Moving to the beat of a full life

YOU are never too old to discover a new hobby. Just ask Ingrid Britz who has taken up Zumba dancing at the age of 65.

“I absolutely love it,” she says. “It is fantastic, my energy levels have gone up, it is very good for your circulation, and I have lost 9lb. I have really firmed up.

“The changes are wonderful. I have high blood pressure and I am on medication but I feel so much more energetic now.”

Ingrid, who is a reflexologist, decided to “check out” her local Zumba classes at Dance Masters in Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, last January after seeing an advertisement, and now goes twice a week with a friend.

“Noreen is 63 and she loves it, too. We would not give it up for a million years. I would love my husband to come along, too, he is a very good dancer.”

Zumba is a Latin dance and aerobic fitness regime, whose choreography combines hip-hop, salsa, and the cha cha with squats and lunges.

“We also do some Irish and country dancing. It is not too high impact, it is just good movement. I have dodgy knees so I would definitely know if it was too much for them, but they don’t hurt at all, they really have loosened up.

“I am not so clued up on the music, but it really gets you going. Then we cool down to Celine Dion, which is lovely,” Ingrid says.

Although Ingrid is the oldest member in the class — the youngest is a teenager — she is well able to keep up and now knows all the routines off by heart.

“ Nobody judges you or looks at you. If you can’t follow at first, you soon will be able to and you go at your own pace. If you can’t do something it is not a problem. I can’t do jumping jacks, but I just do the equivalent moving my legs instead of jumping,” she says.

As well as Zumba dancing, Ingrid practises tai chi once a week and is also a keen 10-pin bowler, participating in many tournaments.

“Nobody believes my age, but I put that down to the exercise and a positive outlook on life. I think any person over the age of 55 should be active: “It really does pay off both mentally and emotionally.

“Mentally, you are so much clearer because the blood is pumping, the oxygen is going through you, and emotionally, you feel so good,” she says.

Ingrid moved from South Africa to Ireland in 1999 because of her husband’s work. Her life “changed dramatically’’ as she decided to train as a reflexologist and Reiki master.

“I was in my early 50s and I knew I had to do something else with my life, my children were grown-up, and I was not going to sit around on my laurels,” she explains.

After qualifying, Ingrid set up her own practice in 2001 and is still working full-time, specialising in reflexology in pregnancy and infertility. She also teaches Reiki.

Not surprisingly, Ingrid has no intentions of slowing down, and her only regret is that she can’t go Zumba dancing three times a week.

“I can’t wait for my Zumba classes. I think it is important to be happy, be positive, look after yourself, and embrace your age. When I said I was old, my daughter said to me, ‘Mummy, you have to first learn to be old’. Isn’t that great?” she laughs.

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