Can exercise fight aging? Oviedo woman, 67, says fitness is key to longevity

With help from her trainer, woman hopes to gain time by getting in shape

OVIEDO, Fla. – Ten weeks into her 12-week training program, 67-year-old Martiza Ulrych said she felt the best she had in decades.

"I feel fantastic. I feel like a complete other person. I feel better than when I was 25, to be honoest with you," Ulrych said.

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The Oviedo woman said it's been tough for someone with a stubborn personality like hers to stick with it, but her personal trainer at Superior Metabolic Performance Gym holds her accountable.

"I'm very stubborn and John is very pushy," Ulrych said.

Her trainer, John Rogers, said the same about her.

"It's like kind of pulling teeth to get her started, but once she starts, she's like a freight train," he said.

Ulrych said Rogers keeps her on her toes and makes her follow the program the way she's supposed to.

Ulrych said she made the decision to start the program after seeing other women her age lifting weights. Since then, she's been committed to gaining muscle, as she believes it's the key to longevity.

Rogers said that's meant at least two hours of training for Ulrych each day, and by no means does he take it easy on her.

"Even though I punish her every morning, she's back at 5 o'clock the next morning," Rogers said.

 

Ulrych said the gym isn't the only place she's putting in work.

"This is the way of life. This is a way of eating, this is -- everything has got a purpose and my purpose is to live until I feel like it," Ulrych said.

What motivates her? Perhaps it's that stubborn attitude she mentioned earlier.

"I want to prove to myself that I can do anything that I want to do," Ulrych said.

It's that attitude that has others noticing her commitment.

"Her results have been amazing and her attitude has been amazing," one woman at the gym said.

As of Friday, she still had two weeks left on her current fitness plan, but that doesn't mean she plans to slow down any time soon.

"This is my dream. This is what I want to do and I will do it until the day I die, which is not gonna be now," Ulrych said. "Which is gonna be many, many, many years from now."


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