Powerlifter’s call to older people to get strong after ‘life-changing’ fall

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

It was a fall “in a flash” that rendered the then 57-year old Southlander Linda Reid immobile in 2019.

Fast forward five years and Reid is a national level powerlifter at 61, calling on older people to start strength training to prevent injuries further down the line.

Speaking about her mishap, Reid said: “It happened so easily, just in a flash of a moment. Then you realise that trying to get [mobilised] again - how unsteady you are on your feet, and you lose confidence because you have fallen and injured yourself.”

Reid found herself “debilitated for so long” by the fall that it was “life-changing”. It took away her independence and everyday life.

She said it needed much more than a plaster to fix her injury.

Working as a lead gardener for the Rowena Jackson Village for the past 18 years, Reid said that she saw what happened when older people fell and got injured.

“At their age, it’s far worse.”

Often, older people thought that sports or weight training was a young person’s activity, however, they would “surprise themselves” when they got started, she said.

“You don't need to go to a big, flashy, expensive commercial gym.

“Some people feel more comfortable with a few dumbbells and stretching bands in the privacy of their home.

“But you definitely need to get in touch with a trainer to give you the right techniques, so you don't injure yourself.”

It was important to keep moving, she said.

Last month, Te Whatu Ora Southern outlined that falls were the single largest cause of injury for New Zealanders across all age groups.

The health board stated that falls had become increasingly common and were “far more likely to cause injury” after the age of 55.

“In New Zealand, about 1 in 3 people over the age of 65 will have a fall every year.”

In older people, it attributed falls to weaker legs, poor balance, eyesight problems, nutritional deficiencies, hazards in the environment, or side effects from medications.

While Reid’s recovery took a long time, she was nudged into powerlifting by her daughter Jessica Reid who was already involved in the sport, as a way to rehabilitate after her injury.

“I couldn't pick up any more than a hand towel to dry myself,” Reid said.

So she called it “the greatest thing” going to Farmlands to pick up chicken food, and watching the look on the staff members faces when she hauled a 20kg bag out by herself.

“They’re thinking, ‘look at nana, look at the size of her’.”

She said baby boomers, the generation to which she belonged, would be intimidated by people going in the gym and lifting heavy weights, but “everybody started somewhere”.

“It's never too late to start because it's your own health and own wellbeing.

“Just give it a go, because you will be absolutely surprised what you can do and absolutely amazed at how incredible the human body is.”