What's Your Workout: Sheila Cluff Ice Skates at 80

Sheila Cluff, owner of The Oaks at Oaji spa in California, shares her workout routine, which includes figure skating and weight lifting. The 80-year-old small business owner explains how a life-long dedication to fitness helped her recover from a serious injury without surgery. Photo: Jeff Clark for The Wall Street Journal
Subscribe to the WSJ channel here:
bit.ly/14Q81Xy
More from the Wall Street Journal:
Visit WSJ.com: www.wsj.com
Follow WSJ on Facebook: / wsjvideo
Follow WSJ on Google+: plus.google.com/+wsj/posts
Follow WSJ on Twitter: / wsjvideo
Follow WSJ on Instagram: / wsj
Follow WSJ on Pinterest: / wsj
Don’t miss a WSJ video, subscribe here: bit.ly/14Q81Xy
More from the Wall Street Journal:
Visit WSJ.com: www.wsj.com
Visit the WSJ Video Center: wsj.com/video
On Facebook: / videos
On Twitter: / wsj
On Snapchat: on.wsj.com/2ratjSM

[@zarkantees]

"when I skate it is like flying..." ice skating is exactly that

[@HaveanIcedaymx]

Yes it is!

[@Shirleymikejohn79]

This is so beautiful. My husband and myself have just started learning.He is 65 and I will be 60 in two weeks. You are an inspiration. Thank you.

[@laurieeno2118]

Shirleymikejohn79 Wonderful! Have fun!

[@serenatwilite4005]

What beautiful, young spirits you two are blessed with. May you stay forever young, I wish you all the best. Most important thing, remember to bend your knees if you think you're going to fall, and just get ready to sit down, get your arms out in front of you. It keeps you from going straight back and hitting your head.

[@NellieKAdaba]

Wonderful. She looks great at 80.

[@FluffleOW]

Started skating about 3 months ago - thought I started too late at 16 but this lady has inspired me to really try! Props to you

[@auki_8808]

Fluffle I want to learn too but I feel like it would be too costly for my parents and it might be too late for me at age 14😭

[@aliciamarti8629]

hi im alive If you have the passion, go for it! Please not think you Are too old. You Are never too old to make that what you Really like. Your Parents will understand it!

[@billessante]

14!? No....you're not TOO OLD.....I started skating at age 70. I'm now 73 and still love it.

[@pineapplepizza8639]

73?! i feel like a baby haha im only 15

[@euphoric_yui8614]

Fluffle I started a year ago

[@figureskater0449]

I skate for 6-9 hours a week and LOVE skating more than anything, I am in middle school and have been skating since 4 years old. Honestly, i agree with everything she is saying and I loved watching this. I hope to grow up to be like her.

[@melissakerik9011]

Figure Skater04 I agree!

[@emitty5469]

She has passed away a few months ago but she is still skating in heaven!

[@Ava-cy6qw]

RIP

[@elizabethaguilar18]

Nuuu

[@GIguy]

While I'm only 48, due to fighting Crohn's disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease, since I was only 20, my bones are that of an 80 year old man.....but I don't care. Age is but a number, and the only real limitations we face are the ones we place upon ourselves. I just finished surgery #33 last December, cancer is gone, along with 95% of my GI tract, but I'm once again free, minus a few parts. I've begun weight training, and yoga, so I can get back to my passion before I got sick, cycling. I'd cycle over 100kms a day back then, and I will again. My doctors are weary, but I've learned that they only go by statistics, and being the freak I am, I never fall into those categories. I've signed up for my first cycling race since I was 19. It's only 50k, and with the thousands of competitors, my goal isn't to cross the finish line first, my goal is to prove all my doctors wrong, and finish the race intact! The future, well, nothing is written in stone, I'll take the future as it comes, but, I'll never stop trying, even if the cancer comes back. I plan on leaving this world having accomplished my goals, so it really doesn't matter at what age I leave this earth, as long as I finish this race, then I can die a happy man, knowing I gave it my all, and didn't surrender to these lousy diseases, which I never, ever will! This lady is a true inspiration to me, may she continue to skate as long as she can, and may god bless her!

[@iceyslushie1152]

This comment inspired me so much thank you!

[@whatdoesthatdoes7665]

God loves us all :)

[@gustopheles]

how is cycling going??

[@maryd8288]

Try to find information on youtube and internet about vitamin k (mk7) and other stuff. it might work...

[@petelancaster6715]

This is truly one of the most beautiful comments I've read on KZbin. I hope you are doing well. Please give us an update.

[@bangtan_world7411]

amazing, i applaud you. I am in middle school and starting to figure skate and i hope to grow up to be like her.

[@mtalley1837]

V Speed Draw I’m in middle school starting to figure skate. Have you been making good progress?

[@mexicala]

What a beautiful wonderful woman!! She's seriously so beautiful and gorgeous! Lovely spirit, God bless her.

[@uyenvu2451]

She is beautiful on ice, a great inspiration.

[@theresewhitelock2399]

What a graceful beautiful inspiring lady! Exercise is my passion and I hope I am still going strong at 80 as well.

[@ASHERUISE]

I'm 27 and I just started skating 5 weeks ago. I fall a few times almost every time, unless it's a bad day and I didn't practice hard enough.

[@sharonyang8822]

Huh ?

[@sandrastrausbaugh6050]

Total inspiration to all. Thank You beautiful lady

[@samfromuk]

Very inspiring, great planning/training and good advice. We all need to stay active and make no excuses as demonstrated here.

[@Brigitte_0201]

Wonderful lady 👏🤩 Lots of respect 👍💫 Love her!! Lots of greetings from Brigitte from Belgium 🇧🇪

[@rebekkad.2092]

Awesome! What a nice way to keep the body strong and coordinated - as well as the mind.

[@whosyourdaddy4579]

Good gosh! Still so lovely at 80!!!

[@fool4singing]

What an amazing and inspiring woman,.she looks incredible!

[@lloydcoates6865]

figure skating can be a life long sport !! Hope I can skate til I can't walk anymore.love it !!!

[@BurtonPowley]

great to see this great interview! Hope you are doing great. Burton Powley

[@MyplayLists4Y2Y]

Beautiful! Awesome!

[@sandragayle5863]

i love you i am a harpist and I ice skate everyday and the harp plus ice skating has really done wonders for me.

[@barbarastevenson1461]

you inspire me to get back to my exercise never could master skating thanks for this inspiration

[@candysmith8724]

At age 40, I fell really hard roller skating at my son's 5th birthday party. I had tailbone issues and lower back pain on and off for 2 years after the fall. I am fearful of skating and falling again...I really love it though and my kids always want Mom to skate. I'm now 46...I will try again. Very inspirational video!

[@doloresa.6747]

If you try again I will too. I fell when my son was 3 and I was 43 , I broke , crushed my right elbow. Now I’m 62 and I made a very small roller rink in my basement to start over. When winter is done hopefully I will be ready.

[@noancorano2134]

I kind of have the same issue. I started at 10 and broke my arm falling at 12. I got back as soon as I healed but was so afraid of hurting myself again and could not really make any progress, I eventually stopped. I'm here at 18 now, starting again and without a coach. I really want to skate but I need to get over this fear.

[@charlesmichael2806]

So happy for you!

[@GloriaDelicioso]

Absolutely beautiful and so healthy! I skated as a young person and stopped when I fell hard going backwards once and it scaared me, but it is just like flying!!! So FREEING, keep going and enjot whatever you are able to do.

[@Ava-cy6qw]

Put a helmet on and continue. i had a conci at the beginning of my skating learning and 2 weeks later, after the doctor's warning to not skate for 2 weeks 🙂 I was back on the ice. Years later, I have fallen only few times. Focus and protection.

[@omahaw1728]

The secret to looking as beautiful as she does, is skating, staying active.

[@ASHERUISE]

The ice slows down the aging process.

[@leahvictoriaskates3432]

Bless her ❤️❤️

[@terrygassner9805]

Good for her. Amazing

[@carolinassg2208]

Amazing!!!

[@love2beamom]

Well this is my new hero!!!

[@HaveanIcedaymx]

She skates so beautifully

[@Ava-cy6qw]

Falling at this age is not what one wants.

[@staffanlindstrom576]

Amazing.

[@StageAurora]

Just beautiful!

[@glittabones]

I hope to be like you when I'm 80, Sheila. 💙

[@ellemariea2620]

figure skating is perhaps the first sport i ever saw on tv back in 2007 where i immediately fell in love. i really wanted to do it but living in a tropical country where figure skating is unheard of, far from the large super malls with an ice rink, and heavy traffic, it was really inconvenient, oh and don’t forget about the expenses :| i am now almost 20 and i keep thinking that it’s too late too late too late. but i’m not going to let that thought win over what i KNOW i can do. one day, when the time comes, i’m going to skate to my mom and i’s favorite songs and fulfill my childhood dreams. i’m doing it for my little me

[@fannetastic8097]

She passed away 21st of October 2020

[@HeleneBJean]

Amazing human being😊 I know this is an aside but could someone remind me what is the name of the beautiful piano piece playing in the background? Thanks!

[@darienverdugo290]

You're best that me God bless for you ice queen

[@reniadiwijaya8211]

Is she still around? I just watched about another 90yo female skater. I'm glad there's another senior one.

[@maangros]

God love ya' Sheila!

[@itstess1]

Beautiful

[@lisamilam4443]

It is amazing what you can do if you try to keep healthy and exercise regularly. I am also sure she spent thousands of dollars on private lessons, as all good figure skaters do.

[@anonymous2010116]

i wanted to cry. people, like my family discourages me to ice skate because it's too late already at 24 and they said that i have to be realistic in my dreams. the common norm in this world is that you finish your school, get a job then start a family. my heart often breaks as i watch the successes of ice skating stars as i also dream to be successful at a sport that i know i will love. thank you for inspiration ma'am sheila.

[@fannetastic8097]

GO FOR YOUR DREAMS.It doesn't matter how old you are,don't worry,there are millions of people ready to support you,including me :) (I'm 13 y.o. so,have a nice day)

[@natcers]

Omg that's so inspiring. At what age she started skating?

[@gwajadanji]

when did she start? i can't understand anything....

[@aleksandra2520]

She's so beautiful and graceful💐🎈🥰

[@fannetastic8097]

imagine she's your grandma: "The Greatest Grandmother Ever"

[@danfoss1535]

I am

[@tailzzzzz]

I have bad knees from gardening and lifting super heavy buckets of rocks and bricks and pushing wheel barrels full of heavy rocks and bricks up a steep hill. I was going strong in my 40s even. Hit 50 (now 55), and everything went downhill from there. My orthopedic doctor suggested an MRI because my x-rays don't explain the pain, crunching, swelling, limping, even when I'm not gardening or doing any heavy lifting. Very little narrowing between the bones. My knee caps do turn outwards a bit on the x-rays, though she didn't seem too concerned about that. I even told her that sometimes when I try to stoop or squat I have to pop up quickly because I get shooting pain and can feel the scraping of bone on bone as if my knee caps are slipping. She said I could potentially have soft tissue tears that won't show up on x-rays, definitely possible, since I was abusing my knees with no help from my husband, now separating. I've avoided getting MRIs because I built a house and need to dig even more flower beds. Sounds stupid that I don't even want to know what's wrong, but I don't want any type of corrective surgery delaying digging flower beds right now as I'm not getting any younger and worry I may even need knee replacements and won't be allowed to dig or lift...ever. Digging these beds will take years too, and I can't even squat anymore. Too much man's work took its toll, I guess. My right knee, the shovel-kicking knee, is the one that swells and causes the most severe pain. I know I had to twist and contort my knees pushing those heavy rocks up the hill when the wheels of the wheel barrel would get stuck. I even broke the wheel barrel. I'm pretty sure I tore something, maybe my meniscus, after researching my symptoms. I wouldn't doubt I have several issues. I'm talking wincing, excruciating pain, often followed by days or even weeks of limping, especially if I squat 'wrong'. My attitude is to dig those beds, abuse my knees as much as I can getting things done, and THEN get those MRIs, surgery, knee replacements or whatever I need fixed...fixed. Screwed up thinking maybe, but I know knee replacements have some plastic parts, and they'll be no match for clay soil and shale. The surgeon will tell me no digging or heavy lifting. I used to enjoy gardening, but now dread it, discouraged because of the pain. I also am developing osteoporosis. I never skated before. Never. I was watching videos of Elena Radionova, and gosh, every time I watch these young skaters I feel like I wasted the years I could have taken up skating and had the energy and grace that I see in these young skaters. I'm having trouble dealing with the reality of aging. Watching videos of older skaters is inspiring, yet I'm realizing I'll never skate like a younger skater. I guess I'm just vain. I admire that this woman is courageous enough to embrace her age. I'm just not.

[@Ava-cy6qw]

Judging by your post, you might be a woman. After 50 hormonal changes kick in in women more than in men and this is why it is crucial to start a sport at this age, if not earlier, to offset the aging. I have never worked hard work in my life and hardly ever worked, mostly studying and office work and stay home mom, when I became 46, I started swimming actively, started learning skating ( now a few years later I am at the jumps level) changed countries for work and living etc etc and never been happier and lookin' good as well ..I am European of Russian descendant, Canadian, and it is not about the nationality or the race, it is about the knowledge and spirit. Arm yourself with knowledge, lift up your spirit, put a helmet on and knee pads for extra protection, do wear gloves, invest in a pair of comfy skates, learn basic theory and rules of ice skating, and off to the ice 🙂 Trust me, your self-esteem, your health, your inner and outer beauty will thank you.

[@alangrinmor75]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@Lea_Kaderova]

Amazing lady, hats down before her.

[@wanpenrakcheep1792]

Could I know how old is she? She inspired me to skating at my 75yr of age.

[@meteorcube]

Dear WSJ, what's your policy and procedures for sharing your KZbin content? Is it possible for me to add Chinese subtitles to share this video onto a Chinese site? This is not for any monetization purpose but purely for sharing it with my skating friends. Thanks so much!

[@kkumar2945]

can i start skating ? im 29 .

[@avantage13]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Fercoppelia]

awww

[@omahaw1728]

Pretty lady.

[@gersonsidineifonseca2767]

😍😍👏👏👏

[@lesliesmith5797]

Stella is lovely to watch, elegant and beautiful 🦋🦋🦋🦋

[@fannetastic8097]

Its so sadwhen you realize that Sheila Cluff PASSED AWAY on 21st of October 2020.

[@OmarTheAtheistAziz]

i'm just bumb'd out i couldn't find a single picture of Sheila Cluff in her 20's to see how hot she looked

[@bobby6569]

Ugh, perv

[@OmarTheAtheistAziz]

Ugh, double-standards

[@themaggattack]

She's still hot!

[@Ava-cy6qw]

Kudos to all these skaters, admirable, I, myself learned to skate later in life, at age 49 and progressed to jumps in a couple of years..May be the skating dresses are bit too much though, at this age, a simpler skating gear would do better, like thighs and a top .

[@skatingfever1724]

👏👍👌💓

[@usuitakumi8179]

Ok, I might skip the Axel...

[@theresazachert4786]

F A N T A S T I C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@curlyanneb1973]

She is so beautiful.

[@grytlappar]

This woman was a KNOCKOUT when she was young!

[@elsplace896]

Pretty girl Sheila

[@shereecooper4237]

You go no ones going to get in your way

[@johnwagner409]

A very beautiful lady. Cheryl Wagner

[@zoeyanne1418]

I cant even go forwards

[@ASHERUISE]

You just have to keep practicing, ice skating is not something that comes naturally to most, it takes many months to get good and years to master, but you can still learn spins and jumps if you keep practicing.

[@adrianajimenez4342]

I want to ice skate but I'm 42 lol

[@littlepaperjellyfish]

Adriana Jimenez if not now, when?! no one is ever too old to pursue their dreams

[@christinemoore-mcpeak1761]

42! No big deal, I hope you have started skating!

[@sarahleach9997]

Your beautiful

[@rhiannagrande1737]

Weirdo

[@janheard3826]

Rhianna Grande are you? There’s always the odd one.

[@amutinyinheaven]

Rhianna Grande asshole

[@terriwatson8254]

You will be this age too someday. What will you be doing?