 |
Once there was Jane Fonda, then came Rosemary Conley, since then, there have been countless popular fitness instructors. Some have been stayers - they believed in the benefits of fitness and health and they have endured, as have their adoring fans and followers.
Most have come and gone, their 'unique miracle' diets and training tools (or, depending on your view - torture devices) sold books and videos briefly, and the postman turned up with another contraption that you had to assemble, bolt to the floor or blow up. Some of these erstwhile guru's are now seen in the 'Where Are They Now' section of the gossip glossies or selling tacky baubles on a backwater satellite channel. Their machines and videos trade for low rents on eBay and car boot sales.
But not all fitness instructors are the same.
Before Jane and even before Rosemary, there was Irene Estry. Now fitness and well-being consultant to stars of television and film, Irene was trained in the 1970's by the brilliant eccentric - Lotti Berk, a pragmatic yet imaginative tutor whose lessons included exercises with such uncompromising titles as "the Prostitute", "the Peeing Dog" and the "French Lavatory". Irene has incorporated Lotti's philosophy but has tempered it with compassion and her own brand of physical empathy that today's modern woman understands.
Whether a familiar face from Coronation Street or the private woman, one constant remains - relaxed self confidence.
No tricks, no expensive devices in fours easy payments and absolutely no pills, potions or punishing schedules.
Thousands of woman have benefited under Irene's tuition, they cite well-being as the core element of Irene's work.
Little wonder then that for four decades, the celebrity woman and the private girl gave thanks to Irene, keeping her close as mentor - and friend, an effect she seems to have upon everyone who meets her.
Statistics show we are living in a country with an increasing older population. Yet no one wants to grow old. The desire to remain young at heart and in body is greater than ever, yet this maturing age demographic is so often overlooked in a society where youth reigns.
Septuagenarian Irene believes youth doesn’t come out of a bottle, cream or even under the surgeon’s knife - it derives from a carefully calculated and balanced programme which works from the inside out; combining healthy eating, moderate exercise, confidence building and an emphasis on the importance of making quality time for the things you love doing.
Irene dispels the all too common held belief that dieting is the magical key to weight loss, by explaining how some diets are actually more counter productive in the long term.
She offers simple exercise routines to suit every person and every level of mobility which can be carried out everywhere from an office chair, to a swimming pool or at home.
More importantly, Irene embraces the advancing years and proves ‘age’ is a word, not a sentence!
|
