Annual enrollment season is nearly upon us.
While this season may be stressful for some, it is a good time for people to learn about new features of their health plans and to make commitments to improve their own health and wellbeing … or, at least, to start thinking about it.
To assist its employees through this process, FCA US conducted a health fair on October 24, which featured more than 50 vendors, to give employees the full scope of the Company’s health and wellness offerings.
To inspire employees, the Company invited Ernestine Shepherd as the event’s featured speaker. Ernestine is a personal trainer, a professional model, a competitive bodybuilder and, in 2010, the World’s Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
At 81 years young and ripped, Ernestine shared her personal health and fitness journey that actually began when she was 56.
“I first got into fitness with my sister Mildred,” Ernestine said. “We went swimsuit shopping one day and were unhappy about the way we looked in the mirror. Instead of lamenting about our bodies, we decided to make a change, get into shape and become the best version of ourselves.”
From there, the sisters started going to the gym together.
“We would match our workout clothes in different colors and it was a way we bonded. We were so close to each other. It was actually Mildred’s idea for us to become the oldest female bodybuilders and we would stand out from the rest because we were sisters,” she said.
Ernestine made a promise to her sister to live a healthy lifestyle and to inspire others to do the same.
Mildred’s unexpected passing hit Ernestine hard.
“One night, my sister came to me in a dream and told me to get up and fulfill our dream. I woke up the next day and became determined to overcome the challenges I was facing and decided to keep that commitment and continue what we started.”
Ernestine shares more about her amazing journey to health and fitness in this video:
