Photo credits to Guiness World Record
When you think of someone at the age of 59 years old, most of them either have a rather sedentary lifestyle or are only doing low-impact exercises such as walking or gardening to keep their body active.
Well, Canadian grandmother DonnaJean Wilde is here to prove you wrong.
She’s not just a mother of five and a grandmother of 12. She is the official Guiness World Record holder for the most pushups done in one hour by a female!
Here’s what happened
Her official result was 1,575 pushups in 60 minutes. That’s about one pushup completed every 2 seconds consistently for an hour straight.
Well, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for DonnaJean to break the record.
According to an official statement by Guiness World Records, she started strong with 620 pushups in the first 20 minutes but had to slow down towards the end.
At one point, she even had to pop back what felt like a dislocated shoulder to continue the competition. Talk about dedication!
She also enjoyed extra motivation from her grandchildren, who were there to support her throughout the hour. They even had a poster of her in the background saying, “My grandma is officially amazing!”
What DonnaJean had to say about her second world record
After her amazing achievement of a second world record, here’s what DonnaJean had to share in an interview:
“Choose to believe in yourself and others. Plan to attack each day and to be on the offensive side of the game. Make time to do the things that you love, so you can make things happen and write your own story.”
So what was her first world record?
Just when you think DonnaJean couldn’t be more inspiring, she is actually a two-time Guiness World Record holder!
Just six months ago, she also broke the world record for the longest time for a plank. She held the plank position for just over 4 hours and 30 minutes!
Do let us remind you again: She’s 59! I can’t even hold a plank for a minute without my body trembling.
Sure enough, the former high school vice principal is not just a believer; she’s a doer, and she’s smashed it out of the park with these 2 records.
She had to do 500 pushups a day for her plank training, and that’s what inspired her to go for the pushup challenge.
Congratulations to an amazing year, DonnaJean!
Here’s how you can start
If you’re sitting there wondering how you can just be like DonnaJean, the most important step is to start.
Not with 1,000 pushups, 100 pushups, or 10 pushups. Begin with 1 pushup and slowly increase your way up to a challenging amount.
Consider the easier variations of a pushup to begin, like the knee pushup, as having your knees on the floor can reduce the bodyweight you have to push.
A pushup is a great exercise that targets your core, chest, shoulders, and triceps, strengthening your upper body. You’ll eventually get stronger at pushing things in your daily life!–