Meet 80-year-old Ernie, the world's oldest female bodybuilder

CHICAGO -- If you need some motivation to keep your New Year's resolution going strong, meet Ernestine Shepherd.

At 80 years old, she is regarded as the world's oldest competitive female body builder. She told our sister station WLS-TV in Chicago what inspired her to get on the path to fitness at the age of 56.

"My sister and I didn't like the way we looked in bathing suits. So after that, we said 'we got to get fit!' So we started going to a gym and working out. That started the whole thing. At that time, I was 56 years old," Shepherd said.

Before that, she said she had been doing "absolutely nothing" to keep in shape.

Now, Shepherd has won several bodybuilding titles. She encourages people trying to get in shape to stay "determined, dedicated and disciplined."

This weekend, Shepherd is appearing at the Gladiator Fitness Expo in Chicago.

"I get the opportunity to be there and show the things that I can do to help motivate others to live a healthy, happy, positive, confident lifestyle," she said.