A 65-year-old who claims gymnastics at Lee Valley Athletics Centre has cured his back pain is encouraging other older people to take up fitness

Laurence Mitchell from Finchley got into acrobatics and gymnastics three years ago after repeatedly injuring himself when using weights at the gym.

He now uses social media to document his journey and encourage older people to get into fitness.

His Instagram account @fitforover60 has more than 600 followers and shows pictures and videos of his exercises, many involving acrobats involving monkey bars.

He regularly uses Lee Valley Athletics Centre in Edmonton as his partner lives in Enfield and he claims it is outfitted for the assault courses that he enjoys.

Mr Mitchell said: "There is nothing really exceptional in what I have been able to achieve albeit perseverance.

"When I was 63, I was fed up with being told I had poor posture and I required a personal trainer with me at all times to ensure my technique was correct. I wanted to teach myself and not have to rely on instruction from others. So I began indoor climbing.

"A teen that I became friendly with encouraged me to learn gymnastics and from there onwards I branched out into Calisthenics, a type of fitness that incorporates pilates/crossfit/gymnastics exercises.

"What I learned within several months of beginning my new training was getting a strong core.

"A strong core is a very valuable asset to prevent injury, particularly to the back. It also enables the body to heal more efficiently especially when I have had to handle an injury."

However, it is not easy for Mr Mitchell as he suffers from a disability which prevents him from rotating his wrists or touching his shoulders.

"I also have a slight disability in my arms. You wouldn’t notice it visually but I was born with the inability to rotate my wrists or touch my shoulders.

"So the bottom line is there can be little excuse not to find a way to exercise.

"The advantage that these body weight exercises hold over most other exercises is that unfitness or wellness is not an excuse to not do them.

"While I might look very visually fit, even I could do with finding a way to lose a few extra pounds and rid myself of a very slight paunch."

Now, his fitness regime includes exercise twice a week with rest days in-between.

But Mr Mitchell was not simply content to improve his own wellbeing and has launched his own Instagram account to encourage other older people to get into exercises.

He said: "By documenting my own fitness journey, I try to use social media in a positive way to promote fitness to the older adult and encourage them to become fitter.

"My own interest is promoting fitness to the older adult wherever possible.

"At the athletics centre, I shoot videos and share them to show what is really possible for older adults.

"My mission is to really promote fitness at all levels, at any age, to show the benefits of exercise."

Mr Mitchel is also planning to launch a YouTube channel soon.

In the future, he hopes to work with fitness facilities to develop programmes build for older people.

For older adults contemplating exercise, Mr Mitchell says he would encourage them to give it a go.

He said: "Go along to a class and see what it is along.

"Do exercise that you enjoy - there are so many different types of exercises and classes now that there's something for everyone.

"I love gymnastics - I now spend time hanging from the ceiling and completing obstacle courses and I just love it. And I rarely suffer from back pain as well which is a massive benefit."