2023-07-07 07:28:46
Petra (66) is bursting with strength: she is athletic, slim and has a sparkle in her eyes that makes you smile. It’s hard to believe that she had to fight colon cancer for almost five years. Her road to recovery was not a walk in the park.
After the successful but exhausting treatment, the Bavarian wanted to get back to life as quickly as possible. A fitness program for the over 50 generation helped her. Today, the 66-year-old can chase after her grandchildren without getting out of breath.
Sports cannon through and through
Petra has always been athletic. She did judo as a child and was even a judo champion. After marrying a sports teacher, she regularly went skiing in the mountains. When the marriage broke up, she worked as a trainer in a women’s gym and after a few years even went into business for herself with her own gym.
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With the success came the revision: “I did a lot of office work and was so busy with the studio that I hardly had any time for myself,” she says today. “Often I’d come home around eleven o’clock and didn’t even have the strength to eat, even though I had prepared meal plans for my members beforehand.”
Petra training in front of the laptop
Photo: © Stefan M. Prager
Diagnosis of colon cancer
Then came the big bang: shock diagnosis of colon cancer! No more sport, no job, no more joie de vivre – instead, nine surgeries and two years of intensive chemotherapy and radiation therapy. “I had to rethink and let go,” says Petra.
The Augsburger, who was previously so sporty, could only move around with a walker because she was so weak.
Petra needed a walker during chemotherapy and radiotherapy
Photo: private
150 minutes of exercise per week
Today, the Bavarian is bursting with strength and infects others with her enthusiasm for sports – just like she used to be as a studio manager.
In addition to her willpower and medical treatments, she owes this to a sports program for the over 50 generation, in her case the online fitness studio “150 Minuten”. This came about with the idea of improving the quality of life of older people through exercise. For this purpose, workouts are put together that are tailored to their needs.
“Women my age often don’t dare to do sport between muscular men,” says Petra.
Petra training at home – her computer shows her varied programs
Photo: © Stefan M. Prager
“150 minutes” is based on the WHO recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate- or vigorous-intensity exercise per week. This improves condition, promotes health and shortens the healing time for diseases.
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The training sessions take place live and can then be accessed in the media library.
Co-founder and physician Dr. Sebastian Vogel (39): “Of course there are diseases that can take the life of the fittest people within months. But if you are physically fit, you have a much better chance of getting through most injuries and illnesses.”
Despite the hurdles of the last few years, Petra has kept her positive attitude
Photo: © Stefan M. Prager
Sport for the over 50 generation
5 fitness platforms suitable for people over 50
► 150 minutes: Via live video or with the media library, participants can take part in courses aimed at strength, endurance and mobility. The special feature: In the live courses, the trainers can see all participants who turn on their cameras and correct them if necessary. Membership costs from 19.99 euros per month.
► Gymondo, a platform with dozens of fitness videos, offers a variety of strength, endurance, dance and yoga exercises. Suitable for those who want variety, with programs for all ages. The monthly subscription costs 12.99 euros.
► senior fitness offers video packages on the topics of “back fitness”, “general fitness” and “yoga”, which you can buy and download. Individual video courses cost 29.99 euros, the packages cost 99.99 euros.
► Daily Yoga is a free app with countless yoga video courses for beginners and advanced. Slower and also more intensive units are offered. There are also audio guides for meditations. The professional version costs around 21 euros per month.
► 7 Minute Workout The basic version of the app is free and serves its purpose perfectly: all muscle groups are trained once in seven minutes with instructions and a countdown. Those who make it work their way up to a second or third round.
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