{"id":20563,"date":"2026-05-20T06:48:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T06:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563"},"modified":"2026-05-20T06:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T06:48:00","slug":"aldergrove-powerlifter-speaks-on-staying-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563","title":{"rendered":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article_info\">\n<h2 class=\"headline\">Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong<\/h2>\n<p class=\"pubStamp\">Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2026<\/p>\n<p>                            <!-- END BYLINE -->\n                          <\/div>\n<div id=\"article_content\">\n<p>Aldergrove resident Sharlene Brunjes, at 73, is preparing for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg this September. But for her, it\u2019s not about the medals.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about staying healthy, strong, and independent while aging, a message she shared during a talk at the Langley Meals on Wheels\u2019 Food and Friends program in Aldergrove.<\/p>\n<p>Brunjes, who also volunteers with the organization, was invited to speak after returning from the 2026 Canada Powerlifting National Championships about two months ago in St. John\u2019s, N.L., where she won gold.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly, Brunjes did not begin powerlifting until she was 65.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was introduced to the bar and I fell in love with it. I just sort of went up from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brunjes said people often ask why she continues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want to know why I do it at my age,\u201d she said. \u201cMostly it\u2019s for strong bone health, making sure I\u2019m active, and to have good balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She explained how resistance training changed her health after she was diagnosed with osteopenia, a condition that causes lower bone mineral density.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough lifting, I increased my bone density by almost 10 per cent,\u201d Brunjes said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy doctor didn\u2019t expect that I would put myself out of the danger zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brunjes encourages seniors to start in small groups with instructors instead of trying weight training alone.<\/p>\n<p>She pointed to Township or City fitness programs or instructor-led classes as a comfortable starting point for seniors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou do it to get strong bones so that you\u2019re not the one who falls and breaks a hip,\u201d said Brunjes.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the physical benefits, powerlifting also has mental health benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s my safe space. It\u2019s a place where I go, where I can um forget about if I have any stresses,\u201d Brunjes said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy husband just passed away and lifting is what helped me keep sane through it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She described how her late husband William was her \u201cbiggest supporter,\u201d cheering for her at competitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would tell anybody and everybody about me and brag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, after William was diagnosed with cancer, the couple began volunteering with Langley Meals on Wheels together.<\/p>\n<p>He had been forced to retire but, according to Brunjes, \u201cwasn\u2019t ready\u201d to stop working, so he joined the organization as a volunteer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would drive and he would do the meal delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She described how much he enjoyed helping in the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time they [organizers] would ask, \u2018Can anybody do this shift?\u2019 He was always volunteering us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVolunteering kept us together, connected, and positive through all of his treatments and his recovery,\u201d reflected Brunjes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually, it [cancer] did take him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brunjes continues volunteering in his memory, and she finds value in delivering meals and checking in on seniors who may otherwise spend much of their days alone.<\/p>\n<p>The Food and Friends program brings seniors aged 55 and older together in Aldergrove, Brookswood, Fort Langley, and Murrayville for low-cost meals, activities, and social connection.<\/p>\n<p>Meals cost $8, and events often include guest speakers (like Brunjes) or wellness resources.<\/p>\n<p>People can find more information about the program or about volunteering at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lmow.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.lmow.ca\/.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/aldergrovestar.com\/2026\/05\/19\/aldergrove-powerlifter-speaks-on-staying-strong\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Aldergrove resident Sharlene Brunjes, at 73, is preparing for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg this September. But for her, it\u2019s not about the medals. It\u2019s about staying healthy, strong, and independent while aging, a message she shared during a talk at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":841,"featured_media":20564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-powerlifting-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Aldergrove resident Sharlene Brunjes, at 73, is preparing for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg this September. But for her, it\u2019s not about the medals. It\u2019s about staying healthy, strong, and independent while aging, a message she shared during a talk at [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T06:48:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Saman Dara\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Saman Dara\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Saman Dara\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/177be31dfb031c34d4c502ef27bf7e07\"},\"headline\":\"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T06:48:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563\"},\"wordCount\":538,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Powerlifting News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563\",\"name\":\"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong - World Bodybuilding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T06:48:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/177be31dfb031c34d4c502ef27bf7e07\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=20563#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"description\":\"Data, Rankings, Results.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/177be31dfb031c34d4c502ef27bf7e07\",\"name\":\"Saman Dara\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Saman Dara\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?author=841\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong - World Bodybuilding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong - World Bodybuilding News","og_description":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong Published 11:45 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Aldergrove resident Sharlene Brunjes, at 73, is preparing for the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg this September. But for her, it\u2019s not about the medals. It\u2019s about staying healthy, strong, and independent while aging, a message she shared during a talk at [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563","og_site_name":"World Bodybuilding News","article_published_time":"2026-05-20T06:48:00+00:00","author":"Saman Dara","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Saman Dara","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563"},"author":{"name":"Saman Dara","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/177be31dfb031c34d4c502ef27bf7e07"},"headline":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong","datePublished":"2026-05-20T06:48:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563"},"wordCount":538,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg","articleSection":["Powerlifting News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563","name":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong - World Bodybuilding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-20T06:48:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/177be31dfb031c34d4c502ef27bf7e07"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/42324371_web1_260514-ALT-SD-SharlenePowerlift-_1.jpg","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20563#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Aldergrove powerlifter speaks on staying strong"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/","name":"World Bodybuilding News","description":"Data, Rankings, Results.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/177be31dfb031c34d4c502ef27bf7e07","name":"Saman Dara","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","caption":"Saman Dara"},"url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?author=841"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/841"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}