PAULINE AND BRIAN LISTER BELIEVED EXERCISING AND KEEPING ACTIVE WERE SO IMPORTANT THAT THEY JOINED A LOCAL GYM EVEN BEFORE MOVING INTO THEIR NEW HOME AT GEMLIFE PALMWOODS.
The couple, originally from Brisbane, lived on a property in Tasmania for 12 years before taking the big step to downsize into the over-50s lifestyle resort, located in the pristine Sunshine Coast hinterland. They had been living in a nearby B&B while awaiting the completion of their home.
“We knew the Country Club wouldn’t be finished by the time we moved into the resort, so decided we could keep up our exercise routine by joining the local gym called Coach in Palmwoods,” said Pauline.
The decision not only proved beneficial to Pauline and Brian’s health, and their desire to gain some strength and cardio fitness, but also gave them a chance to meet like-minded GemLife Palmwoods residents.
“We were surprised and delighted to find that the gym hosted a regular fitness class that primarily catered for people who would be our future neighbours. They had the same idea as us and thought they’d use the local gym until all the GemLife facilities were up and running.”
Pauline has been interested in fitness for a long time, admitting that in the early days she visited the gym mainly to help her lose weight.
“Now it is more about keeping muscle tone, core training, and balance. Your needs change as you get older. I let the weight take care of itself these days and just try to eat well,” she said.
“I was so impressed about how it made me feel that I was inspired to help others, so I took on personal training and specialised in seniors. I learned so much about how our body works, the right exercises for what we are trying to achieve and so much more.”
Walking is another favourite pastime as the Listers have an eight-year-old ex-racing greyhound, Della, that they adopted and who loves nothing better than taking two or three walks a day.
“I have always enjoyed walking and when I was in my 50s, Brian and I used to go to the gym together. They suggested we go on fun runs for exercise, but I wasn’t fond of running. However, we took it on and grew to really enjoy them. For ten years we even did the 10km Bridge to Brisbane,” said Pauline.
Brian, a former civil engineer and Pauline, who worked in university libraries for many years, say exercising makes them feel amazing.
“The endorphins get going and you feel so good about yourself, especially as you hit little milestones like being able to lift heavier weights. You really feel so much better when you move.”
Brian and Pauline can’t wait for the GemLife Palmwoods Country Club to be completed so they can each get involved in their personal interests.
“Brian is very creative and as well as the gym, he likes to do things such as pottery, where I want to try everything including the golf simulator, swimming and so much more.”
When the couple moved into their new home recently, they had quite a few neighbours with whom to celebrate.
“Joining the gym means that we were able to get to know so many wonderful people before we moved in and we already feel so at home.”