A determined grandmother is encouraging more women to take up weightlifting after it awakened a newfound passion for fitness and helped combat health issues.
Ruth Child, 61 , from Heaton Moor, was told that she would need to be on medication for the rest of her life due to her high cholesterol levels. But, after taking part in Life Leisure’s ‘Strongher’ weightlifting course, she has removed the need for medication and found a new determination to keep strong and healthy.
Ruth, who is sharing her story for International Women’s Day (Saturday 8th March 2025), said: “I have absolutely loved the course and would recommend weightlifting to anyone who is looking to increase their fitness like me. It’s shown me a completely different way to keep active, without having to run on a treadmill or do high impact exercises, which I’d never been keen on.
“I don’t feel intimidated because I’m with women who are like me, and the focus is purely on being strong and building muscle, it’s not about body image or simply losing weight.
“We have a good time together – it’s women supporting women and it’s really uplifting.”
Ruth, who is a mum of three sons and has a granddaughter, Enya, regularly attends a yoga class and walks every week, but realised she needed to commit to more exercise following a visit to the GP.
Ruth, who attends Life Leisure Houldsworth Village gym in Stockport, said: “I knew I was going to have high cholesterol because my mum had it, but I was shocked when the doctor said I’d need to go on statins. I thought I was doing enough to keep it at bay.
“I didn’t want to take the medication because I heard that once you’re on them you never come off them, so I was determined to find another way.”
Soon after Ruth joined the Strongher course, a six-week program that teaches participants to increase lean muscle mass and burn calories efficiently through weight-bearing exercise.
Ruth, who runs her own planning consultancy in Manchester, said a visit to the GP confirmed that her cholesterol reduced in just a few weeks of doing strength training.
She said: “I always thought the weight section of a gym was just for big chunky guys who were seriously into weightlifting. But that was in my head, the reality is totally different. Now I feel comfortable going into the gym and doing a session on my own.
“I’m confident that the next time I go to see my GP, he will tell me my cholesterol has come down even more. And on top of that, I can see myself getting stronger and lifting heavier weights. I have more energy day to day, so I’ve great motivation to keep going.”
Ruth added: “I have a newfound determination to keep fit and I’ll be using my gym membership in a much better way.
“I would really recommend the Strongher course not just for older women, but any women who are interested in making a healthy change, but who perhaps don’t know where to start. It’s not a competition, you go at your own speed and have a group of women around you to keep you motivated.”
She added: “It’s really important to look after yourself and if you can find things that you enjoy, then it doesn’t feel like a chore, and the time goes really quickly.”
May Elfargali, a Health and Wellbeing Coach who leads the Strongher course at Life Leisure, added: “Ruth is a fantastic example of how you can take charge of your body through exercise.
“She wasn’t keen on the idea of going to the ‘gym’, but our course was a safe space where she could learn a completely new way of being active. So often people think they need to do cardio to get fit, but building muscle mass through weights is just as effective.
“The Strongher course has been developed specifically to break down the barriers and give women the opportunity to try something new and with confidence.”
Life Leisure’s Strongher courses are open to members and non-members. To find out more about Life Leisure go www.lifeleisure.net.
