A 94-year-old “tough old nut” said her secret to recovering from Covid was keeping fit – and lifting WEIGHTS.
Winifred Jones tested positive for coronavirus on New Year’s Eve after suffering from a cough.
But despite her age the nonagenarian said she took the positive test result in her stride – and is already getting back into her exercise routines after making a full recovery.
Winifred, from Bampton, Oxon., revealed that her key to recovery was an active lifestyle, including cycling and lifting weights – as well as her healthy appetite.
She said: “I didn’t panic, I knew what it was and just got on with it – that’s how I am.
“What’s the point in panicking, I’m a tough old nut. I had that silly cough for about two weeks and then I got better.
“You can’t help catching this virus, but I’ve always kept fit and cycled a lot.
“I like to get up early in the morning and go for walks – I go for short walks every day but I try to do about four or five miles when I can.
“I also use little hand weights every day, they weigh about half a kilo each. I was using weights long before all this happened, and have carried on with them.
“You have to keep active, otherwise you’ll go before your time.”
She has just started to get back into her Zoom exercise classes after recovering from the virus, which she participates in once a week.
And Winifred added that she doesn’t really have any vices or guilty pleasures – but admits that she does love chocolate.
She said: “I love my food and I eat well, I like vegetables and healthy foods that will help keep me fit.”
And the mum-of-three, who also has ten grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, said that the key to her longevity is her good sense of humour.
She said: “You’ve got to stop worrying about yourself.
“I’ve always had a sense of humour and I like to have a bit of fun. You’ve got to keep cheerful and that makes a heck of a difference.”
Her daughter, Annette Gillibrand, 68, said the family was in “total shock” when Winifred tested positive for Covid.
She said: “We just thought she had a bit of a cough so I was in total shock when she caught it.
“We’d been very careful but it shows just how easy it is to pass on. It can be anything so it shows how careful we have to be.
“When she was diagnosed we didn’t expect her to recover – but she took it in her stride.
“She’s said all along that she’s had her life so she’s always had that attitude and gets on with it.
“We then got tested because she had tested positive and even though we didn’t have anything in the way of symptoms, both my sister and I tested positive as well as my mum’s carer.
“Then we became ill too, so I basically stayed and helped mum and rested in between jobs.”
Annette added: “She was brought up tough – she was one of nine children, so there was always that lively, fun environment.
“That was the kind of atmosphere that me and my sisters were raised in, too – our parents were both big party animals back in their day, so mum has always been really fun and up for a laugh.
“On Monday she’ll be starting her Generation Games exercise classes again on Zoom.
“They really help older people build up their core and it keeps them fit and helps with recovery from falls.”
