Get Fit with 6: 86-year-old still runs a business, exercises everyday to stay young

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – About a year-and-a-half ago Peggy O’Leary walked into Sun House Fitness.

“She said ‘It is my intention to live to 100 and I want to be just as mobile and fit now as I am. I run my own company,’ and you know, she really blew my mind with all the things that she was doing,” said Frank Prather, personal trainer and owner of Sun House Fitness.

O’Leary spends most of her days at work and her evenings doing some kind of exercise.

“Usually I work out twice a week on Monday and Thursday evenings right after 5 o’clock. I ride my bike everyday, my stationary bike eight miles a day. But I give myself six miles on the days I work out,” said O’Leary.

When she’s in the gym, O’Leary says she wants a whole body workout. Personal trainer Frank Prather developed a routine with her age in mind.

“We need to strengthen all the muscle groups both individually and as a whole while also giving her a little bit of conditioning and some functional exercise where she can continue to be strong in her day-to-day life,” said Prather.

O’Leary stays busy, leading an active life by working and volunteering her time, so the last thing she wants is a bad fall.

“At my age balance it is extremely important because your balance is not quite the same as it was when you’re 30-years-old,” said O’Leary.

“She knows more than most people that strength training is the closest thing to the fountain of youth and the number one method to maintain your quality of life,” said Prather.

O’Leary says she wants to feel as young as she can for as long as she can, even if it means working through her aches and pains. The last thing she want to do is live the rest of her life just withering away.

“Even though I have a bad knee, I still keep going. You have to keep moving. If you don’t start, if you don’t move, you stop and then you all of a sudden melt into a chair or you melt into something and that’s it,” said O’Leary.

And most of the younger people in her gym want to be just like her someday.

“You look to Peggy and say ‘If I could do half of what she’s doing when I reach that age, I’ll have accomplished something phenomenal,’” said Prather.

Besides her strength and energy, Peggy’s personal trainer says the impressive thing about her is her dedication and consistency: she never misses a workout.

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