[custom_adv] Shepard started her fitness journey rather late in life. She was a pudgy, middle-aged woman in her mid-50's who hated what she saw in the dressing room mirror as she tried on swimsuit after swimsuit. Determined to shed some pounds, she found a workout buddy in her sister. [custom_adv] Together the ladies started slowly getting in shape with aerobics classes, but in 1992, a year into their training, Shepherd's sister died. She vowed to continue on in her sibling's memory. [custom_adv] Since then, Ernestine has won two bodybuilding titles, and has run nine marathons. Her daily regimen is not for the faint of heart – she wakes up at 2:30 a.m. and reads devotions from her Bible. [custom_adv] Her diet consists of 1,700 calories a day, mostly from boiled egg whites, chicken, vegetables and a liquid egg white drink, and she runs about 80 miles a week; she does not take supplements. [custom_adv] Ernestine was named World's Oldest Performing Female Bodybuilder by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010. She also teaches classes at her Maryland gym, Energy Fitness.
