Sheri knew something was wrong. She’d always been active, particularly enjoying daily walks. But lately her balance and posture were off. Her knees jerked. Her hands trembled. So, when her doctor diagnosed her with Parkinson’s disease last year, it was almost a relief. “At least now I knew,” says Sheri, 73. She started an exercise
Menopause brings a lot of changes—some expected, some not so much. Many women don’t know that strength training can help them stay strong, independent, and feeling their best. Here’s why it’s a must after menopause. Keeps Your Muscles Strong Ever notice how everyday tasks, like carrying groceries, get harder? That’s because muscle naturally declines with
Back in graduate school more than 30 years ago, Rami Odeh worked on an early study to learn if people over 80 could see any benefits from weight training. Back then, conventional wisdom said it was hopeless. But the study found the opposite. “We had 90-year-olds doubling their strength,” Rami, now 60 and a fitness
After age 50 or so, many people start to gain weight, develop high blood pressure, and become frailer and weaker by the day. Plus, we have universal fears that getting older means we’ll be likely to fall and develop dementia, losing our independence in life. But what if we told you about a miracle drug
Too many myths cloud the topics of aging and fitness. They keep people from living a healthy lifestyle, and most come from younger people and society at large. But there’s one super-persistent myth that people over 50 perpetuate themselves. To be more precise, women over 50 use this falsehood too often to avoid the most
Like most women of her generation, Margaret Cone, now 79, never saw much reason to lift weights. She had always been pretty active and tried to stay in decent shape. Her family had a strong health history. But about 10 years ago, Margaret noticed she had gained weight from the long hours she was putting
What does it mean to have muscle? When we were kids, we probably thought of athletes and superheroes. In our 20s, we might have associated muscle with lots of weightlifting in the gym and young men with bulging physiques. But later in life, we need to realize that muscle means more than big biceps. We
Mary Frances Benton, 59, knows it will take some time to lose 40 pounds. But she’s already down 15 since February, so her spirit is strong. She’s also done this before. About 10 years ago, Mary Frances noticed that she was gaining weight. There wasn’t a main reason she could cite, so she went to
Barb DeAngelis, 76, sees the stereotypes against older people exercising to stay strong, and she shatters them every chance she gets. Not only does Barb love lifting weights and setting records, but she sees herself as a quality-of-life ambassador for other “little old ladies.” Barb crushes the “frail grandma” idea one deadlift at a
While you are quarantined at home, take the time you would have used to commute to your job and exercise instead! Your excuse before may have been a lack of time, but you now have the time you would have spent commuting for exercise. Yes, you may have additional responsibilities like home schooling your kids.