70, going on strong

When Newport Beach resident Gloria Follico turned 70 in January, her two daughters made her a poster covered in old photographs including a snapshot of a young Gloria in a short skirt and a black-and-white portrait showing an athletic woman in her 20s.

At the bottom of the poster is a more recent photograph of Gloria. The grandmother of six and mother of three flexes at the gym with her back turned to the camera in the photograph, showing off her toned and tanned deltoid muscles and triceps.

“I’m so proud of being 70 years old and having enormous muscles and strength and being able to keep up with any 30-year-old,” she said.

The Newport Beach senior will compete later this month in the Orange County Ms. Senior California Pageant with 14 other contestants 60 or older.

The three top finalists will advance to the Ms. Senior California Pageant in September. The winner of the state pageant will advance to the Ms. Senior America Pageant in Atlantic City, N.J.

For the talent portion of the competition, Gloria will do a choreographed aerobics routine to the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”

Gloria decided she wanted to enter the pageant to show others seniors that they too could stay fit in their golden years.

Gloria has always kept in shape, but she began lifting weights about two years ago. She likes to boast about how many people told her someone past the age of 60 couldn’t build muscles as she has now when she started lifting.

“I’m very proud of her,” said Gloria’s husband, Ernie Follico, a semi-retired orthodontist who played tennis for USC in the 1950s.

“She’s always been competitive — she’s become the supreme athlete in the family.”

Gloria is so gung-ho about her workouts, Ernie has trouble keeping up.

“We don’t even go to the same gym,” Ernie said. “She takes it too seriously for me. I just like to go and have fun, talk to people.”

Besides lifting weights, she also swims, snow skis and does volunteer work, including at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, where her grandson, Drew Littlefair, is a 6-foot, 210-pound offensive lineman on the varsity football team.

Keeping fit gives her the vast stores of energy she needs to keep up with her grandchildren, Gloria said.

“There’s good shape, excellent shape and phenomenal shape — and Gloria is in phenomenal shape,” said Gloria’s personal trainer Jon Jung of Jungle Fitness. Jung calls Gloria’s abdominal muscles “amazing.”

Gloria works out with Jung two to three times a week at Next Level Fitness in Irvine.

Jung said his other clients could learn a lot from Gloria.

“She’s my superstar,” he said. “When other clients meet her they say, ‘Wow, I hope I’m in half as good of shape as she is when I’m her age.’”

“Through God’s grace, I believe health is from good nutrition and daily exercise, happiness comes from knowing those you love are happy and fun comes from giving a little more each day than you receive.”

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.