He's 87 but still hits the gym three times a week

Hitting the gym isn't about muscle building or vanity for this 87-year-old. It's about keeping his mind and body active.

Gordon is a smidge older than most fitness enthusiasts but that doesn't stop him from arriving at the gym before dawn three times a week. 

"I do it so I can keep moving," he says. "It's about making sure that I go on living and it keeps me flexible. I often wonder if people might think I'm an idiot for going to the gym at my age. But I feel I would become a cabbage if I stopped doing it."

He's been a regular at Christchurch City Council's Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre for the past 12 years and he thinks the routine and the work-outs have helped him reach his late 80s in pretty good health. He had a quadruple heart bypass in 2005, but that only slowed him down briefly and then he was back into his exercise regime.

He has been a member at Pioneer since 2004, and before that, Olympus Health and Fitness Centre. He started gym work-outs in 1989 when he stopped working full-time. His routine is to spend an hour at Pioneer, doing some weights, mat work and using the treadmill before spending some time in the pool.

"Most of the work I do in the pool is around the lazy river, walking against the flow for leg work," he says. "I had a programme at Olympus and I've just carried on with that. Occasionally the trainers will give me a bit of advice."

Originally from Yorkshire, Britain, Gordon has lived in Christchurch for 43 years and has always been a keen sportsman, playing soccer, volleyball and cricket when he was younger.  He only stopped playing golf in 2013 when he started to "lose his swing".

There is no rush for him to get to the gym at 5.30am but he says he has always been an early riser and the routine is important. He knows all of the instructors at Pioneer and enjoys the social contact. "It's a good start to the day," he says.

Pioneer fitness instructor Scott Wallace says Gordon is a "courteous gentleman" who shows age isn't a barrier to self-discipline or motivation.

"He's an inspiration to all who train and work at Pioneer. It's of great importance that people Gordon's age maintain regular exercise to keep mobile, balanced and a high degree of muscle tone. Exercise also provides cognitive and psychological benefits and keeps older members engaged with the community."

A custodian at the former Robert McDougall Art Gallery in the Botanic Gardens for 10 years before his retirement, Gordon lives with his "lovely" wife. Apart from going to the gym he leads a fairly quiet life and enjoys reading the newspaper when he gets back home in the morning. A humble man, he doesn't think his exercise routine is all that special.

"I do believe around the country there are people much older than me, in their 90s going to the gym."

Is he right? If you know of someone older than Gordon who is a regular at a Christchurch City Council gym please email Newsline.