TAMPA, Fla. — Edith Traina is 97 years old. But you would never know it.
Even more impressive than her age? She is stronger than women decades younger.
Traina is the star of the CrossFit Jaguar gym. The forever-youthful Tampa dynamo powerlifts 100 pounds or more three times a week.
“You’re giving yourself the opportunity to see how much better you can be,” says Traina about a hobby that’s helped her deal with lung disease and mobility.
Edith is living proof of a recent study from the University of Buffalo that says strength training and muscle building can help women slow the effects aging even better than more traditional exercise.
“I was breathing better. I needed less accommodations,” says Edith about her health after she started hitting the heavy weights at age 91. "You find that as the days go on, you can accomplish a little bit more and a little bit more."
Edith is joined at the gym by women in their 70s and 80s. They say powerlifting and pumping iron is not just good for their physical health but their mental health as well.
