We can't help but be inspired by this 74-year-old bodybuilder

Monasterio, with actor Terry Crews, said she began weight training in 2005 in Vero Beach at 59 years old on a whim, and it stuck. Photo: Tribune News Service

Vero Beach, Florida, resident and bodybuilder Josefina Monasterio is a performer on America's Got Talent.

The 74-year-old's "talent" isn't something viewers would expect, though, she said.

Monasterio didn't even tell judge Simon Cowell what she would be doing on stage during the audition earlier this year in Pasadena, California.

"People have to watch to see what happens," Monasterio said, declining to reveal her talent. "The audience could not stop laughing. It's really entertaining."

Witty repartee between herself and the show's judges - Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, Simon Cowell and guest Eric Stonestreet - was Monasterio's favorite part, she said, followed closely by a shirtless Terry Crews, host of the competition series, joining her on stage as the two flexed for the crowd.

Monasterio said she began weight training in 2005 in Vero Beach at 59 years old on a whim, and it stuck.

She competed in her first bodybuilding competition that same year, bringing home first place in her division.

After emigrating from her hometown of Punta de Mata, Venezuela, Monasterio pursued a master's degree in education at Boston University and worked as a teacher for about a decade. She moved to Florida, received a doctoral degree in the same field from Nova Southeastern University and has been living in Vero Beach for about 30 years.

She is no stranger to working on television.

She hosted her own show, Empowerment, for over 10 years on WWCI TV10, an independent Vero Beach station, airing locally produced programs and news of interest to the Vero Beach community. She partnered with healthypowertv.com in 2011 to produce a 24-episode series called, The Dr. Josefina Way.

The bodybuilder also made an appearance on The Steve Harvey Show in January 2019.

She regularly posts workout segments and other videos on nutrition, yoga and positive thinking on her YouTube channel, which has over 18,000 subscribers, and on Instagram.

Monasterio has always loved sharing her story and inspiring other older women, which is what prompted her to audition for America's Got Talent in the first place, she said.

"It's not too late. Just because you turn 40 doesn't mean your life is over; it's really a new beginning," Monasterio said. "I laugh, and I smile every time I think about how I was on the show. It was such a beautiful experience." - The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Florida/Tribune News Service