Corinne Jeppesen wants to show women that it's never too late to take hold of your fitness, no matter what your age.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Gord Weber

ARMSTRONG - A well-known face at farmers’ markets around the Okanagan, Corinne Jeppesen, AKA the "Armstrong Asparagus Lady”, is making a new name for herself as she competes for a spot on the cover of Maxim magazine.

At 52 years old, Jeppesen is decades older than most of the women in Maxim’s Cover Girl competition, but she’s proving that age is no barrier to beauty.

“I’m in the best shape of my life,” she says.

The bubbly farmer and mother hopes to inspire other women her age that they can, and should, feel confident and sexy in their skin.

“I think I can do something with this (contest). Hopefully empower other women as they get into their senior years to see that it’s never too late, there’s always time for change, you can always increase your fitness level,” she says.

Jeppesen has always lived an active life planting and picking asparagus in Armstrong, but says in recent years, she’d been gaining weight, getting aches and pains, and generally not feeling like herself.

Jeppesen lost nearly 40 pounds and says she feels more alive than ever.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

“Turning 50 is a huge milestone. Going through menopause is a puzzle and your body doesn’t respond like it does in your younger years. What worked before in your 20s just doesn’t work anymore,” she says.

So, last summer she decided to make a change before it was too late. She signed up for a six-month body transformation program and lost almost 40 pounds.

“I feel more alive. The aches and pains are gone. I feel like I have 'me' back,” Jeppesen says.

After finishing the program, her coach suggested finding a goal to keep working towards to prevent her from slipping backwards. Jeppesen picked a body building competition in Ottawa. Her goal: to fit in and not look out of place in a line-up of other body builders.

Well, safe to say mission accomplished — and it wasn’t just thanks to the full-body spray tan. Jeppesen works out six days a week, for more than an hour a day.

“It’s a big commitment, but the rewards are indescribable,” she says.

After the competition in Ottawa earlier this year, her coach arranged for the team to have their photos take by a professional photographer. Jeppesen wasn’t going to participate, but went along to support the other women.

“When I got there I thought ‘oh my god, I want to do this.’ I didn’t have any professional make up or hair done. I asked (the photographer) if he had time, and he said yes. My friend put a scrunchie in my hair and that’s how it ended up,” she says.

That photo has now been seen by hundreds of people on Maxim’s Cover Girl contest website, where Jeppesen is currently ranked sixth in the international category.

Jeppesen is known by many as the "Armstrong Asparagus Lady."

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

“I entered it on a whim. Someone told me about it and it didn’t cost anything so I thought ‘what the heck. I’ve got these pictures, I’ll just put them up,’” she says.

She admits it feels a bit vulnerable to put herself out there.

“I’m a very private person so it’s huge for me not just to bare it all, but bare it all and put it on the internet,” she says.

This past week, Jeppesen made it through the first round of voting for the top 30 women in each category. If she wins, not only will she appear on the cover of Maxim magazine, she’ll also receive $25,000.

“To me, I’ve already won. I look at these women participating and they are all gorgeous, they’re young and they really have it going on. I feel extremely proud and still shocked that I fit in,” she says.

Several rounds of voting will continue over the next few weeks. People can vote here once every 24 hours and Jeppesen says she’s overwhelmed by the ongoing support from friends, family and strangers.

“I never in a million years thought this would be a possibility,” she says. “The Asparagus Lady on the cover — that would be something.”

Corinne Jeppesen, 52, says she's in the best shape of her life.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Gord Weber

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