5 Inspirational Older Women We Love
We're just hoping to be half as awesome as these ladies one day!
1. Carmen Dell'Orefice: At 80 years old, Carmen Dell'Orefice is the world's oldest supermodel. Born in New York to Hungarian and Italian parents, Dell'Orefice got her start modeling at 13 when she was spotted while riding the bus to a ballet class. Soon after, she appeared on the cover of Vogue, and the rest, as they say, was history.
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2. Ernestine Shepherd: Few people are in better shape than Ernestine Shepherd. Named the world's oldest female bodybuilder by the Guinness Book of World Records, Shepherd is up at 3 a.m. every day to lift weights, run, and do a cardio workout. She's also a personal trainer, professional model, and author. The 75-year-old definitely proves that when it comes to your health, age is just a number!
3. Tamae Watanabe: In 2005, Tamae Watananbe, a citizen of Japan, broke her back. The 73-year-old climber feared she'd never climb another mountain again. Two weeks ago on May 19th, she became the oldest woman to ever climb Mount Everest. That same day, more than 200 climbers were aiming for the top of the mountain. Four climbers died, in what is now considered one of the deadliest days on the mountain.
She has no plans to slow down-she told CBS news that she'd like to help younger female climbers take up climbing high mountains.
4. Hedda Bolgar: For most of us, working until we die doesn't seem like much fun or something we should look forward to. Not so for 102-year-old Hedda Bolgar. The Austrian-born Bolgar works as a therapist in Los Angeles, where's she's resided since she had to flee Austria when Hitler invaded.
In 2011, Bolgar was honored in Washington with one of two "Outstanding Oldest Worker Awards." Although she says she's "slowed down a bit," she still sees four patients a week, works with local psychotherapy clinics for clients who can't afford it elsewhere, and she recently appeared in a documentary entitled The Beauty of Aging.
What's her secret to such longevity? She recently told The L.A. Times she was simply "too busy to die."
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5. Gladys Knight:Gladys Knight may not have taken home the mirror ball trophy on this season's Dancing with the Stars, but she told US Weekly that she won something bigger: She lost 60 pounds!
The 67-year-old singer credits her weight loss in part to the encouragement of her DWTS partner Tristan McManus and to the Freshology meal service, as well as healthy snacks like fruit and power bars. We applaud Knight for reminding us that you're never too old to take charge of your health!
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