When you think about retirement plans, it usually includes settling down, hanging boots and just relaxing. However, there is no peak too tall for 73-year-old Suzie Oliver, or ‘Iron Lady’ as she is affectionately called in her community. Just 3 months ago in September, the fit grandmother scaled one of the toughest peaks in the world, Mt. Everest, and showed the world it’s never too late.

Boasting of six-pack abs, the 73-year-old was a missionary back in the day and traveled extensively. She is now a grandmother but also someone who is at the peak of her fitness.

Malaysia’s ‘Iron Lady’ scales Mt Everest

She was not the fittest person when she was younger, but her undying spirit and infectious enthusiasm keep her powered through even today. Her journey with a love for thrill and adventure began in the year 2007, when she participated in a marathon with her daughter in Singapore. “It was a 10km marathon, and it sounded easy. So, I said to my daughter, ‘Let’s do it!’” she said about her tryst with a thrill.

The hike to the base camp of Mt. Everest was tough, but it was as she expected. Susan prepared for the audacious expedition by climbing up Mount Kinabalu and Mount Yong Belar in Malaysia. Reaching the base camp of the mountain was an extraordinary feeling for her. Her long-awaited bucket list hike finally happened.

She shared, “After reaching the 4,000m mark, you feel your breaths turn shallow. You walk five minutes, rest one second. This is until your body gets used to it,” said the brave 73-year-old. “If you ask me to go again, I will!”

This is just the start for Susan Oliver

“You can be 70 and have a body that looks like it’s 20,” said Susan Oliver. The woman has no plans of slowing down and has already set her sights on the next mark on the mountain. She now has plans to climb up to the 6300 metre mark, which is three-quarters of Mt. Everest. What formidable determination and spirit.

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But such things do not happen overnight. As she mentioned before, it was the unexpected call from her daughter that changed the course of her life. In the process of training and preparing for the marathon, Susan fell in love with the idea of going to the gym and working out. Watching young people fit and in good shape gave her reason to push herself to strive for more. “I believe age is just a number, and our souls are young!” she says.

She kept working in the gym even after the marathon and continued her love affair with fitness. A while later, she also started taking on physical challenges and even participated in the Spartan Race in Singapore. And now, there is no stopping her fitness journey and tales of adventure.

The key to her fitness, she believes, is a proper diet, “what you put into your body will stay there.” It is this combination of a fit body and healthy diet that saved her from getting any painful aches while scaling Mt Everest. Susan hopes that everyone who reads or hears about her story takes inspiration from it and tries to strive for the better.