Lorinde Williams rarely misses her twice-weekly weight lifting sessions with her personal trainer. She takes an hour-long indoor cycling class one or two days per week, in addition to gardening in her yard and working around her Puyallup home.

Considering that Williams is 71, her activity level is more than impressive, it’s inspiring.

“From the moment I met Lorinde and learned how well she took care of herself, I knew she would be an amazing example for other patients who needed some extra motivation,” said Dr. Jason Brayley, a sports medicine physician with MultiCare Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Puyallup.

“The outcome of her diligent resistance workouts is incredible,” Brayley added. “She literally looks decades younger than her age.”

BODYBUILDING AND A NEW MOTIVATION

Williams always has been active. She grew up riding horses and started working out regularly in her 30s. But she really ramped up her commitment to her physical health when she began bodybuilding at 59.

“I did it for the challenge,” she said. “I thought, ‘I can do this,’ and then I really started seeing the results.”

She kept up the strict workout regiment, which required working out at a gym five or six days per week, for a year, and she ultimately participated in three bodybuilding competitions.

These days, Williams has a new motivation: her baby granddaughter. Williams cares for her three days per week, and she often carries the 15-pound baby in a front pack.

“My new goal is seeing my baby go to school,” Williams said. “I’m such a proud grandma.”

Her competitive days are behind her, but Williams still tracks all of her workouts, meticulously noting the weights she lifts and the number of times. She keeps a personal trainer because he “doesn’t treat me like a cotton ball.”

She struggles with arthritis, but she said the threat of aches and stiffness challenges her to push herself even more.

“Now I notice that, if I don’t work out, I feel stiff,” she said.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Exercise is just one part of Williams’ commitment to her health. She also pays attention to what she eats. She avoids sugar and fried foods, and she focuses on eating four or five smaller meals per day, instead of three big ones.

And she still indulges now and then.

“I still love my ice cream or a bite of something sweet,” she said.

Her focus on her health has paid off. Williams said she feels strong, healthy and able to do the things she wants and needs to do.

Her advice for others: Spend the time to educate yourself about exercise and nutrition, and don’t be intimidated by who you see at the gym.

“You can’t look at someone else and say, ‘I want to look like that,’” she said. “You have to recognize that you’re doing it for yourself, because you want to look and feel better.”

Getting Started

Dr. Jason Brayley, a sports medicine physician with MultiCare Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, says Lorinde Williams is an excellent role model for patients of any age.

“She’s made a commitment to making exercise a normal part of her life, and the effects really show,” Brayley says. “She has an apparent energy that is far beyond other patients her age, and she is not afraid to let some of the minor aches and pains that happen with aging take a hold of her life.”

Brayley offers the following tips for getting started and keeping up new healthy habits:

 • Talk with your doctor before you begin a new exercise program, and evaluate your health.

 • Consider customizing or modifying your physical activity to prevent injury. For example, Williams modifies some of her weight lifting moves to accommodate her arthritis.

“Don’t feel like you have to ‘go big’ from the beginning,” Brayley said. “Even starting with five minutes a day is five more minutes than you did the day before.”

 • Don’t be afraid of the aches and pain associated with getting your body moving.

“Your body will happier in the long run if you help it re-learn to get active,” Brayley said.

For more information about orthopedics or sports medicine, call 253-792-6555 or visit http://multicare/UVE3PK.

MultiCare Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

 • Good Samaritan, 1450 5th St. SE, Suite 4200, Puyallup, WA 98372. 253-697-3450

 • Sunrise 11212 Sunrise Blvd. E., Suite 201 , Puyallup, WA 253-697-3450

 • Bonney Lake 10004 204 Ave. E., Bonney Lake, WA 98391 253-447-3344