War veteran Stan Lendrem admitted today his family call him a “fitness freak” because of his love of pumping iron – AGED 90.
Sprightly Stan – a body builder and football fanatic – hits his local gym three times a week and swims every day.
Stan, a former RAF aircraft fitter, walks three miles to the gym from his home in Wellington, Shrops., before jogging home and finishing the day with a well earned whisky.
He even marked his 90th birthday last month with a two hour gym session where he bench-pressed his heaviest set of weights of 40kg.
Stan, who has a grown-up son and two granddaughters, took up his extreme fitness regime eight years ago after the death of his beloved wife Mary.
He said: “I wish I had taken up body building years ago, I started going eight years ago and found the gym was so nice I keep going back.
“Four days a week I go walking from my house into the nearest town and another three I go into the gym.
“I tend to work out in the gym for around half an hour and then I go get changed and have a swim for another half an hour.
“I usually pop for a swim the other days of the week as well to keep myself in shape. I absolutely love it.
“When I was in the air force I played a lot of football and then when I came out I continued to play.
“I had a few trials for local teams but I preferred to kick around with my mates, so I’ve always kept myself fit.
“I love walking, I used to walk with my wife, but she died 13 years ago so now I just walk on my own.
“But I made loads of friends out and local dog walkers all know me so I chat to people all the time.
“My son calls me a freak because of how fit I am, but I like to think it’s the reason I have lived so long.
“It’s a combination of exercise and a little drink of whisky every night, I don’t drink a lot, but I do like a little drink of whisky every day.
“I’ve kept fit and never had any problems with my health.”
Stan joined the RAF when he was 19 during World War Two.
He was stationed across East Asia and after the war he worked at the Air Ministry before moving to factory work until he retired.
Stan is the oldest member of the Whitehouse Gym in Telford – which also has an 88-year-old man as a regular user.
