Meet Sharon, the Instagram influencer who goes and lives by the name Positively Young Forever. Sharon became a mother at a very tender age and that caused complications that she suffered through the rest of her life. Multiple Hernia, Heart Ablations, Cancerous Skin Lesions, and frequent surgeries did not deter Sharon to pursue a positive lifestyle. Sharon finds strength from staying around with her family and helping others in their journey of active aging.
Chapters from the Conversation(Click)
- The Not So Typical Grandmother
- Hernia and Multiple Surgeries in Midlife
- Multiple Bouts with Skincancer
- Early Inspirations
- Fashion and Modelling in Midlife
- Yoga and Fitness
- Diet and Skincare
- How to Keep Going and Motivation
Self-Care and Wellness
Sharon has now been in the wellness industry for the last 26 years as a fitness instructor as well as a gym owner. But beyond fitness, she is best known as one of the most followed Australian best ager on Instagram where she shares motivating posts on health, fitness, skincare, beauty, etc.
Sharon, being in Australia followed a typical outdoor lifestyle full of beach holidays, hiking, and fishing. The fitness regime allowed her to tone herself even in her midlife. But the constant exposure to the sun caused Basal and Squamous Cell Carcinoma which are an initial phase of skin cancer. Thankfully, Sharon was able to identify these conditions early on itself before becoming dangerous or spreading to other parts. But these conditions inspired her lifelong obsession towards active skincare with focusing not just on sunscreen and moisturizers but also prescription-strength active ingredients that help in the renewal of skin cells combined with Mineral Cosmetics, Facials, etc.
Sharon's grandmother was affected by Polio while her mother had limited mobility due to a natural condition in the spine. Watching their struggles in conditioning themselves, Sharon started to work more on her body while staying kind with a focus on Flexibility training and moving every day.
Sharon feels lucky to be in the business of fitness which lets her care for herself as well. Even in the 50s, some of the days can have more than six classes indicating how much hard work goes into it. She derives her positivity in inspiring and guiding different individuals in their active aging journey.
" I love what I do. I love meeting new people and it makes me feel very good to know that i can make a difference in somebody else's life !"
It is important to tailor-make the workout regime and Sharon focuses mainly on strength training for women in their midlife.
Sharon also remarked about her "gray hair transition" journey which she has shared with her Instagram followers. She is now one of the most followed grey-haired best ager on social media.
Medical Struggles in Midlife
Going through C-Section at the age of 19 years, left permanent damage to Sharon's abdomen muscles. Life moved on and Sharon found herself moving up into the fitness and wellness world. It was only in her 40s that the real repercussions of her C-Section started to show themselves. Sharon suddenly herniated as the muscles had never stitched back. After the surgery, Sharon went back to her fitness regime but unfortunately, her abdomen got retore once again! and this time it went further down to the belly button. She now has been operated on and has tailored her fitness regime in a way that accommodates her physical condition.
" I know I am a little bit more kinder to who I am and I know that I am certainly not bulletproof. I am now more conscious about how I train and teach "
Sharon also faced regular issues with her heart ablations leading to sudden blackouts and tiredness while doing her workout. She had to then undergo surgery for fixing it. Sharon makes sure that together with her beautiful Instagram posts, the realities of life such as her heart procedure also get shared
"Its amazing that every now and then someone will find that story and then ask about it and I am able to actually give them advise, encouragement and support as to how to deal with it"
Sharon also had issues in her knees and had to get it operated on twice to improve her mobility. It is amazing that in spite of so many of physical struggles, Sharon continues to stay fit and inspire other women as well.
Embracing the Positivity of Life
Sharon finds a lot of positive aspects in getting older into your 50s. For her, the freedom to find your tribe and utilizing the new and upcoming platforms such as Instagram is a great way to connect and enjoy new relationships with different people. She loves to stay involved with her 9 grandkids and help them in their schools and beyond.
She really loves to stay in fashion focusing on brighter colors and pastel tones. For like many women in midlife, Sharon enjoys dressing up and modeling gives her an opportunity to experiment with clothes that you would normally not wear. Her gray hair transition has also allowed new freedom and opportunity to experiment with different fashions.
Sharon also is a big fan of tattoos and has them all over it. For her things like this is a way to rebrand ageism especially the midlife and show the world that even grandmothers can be fashionable.
Sharon Young is certainly an amazing inspiration for all of us. Her Instagram posts inspire us to keep ourselves healthy and fit but more importantly, it is the attitude she carries with herself which we all can learn from:-
" Many years ago being 50 was old but now its yay! 50! We are living longer and we have tools to make a quality life ahead! like Instagram helping you to connect to new people "
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