Drag racing, powerlifting, marathons. More women are embracing physical challenges in midlife and loving it, as Elli Jacobs finds out. | SUNDAY LIFE By Elli Jacobs
Forget about the idea of slowing down with age – research shows that women in midlife are becoming more active than ever. According to
“On a physical level, you develop that sense of empowerment that builds from lifting heavier weights, doing more reps, building speed and changing your body for the better,” she adds. “But it also allows you to build resilience, effectively transverse challenging life situations, including making you feel more visible as your age keeps going up.”
I’ve continued to race, and at the age of 53 I’m still loving the experience. I’m proud to say that the mature female racers across the whole sport set an awesome example for the younger generation, and over the last few years I’ve seen many more getting behind the wheel of their own cars.If you want to try something new, don’t let age be a barrier. It’s all about your head space.”strength in powerlifting.
At the end of 2021, I was approached by Strongwoman 2017 winner and coach Kerryn Taylor to take part in Strongwoman. Under her guidance, I became the only disabled athlete in the all-abilities competition held in Geelong this January. I felt that I only had myself to compete against, so I succeeded in lifting double the number of weights I’d ever been able to lift in training.
When I realised that anxiety had been prevalent my whole life, it brought residual anger to the surface which I now channel through training and competing – much healthier than suppressing it. So, in a big way, sport has become a form of therapy. From there the distances grew as I realised how accomplished each morning run made me feel. There’s something about running at sunrise that allowed me to connect with myself and the world in almost a spiritual way, and it became my “me time”. It’s given me pride in myself, and that’s a rare and amazing thing.
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