5 Times Our Grandparents Gave Us Serious Retro Fitness Goals

5 Times Our Grandparents Gave Us Serious Retro Fitness And Fashion Goals

You'd swear grandparents were born cool. Just check out these pics where the old-timers totally whip our asses in the fitness and fashion stakes...

by Women’s Health

November 30, 2017

grandparents who gave us fashion and fitness FOMO

By Zinhlezonke Zikalala

How cool are your relatives?

Grandparents. Our favourite people in the whole wide world. They say yes when parents say no. They never forget your birthday and they give you money for no reason. They have the best jokes ever. And some of them are just plain badass.

Here are five times they knocked it right out of the park with their super-fit bods and gorgeous get-ups. They’ll make you envious of not being alive in their prime time…

1. Their Bodies Were INSANE Before Arnie

The smoothie bodybuilder in action… My granddad – or judu, since he’s Lebanese! – circa 1915… He was 20 years old, newly married and loved bodybuilding and boxing. This was taken in Tripoli in Lebanon long before children and a move to South Africa. – Editor Danielle Weakley

grandparents

2. Glamour Was Actually Earned

My Ma used to sing for the soldiers who were shipping out to WW2. She was very glamorous, a fabulous entertainer and a wonderful cook. She was never without make-up and it frustrated her enormously that her only granddaughter was such a tomboy – I remember her chasing me around the house with a perfume bottle. I feel robbed that she died before I was old enough to drink whisky with her, learn her recipes and borrow her clothes. – Deputy editor Wanita Nicol

grand-parents

3. Posing On A Car In A Cozzie Was A Thing

Ouma #1: My ouma was a dancer in her younger years. Elegant and fit, and she married Oupa – love his snapback cap. Check out his strong legs!

READ MORE: Tone Up The Fun Way With This Strength And Cardio Workout

Ouma #2: Posing on the car in her cozzie, as you do… Love the style of her bikini. – Art director Michelle von Schlict

READ MORE: Get Over Your Fear Of Bikinis With This Volleyball Player’s Simple Tactic

4. Shopping Was A Legit Sport, With Real Results

My grandma on her wedding day! Her sport was shopping – every Saturday, without fail – and going dancing with my pops every weekend. My mom used to lie in their bed as my grandma got all dolled up for a night out! – Writer Michelle October

5. If You Didn’t Feel Like Smiling For A Pic, You Just… Didn’t

The realest of them all was and still is my grandmother – the original queen of ‘Ska Bafa Chance‘, a ‘Smile For Who?’ type of person and keeper of all the ‘Whoo Shem‘. A couple of decades down the line and very little has changed. Still a lover of two-piece outfits, she smiles more often now – must be because she’s got the coolest grandkids!

And uMkhulu was what we now call the ‘Cotton Eater’ because he always had the #OOTD things on lock-down. His job as a caretaker required him to wear overalls most of the time. But when he knocked off, the young man cleaned up good. PS: He never left the house without the hat. Issa signature. – Editorial assistant Zinhlezonke Zikalala

Looking for more? These women tried hairstyles from their ‘Hell No!’ list… and this is what happened. Plus: How to ‘spring clean’ your fitness gear for better workouts.

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