Freeway Park fitness stalwart Charmaine Rademeyer made it to one of the top six qualifying positions for the World Fitness Federation (WFF) Universe in Singapore in July.
This is after Radememyer, 48, finished fifth overall in a line-up of 12 ladies at the WFF Pretoria Classic which took place on Saturday, May 12.
She participated in the Bikini Model over-30 category.
Quizzed on how she stays motivated when other competitors are significantly younger than she is, in most cases, the mother of two explained: “Staying motivated is easy. Take this example: At the event, the President of WFF South Africa, Alet Lemmer, made a point of mentioning my age while we were on stage.
“Having people come to me afterwards to say they are so motivated and inspired, is motivation enough. Leading a healthy lifestyle makes me feel good and definitely keeps me younger.
“Knowing I will be 50 next year and proving that one can still look good and feel good is the best feeling. Knowing that my children are exceptionally proud of me adds fuel to the fire inside me.
“The event was quite a long day as my category was the second last one. I was at the venue from 9.30am and was only on stage at around 8.00pm.
“Your meals have to be perfectly timed to allow you to peak at the correct time but everything worked out perfectly.”
She said that for this competition, she wanted to come in with her best physique.
“With the help of my coach, I achieved that goal.
“It is difficult to compete at the age of 48 when some of the ladies in the category are perhaps 31 or even in their early 40s but, overall, I was extremely happy with my placing and what I brought to the stage.”
The 2015 IBFF South African champion, who successfully overcame plantar fasciitis early this year, added that it feels better than ever to be back on stage.
“I had planned to take a sabbatical from competing. I had an issue with plantar fasciitis over December and had to take a course of cortisone.
“I started a rehab programme with a good friend and coach, Dave Shanley, in January, to get over the reaction to the cortisone. When the bug bit again, I decided it would be a good idea to prep for a competition. I think the break from it reignited the drive and desire.
“My next competition will be Nabba provincials. That one doesn’t have an age category but goes according to height, so it will be a little tougher as I’ll be 49 and possibly competing against girls in their 20s, but the challenge is always to be better than in the last competition.” – @SabeloBoksburg
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