When Helah Pettigrew, 51, was going through a stressful time in 2017, she turned to the gym, finding relief in lifting weights and challenging her body.
“Going to the gym was game-changing,” Pettigrew, who now calls herself a fitness guru, says. “It strengthened me mentally. So much so that I didn’t even realize the physical changes at first. Working on the inner positively affected the outer.”
Pettigrew quickly fell in love with working out — both the process and the way it was making her feel. She took it to the next level, competing in her first bodybuilding competition in 2018, where she placed fifth. Always hungry for a challenge, last year Pettigrew and a team of five other women broke the four-hour push-up relay world record, doing a combined 15,908 push-ups.
After eight years of consistent exercise, Pettigrew, who feels like she’s aging in reverse, says she’s in the best shape of her life.
“I discovered the fountain of youth,” she says. “It’s a good, healthy diet and exercise. It reverses your age. I wasn’t this fit when I was a young girl, and now I’m running circles around my 15-year-old son.”
To complement her exercise and clean diet, Pettigrew strives to keep her stress level down, prioritize self-care, drink a gallon of water a day, and get at least six hours of sleep every night.
Along her fitness journey, Pettigrew found herself naturally helping others — whether it was sharing healthy living tips or correcting form in the gym. That led her to get a personal training and nutrition coach certification.
“I love helping people,” Pettigrew says. “I decided, why not go ahead and get a certification to make it legit?”
Pettigrew also shares her love of fitness through teaching. She leads a bootcamp class, as well as a hip-hop cardio dance class, where participants exercise to the beat. It’s a full-body workout for everyone that Pettigrew says improves balance, flexibility, endurance, and core strength.
Pettigrew teaches — and actively participates in — a total of 13 classes a week. That’s on top of her own personal workouts that she does six days a week. She admits it’s a lot, but faith and passion keep her energized.
“Your pain will push you to your purpose, and that’s what happened,” Pettigrew says. “My purpose and passion were born at the same time, and now I live this life.”
Pettigrew, who recently became a grandmother, says she wants to live this life well and for a long time.
“I want to play kickball with my grandson or throw the football,” she says. “Or if he wants to run around the block. I can do that.”
She says people are never too old to start. Though it might be challenging in the beginning, it gets better. The quality of life it leads to is worth the sacrifice and self-investment.
“You don’t have to be a gym junkie like me, but you need to strength train,” Pettigrew says. “The older you get, the more you want to be able to do things like lift yourself off a couch. We’re always going to be under construction. As long as we’re on this Earth, we need to be doing something to keep our bodies in good physical health. Move it or lose it.”
Try one of Pettigrew’s classes: hip-hop cardio at Jay-Lo Fitness and Empowered Bootcamp in Desoto County. Connect with her on Facebook for class schedules and personal training inquiries.
By Maya Smith
Photo by Tindall Stephens
