Chinese woman bodybuilder, 56, gives fitness advice

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At 56, Huang Aifeng looks much younger than her peers. She believes that decades of working out have not only slowed down her aging but also helped her maintain physical strength and a good memory.

Huang lives in the capital city of Taiyuan in China's northern Shanxi Province. She used to work as a community police officer for more than 30 years. The job was quite busy and took up much of her personal time. But Huang said it was worthwhile and she felt honored and proud that she had earned the respect of the people she once served.

Huang Aifeng coaches at a fitness center in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. /CGTN Photo

Huang started to work out around the age of 35 after she got married and gave birth to her son. She managed to squeeze an hour of time from her busy work every day to work out. At first, she just wanted to lose weight and look better.

She never expected she would become obsessed with intense exercise and even took part in her first bodybuilding competition when she was 51. In the past five years, she has grabbed medals of various national and international competitions and also become a referee herself.

Huang Aifeng has won many medals and trophies. /CGTN Photo

Since retiring from the police service last year, Huang has started to work at a fitness company. Busy as she is, she is enjoying life and believes retirement is just the start of a new journey in life.

Huang said she never thinks about getting old. Thus she's never afraid of it.

"I don't know how old I am now," she said. "I just keep doing what I've been doing for the past two to three decades. I don't feel I have less strength, I'm less flexible or I have poorer memory. Getting old is not terrible. What matters is to keep your mind young."

Huang also urges women, who often claim that they are too busy to exercise, to stop looking for excuses.

"Try to squeeze half to one hour every day to do some simple practices. It's absolutely helpful for you to have better physical as well as mental conditioning," she advised.

(Cover Image: Huang Aifeng practicing at her home in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. /CGTN Photo)