49-Year-Old Chelle Looks Exactly Like She Did at 29 Thanks to BBG

Forty-nine-year-old Chelle from Florida could easily be mistaken for 29 — she's the woman who apparently doesn't age! Just take a look:

After spotting Chelle's incredible photos on Kayla Itsines's Instagram, we had to get the full scoop from the woman herself. What's her secret? How does she do it? Chelle told POPSUGAR that despite not being active or athletic growing up, she got into fitness in her college years by running 5Ks with her dad. Running ended up being the through line in her journey that has kept her on track for decades!

"I ran on and off throughout my 20s and 30s," she said. "I had a gym membership in my mid-20s and would work out three times per week in addition to running a few days per week. After a couple of years, I canceled the gym membership but continued to run on and off. Up until January of this year, my primary form of exercise was running — approximately two to three miles about two to three times per week."

Things are a little different now in her 40s — it's not just cardio for Chelle anymore! "Today I appreciate the importance of combining total-body strength-training workouts along with cardio," she told us. "Back in my 20s, my workouts were mostly training my legs. I always felt like my arms and upper body were lean already, so why waste time on them?" Eventually she realized that lean doesn't always mean strong. "[My arms] were leaner than my bottom half but they were also super weak!"

Her routine today includes the BBG program from Kayla Itsines. She loves the program for many reasons, but particularly appreciates that you can work out "in the comfort of your own home" in only 30 minutes. "Most people (including me) see significant increase in strength within the first few weeks," she told POPSUGAR. What's more is that "the BBG community is beyond supportive, offering extra motivation along the way . . . it has changed my life!"

"I do strength training for 30 minutes a day, three days per week," Chelle said, "as well as cardio two to four times per week." This year had a heavy emphasis on at-home workouts. "For the first six months of this year, I did BBG workouts in the comfort of my own home mostly using my own body weight, dumbbells, or a kettlebell for resistance. Two months ago I joined a gym again, and now I incorporate some machines into my routine." She hasn't given up on running, though! "My cardio consists of LISS, powerwalks, HIIT sprint intervals, and sometimes moderate jogging."

One challenge that puts a damper on her running and plyo exercises: "osteopenia (precursor to osteoporosis) as well as weak toe ligaments" have been a bit of a setback for Chelle, but she noted that she's been "extremely healthy overall" and she modifies when she needs to.

In terms of nutrition, Chelle keeps her meals super clean, which certainly helps with her overall health. "I usually have a very light breakfast consisting of Ezekiel cereal with seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, and flax) sprinkled on top with almond milk," she said. "Lunch is usually a wrap or salad, sometimes with a boiled egg for extra protein. Dinner is usually a lean protein (my faves are chicken breast or salmon) with lots of veggies." One nutrition tip she sticks to is eating most of her carbohydrates earlier in the day and tapering off toward dinnertime. For snacks, Chelle said she loves apple slices with almond butter or a protein shake, and for occasional treats, once or twice a week she will "definitely still indulge," she said. "I love a good burger!"

If she could tell her 29-year-old self one thing, it would be "to eat more protein and work out that upper body and also ditch the Diet Coke!" Fortunately, the soda and lack of protein and upper-body workouts didn't put her at too much of a disadvantage.

Chelle's advice for anyone starting their own journey? "[Try] a program out for a few weeks to know if you really like it," she said. "I'm so glad I didn't give up when starting BBG — I had to modify so many moves at first because my upper body and abs were so weak!" Pretty relatable, right? If you've tried BBG even once or twice, you know just how hard it is. "But after a few weeks, I was able to progress (from modified push-ups to full push-ups, for example)," she said. "If after trying something out for a while you're still not excited about doing it, try something else; you should find a program you enjoy that challenges you — you'll have a better chance of sticking with it."