block and/or higher SPF. "
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