Granny Julie Ford is determined that she wants to look and feel just as beautiful in her 70s as she did in her 20s.
The 69-year-old loves cracking and crunching abs in bikinis and showing off her toned body in crop tops, and says she refuses to “become invisible” as she ages.
As a part-time physical education teacher, she encourages other women of her age to exercise.
Julie, the founder of walking resistance band Instepp, wants to prove that you can still “look sexy” in old age.
Julie, who lives in Eastbourne with her husband of 67 years, Jerry Armstrong, said:
“I always try to look sexy by wearing frilly crop tops and stuff like that.
“I’ve spent my whole life showing off my body, not because of vanity, but because it feels good.”
From an early age, Julie was always active.
She says: “I wasn’t very academic at school. I always wanted to run around outside.
“I wanted to be a physical education teacher since I was about 11.”
However, outside of her teaching job, Julie has always enjoyed participating in sports.
she said:
“I still run, bike, and walk, but I had to quit netball and hockey a few years ago because the weekends were so busy.”
Even with son Matthew Armstrong Ford, 33, and daughter Christina Armstrong Ford, 30, in their 30s, her love of fitness didn’t stop.
“I continued to work as a physical education teacher, but outside of school I attended weight training classes and dance classes.
“Children either attended netball or hockey games or dragged them in to watch.”
Julie loved the “buzz” of exercise, but she also found it gave her a lot of confidence in her body.
“I tried so hard to stay healthy and fit, so I looked good,” she says.
“I was known as a village woman. I wore only shorts and a crop top, so I rode my bike everywhere with very little clothes.”
In September 2016, 63-year-old Julie was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, but that didn’t hold her back.
“It was a routine mammogram appointment and they found something and called me back,” she says.
“I was told I had stage 2 breast cancer, but I couldn’t believe it because I felt so healthy.”
Julie, who underwent a month of radiation treatment, said she was lucky that the treatment went “smoothly.”
She says: “I’ve felt so healthy all along that I still can’t believe I got cancer.
“I didn’t want to quit my job, so I scheduled it for the fall semester so I could continue my treatment.”
Julie was able to finish treatment relatively easily, but her attitude towards exercise changed.
She said: “When I got back to the gym, I was just like, ‘I don’t want to be here.
“Life is too short. I just wanted to get out and make every day meaningful.”
Taking long walks in the countryside instead of Jim, Julie realizes she wants something more and begins experimenting.
She said: “I wanted something to tighten my upper body.
“I tried using weights, but carrying weights made my arms tired, and at the end of the walk I ended up looking like an orangutan.
“I dug through the garage and found some rubber resistance tubes and an old wetsuit, so I attached them to my shoes and tried to hold them in and strain them.
“We went through about 30 different designs over the course of a year before arriving at the finished product.”
Inspired by her work designed to tone and strengthen the body when resistance and movement are combined, Julie launched a versatile walking resistance band named Instepp in March 2018. rice field.
she said:
“I’ve used it by the seaside in Croatia, on the edge of Cornwall, by a pool in Mexico.”
Julie says she’s in great shape thanks to her walking resistance band.
“It’s often said that when you’re 50, you’ll lose your sight, but I’ve confirmed that’s not the case.
“My friends jokingly tell me they don’t like me and ask me, ‘Why are you so cool?
“I don’t know if it’s just because I’m blessed with getting older or because I’m positive, but I think if you feel good, you look good.”
As Julie’s 70th birthday approaches in February 2023, she has plans to celebrate in style.
She says: “It’s strange to think I’m 70, because I don’t feel it at all.”
Not only has Julie been named Personal Trainer for Pensioners by Inspired Villages, which later became the operator and developer of Living Communities in the UK, but after becoming a grandmother for the first time, Julie has also trained the next generation of her family. looking forward to
“My granddaughter Freya is only 13 months old, so she hasn’t been running around much yet,” said the very active grandmother.
“But I can’t wait until I put her on my bike so she can walk and ride with me.”
For more information, please visit instepp.co.uk.
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