Students Lap Up Golden Girl's Words

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday August 9, 2006

By DAMON CRONSHAW

FORMER Olympic swim champion Shane Gould visited West Wallsend High School yesterday to spread the exercise gospel in the age of obesity.

Gould, who turns 50 this year, won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze at the 1972 Olympics in Munich aged 15.

To become athletes, Gould told students, they must be like "tuna fish not jelly fish". Tuna, she said, were muscly and toned.

"If you've got oxygen pumping through your system and toned muscles, your senses will be more alert, you can gather more information and appreciate what's going on," she told The Herald.

Gould works out for about an hour a day and advises people to do a variety of exercises, including some intense work such as sprinting.

"It's not just about burning calories and building muscles, it's about co-ordination," she said.

"You can even stand on one foot while cleaning your teeth, squat while you watch TV or sit on an exercise ball while you're on the computer."

Gould's visit was part of a Bushells Tea competition, in which students raised money for community groups.

© 2006 Newcastle Herald

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