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Jinnah Kelson's thoughts were as sobering as they were persistent following her husband's death — compounded by a laundry list of health problems.

She had all but checked out, ready to leave this Earth for good before a friend began "harassing" her to give an exercise program a shot.

"She said: 'Jinnah, you're either going to give up and die or else you're going to go and you're going to do something about exercise,' " Kelson said.

Kelson relented, signing up for five classes at the Age Performance center in Sugarhouse despite a healthy amount of skepticism that anything would — or could — change for her at age 83.

She said she felt foolish, planning to leave the class 10 minutes in after giving up on regular exercise when she started her family and growing up in an era where "ladies don't sweat."

But as the sessions went on, those 10 minutes turned into nearly four years and counting. Kelson, 86, now lifts 100 pounds and works out about six hours per week.

"That was addictive to me," she said. "I decided I wasn't gonna die, I was going to do this exercise and I've never, ever felt as good as I do now."

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, founder Paul Holbrook said he hatched the idea for a strength program for older adults when he visited his uncle's nursing home, finding the idea that frailty as the only option in older age didn't make sense.

"I thought: 'Well, it would either kill them or by golly really make a difference,' " Holbrook said.

Holbrook said initially attempting to explain the idea to prospective clients was like "trying to describe what salt tastes like." But after a decade, the center has 120 clients from age 40 to age 99.

The training regimens are tailored to individual clients to improve mobility, flexibility and balance with a combination of floor exercises and weight training to hone the five fundamental movements: carry, squat, push, pull and hinge.

"I think that's where our program has become really efficient, to be able to use movements and exercises that do a lot," Holbrook said. "We're just really efficient with what we do."

Holbrook said the biggest misconception for older adults is a jaunt around the block is enough to keep them in shape. The Age Performance exercises for people in their 40s and 50s build strength and mobility for older age, while people in their 70s who think they've already passed the point of no return can build strength.

The exercise program is also a means to an end: While 20-year-olds hit the gym for beach season, older adults can build bone density, gain flexibility to hit the ski slopes or strength to do something as simple as picking up their grandkids, Holbrook said.

"It's a real miracle, what it does. It's so life-changing," he said. "That part never gets old and always keeps me really delighted with continuing to do the work."

Kelson has her days where she doesn't want to hit the gym, but still tries to work out 40 minutes per day — or at the very least walk up the two flights of stairs to her condo a few times per day.

She jokes that her motivations have evolved, from the cajoling of a friend to the obligation of working out because of the money she pays for the exercise classes.

But she's still going as her 87th birthday approaches in January — each day at the gym a step further away from her darkest days.

"I'm just a little old lady that found the magic wand," Kelson said.

Twitter: @BrennanJSmith —

The Age Performance center

O For more information, visit: ageperformance.com