Significant life changes often follow a moment of clarity that can be startling, liberating, or even painful. For Gina Gross, 59, her epiphany came while she and her husband were taking a gym tour in their new community. Gross was a recently retired nurse and had become obese over the years, weighing 340 pounds at […]
Ricky Banks is a walking advertisement for fitness over 50 – which makes sense because he owns a successful gym and turned 57 this year. But it’s true now more than ever after a near-fatal medical emergency this year. Doctors and Ricky believe his healthy lifestyle helped him survive the loss of blood, the s […]
Befitting for a theatrical performer, Dan Grady’s fitness journey can be told in three acts. Act I: A talented youth trains for years among ballet’s elite, then begins a decade-long career dancing on Broadway. Act 2: After his dancing career ends, he grows frustrated with his body’s limitations and realizes change is essential in his […]
Don Phillips won a slew of medals at the recent National Senior Games. But the real value of his healthy lifestyle is far more ordinary. It’s also what so many people want as they get older: Functional fitness. Don, a 91-year-old retired veterinarian, recently drove 250 miles to a school reunion. He putzes around the […]
A friend in marketing has come up with four categories of what he calls the “Over 50 Fitness Consumer.” It got us thinking, so we want to know. What do you think of this idea? Do you see yourself in one of these groups? Regardless, this idea illustrates a crucial point about enjoying life in […]
You say you want to start exercising and eating right, but… well, gosh… you don’t know. You just can’t. There’s no point in trying. You’ll never be able to stick with an exercise regimen now because you were awkward in PE class. You can’t maintain a healthy weight because you’ve always been “big-boned.” You […]
Here’s a common scenario for people over 50. They’ve gradually gained weight over the last couple of decades, and now they’re obese or getting there. Somewhere over the years, they stopped participating in hobbies and sports. If they ever were a regular gym-goer or runner, that slipped away at some point, too. Now they have […]
Pour another cup o’ joe. We have some good news for you. It turns out that drinking 2.5 to 4.5 cups of coffee a day without sugar gives you a 29% lower risk of early death than non-drinkers, according to a big new study out of China. Yep – it’s further scientific evidence that coffee […]
Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue has been a touchstone of fit female beauty for decades. The very first issue helped the bikini go mainstream back in 1964. The issue started drawing controversy in the ‘70s and ‘80s, with pinup stars like Cheryl Tiegs and Christie Brinkley posing. Some detractors accused the magazine of pandering; after […]
Barb Markelz is one of those people who personify the belief that movement is the key to healthy, happy living. We couldn’t agree more! Barb spent her career teaching physical education, always moving and instilling movement as a value in her students. Now retired at 68, Barb has no plans to stop now. “Movement is […]