By now, Trevor Antoine is used to the stares, raised eyebrows and shocked faces. Questions like "Are you serious?" and exclamations such as "You lie!" and "No way!" have become all too familiar. Recently at the bank, a female cashier asked to see his identification card just to be sure before she handed over his old age pension cheque. He said when he whipped out his ID card and pointed to the date of his birth, "the woman's jaw dropped." And she had good reason to be surprised. After all, it's not everyday one encounters a 70-year-old who looks the way Antoine does. And as if his muscular physique isn't enough of a surprise, Antoine seals the deal when he tells people that he is a personal trainer and gym instructor and has been for 25 years.
The former Junior Mr T&T and Mr Port-of-Spain, who now works at the Infinity Fitness gym, Independence Square, has a diverse clientele, which includes national athletes and members of the nation's armed forces.
The father of four admits, however, that he didn't always look like a muscle man. In fact, it was his quest to look like the wrestlers and footballers he would see pumping iron as a young boy, which gave him the impetus to pursue a career in health and fitness.
"In those days, we had what we called backyard gyms with makeshift equipment. It was nothing like what we have now," he pointed out. "I was very small and always wanted to look muscular and strong. I just liked to see how the strong men looked and I watched them and got ideas on how to train properly. I wanted to look like them." Today, Antoine, who trains five days a week for at least an hour and a half, has more than 50 years in the fitness field under his belt and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Keep moving
Stressing that it's important for people to stay healthy, Antoine noted that keeping active and maintaining a balanced diet should be on everyone's front burner, especially in this era of super-sized drinks and fried fast food. Don't have time to go to the gym? No problem. Antoine says any bit of exercise can go a long way. "You can buy a skipping rope and skip in your yard. You can take a walk or a jog around your block but just keep moving," he advised. "From the time you enter your twenties, you are supposed to be doing some sort of exercise-that goes for both men and women."
And when it comes to nutrition, the personal trainer, who also confesses to taking his own diet even more seriously as he gets older by "only eating natural food," says anyone wishing to maintain a healthy lifestyle should eat more fruits and vegetables and cut out everything white from their diet. He added, "And you see the sweet drinks, you should have none of that at all." Antoine knows what he's talking about. The former security officer, who will be celebrating his 71st birthday this year, can today, put many young men in the shade. He can easily bench press up to 300 pounds and vows to continue to provide his services to his clients for as long as he feels he's capable. To him, age is but a number. "You're as young as you feel," he stated, smiling.
