A Daughter’s Love Worked for Mom

Sometimes, when we’re stuck, it takes a loved one’s guidance to help us take the first step toward reaching a goal.

It can be that way with fitness over 50, whether the loved one is a spouse, friend – or even an adult child.

Fitness has a way of bringing people closer together.

Take Sandy Bauer, 77, who admits that, until recently, she never cared for exercise. She wanted to lose weight, gain confidence, and feel better about her appearance, but nothing motivated her.

“The worse I looked and felt, I just sat around feeling stuck,” she says. “I couldn’t get out of it.”

But now, Sandy can’t stand to miss a workout. She’s hooked – losing pounds and feeling better than ever.

The difference? She took her daughter’s advice, Kim Chiodo, 52, and started working out with Kim’s trainer at a gym.

“It’s taken me a lot to get started,” Sandy says. “But now that I’m doing it and feeling better, I enjoy it. I like the way it’s helping me, so it makes me want to keep going.”

Working out with other people is an excellent route to fitness that millions of older people have found. The social interaction provided by exercise is one of its most essential elements for older people, as Sandy learned.

Exercising with family members is a great way to share common interests, encourage each other, and establish positive habits without feeling nervous about entering a gym or studio for the first time.

Sandy recently moved to Kim’s city, which helped, Kim said.

“I knew her potential, but I could see her aging in a way that I knew she didn’t have to,” said Kim, 52. “She was exhausted, down, and frustrated by her limitations, and I knew she could do more.”

Sandy has been enjoying lifting weights for the first time in her life for more than four months now. She has also learned the vital importance of strength training for older people. It staves off muscle loss, known as sarcopenia, and improves bone density, balance, sleep, and mood.

Sandy arrives at the gym smiling, happy to talk with everyone she sees because she’s so excited.

“I feel proud that I have done this,” says Sandy, a former dental assistant.

But no one is prouder than her daughter, a speech pathologist.

“I’m so happy that she has this newfound confidence in doing something that she never really explored,” Kim says. “She’s happier. It keeps her mind engaged. It’s elevated her mood. She feels better about herself.

“It gives me goosebumps and peace and happiness. It’s been a bonding thing between the two of us.”

The admiration is mutual between mother and daughter.

“Every time Kim puts something on, she looks so beautiful,” Sandy says. “That’s what I’m striving for. She looks so good, she feels good, and she’s strong. She’s my idol. I hope I can continue like she does.”