Meet Joan MacDonald. She’s a fit, 73-year-old Instagram influencer (@TrainwithJoan). I don’t personally use Instagram, but someone pointed her out to me. When I saw her before and after photos, I was floored. But what was even more impressive is that fitness is not something she had been doing her whole life. At age 70, she was 5’3 and 198 pounds. She was on medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol and acid reflux. Then she had a wakeup call, and over the next 2-3 years, transformed her body from this:
To this:
In the process, she:
- Dropped 57 pounds (198 to 141)
- Her dress size went from 22, to 6
- Got off of all her medications
And for that, she landed some major press coverage, in places like Fox News, CBC, CTV, and many others.
Since my team and I work with a lot of retirees (like Ivan, Lynn, and others), I had to find out how she did it. So I reached out for an interview, and she kindly agreed. Here is our conversation:
Igor: What was your life before the transformation? Did you exercise? What were your nutritional habits like?
Joan: I was still ‘me,’ before my transformation. I was retired. I spent (and still spend) a lot of time in my community. I serve at my church’s soup kitchen, go out with friends for darts, and spend time with friends. I just didn’t care for myself. I did not exercise and I did not track my food.
Igor: What was the “trigger moment?” What made you decide to make a change?
Joan: Three years ago, my mother was in a nursing home and I was looking after her. I knew I had to get better. Looking after her took a lot out of me, I didn’t want to end up in a hospital bed needing a lot of care. I was also on medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. My daughter, Michelle (a transformation coach) came to me in tears and said I had a choice. She said to me, “Join my group of women and you will have support.” I ended up joining Michelle’s group and it changed my life.
Igor: What was your exercise routine after you decided to make the change?
Joan: I did weights 4 days a week and did some cardio. I progressively worked up from there. I followed a bodybuilding type plan. Now, I do 5 days per week of strength training, and spend about 90 minutes at the gym. I follow up my strength training with 15-30 minutes of cardio.
Igor: Can you elaborate a bit on what your strength training and cardio routine look like?
Joan: My routine changes every 4-6 weeks. But in general:
Day 1: hamstrings & glutes
Day 2: chest/shoulders/triceps
Day 3: quads and calves
Day 4: back and glutes
One day is devoted entirely to cardio
Here’s an example of a typical chest workout:
A1) Push Ups, 4 sets of 10 reps, (you could do incline push ups if you are still building up strength!), keep the tempo controlled, and take a 60 second break between sets
B1) Smith Bench Press, 4 sets of 8-10 reps, controlled tempo, with a 45-60-second rest between sets. Each week I try to add weight, do more reps, or reduce the rest period to make it more challenging
C1) Single Arm Seated Shoulder Press, Neutral Grip, 3 sets of 10 reps, 2010 tempo, 40 seconds rest
D1) EZ Bar Biceps Curls, 4 sets of 8-10 reps, 2010 tempo, 30 secs rest superset
D2) Pulley Single Arm Triceps Extension, Reverse Grip, 4 sets of 8-10 reps, 2010 tempo, 30 seconds rest
*those last two exercises are to be done together as a super set which really cuts down on time in the gym!
Cardio can be steady state or with some intervals it depends. The bike, treadmill, etc. would be things that I use.
Igor: What’s your nutrition like now?
Joan: I track my food daily now. I try to eat as healthy as I can and eat 5 meals a day. I don’t avoid any food groups. My calories are around 1,500 daily and have been for the past year or more. My protein is around 150g per day, my carbs around 150g, and my fat is around 40g. A couple of times a month I go out to eat and don’t track and let myself enjoy a treat.
Igor: Any stumbling blocks along the way?
Joan: In the beginning I had to learn how to use my iPhone to track my workouts and nutrition. Oh my, sometimes that was a challenge! I also needed to work on my mindset. There were times I wasn’t sure if I was making progress. The women in my group would encourage me and I would continue on. The other part of mindset was really believing in myself and not giving up. There were times I would get discouraged and would feel that the weight was not moving. I had to tell myself that I was going to do it.
Igor: Has your relationship with your friends and family changed since you’ve transformed your body?
Joan: I think this journey has brought Michelle and I closer. I knew Michelle cared about me and loved me prior to all of this but through this experience I have seen new sides of Michelle’s love. I know that Michelle wants what is best for me. I know she is always rooting for my best self. I am also more confident and excited about life and that comes out into my other relationships.
Igor: What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about getting fit after 70?
Joan: That you can’t do it, or that after the age of 60 you can’t build muscle. You can do it! It just takes time and you have to be patient with the results.
Igor: How’s life different now that you dropped all this weight?
Joan: I have more energy than I used to. I still have arthritis, but after I get up and move my body feels better. Before I started exercising and eating healthy, the arthritis hurt a lot. It still hurts, but definitely much less than before. I am socializing more and I can feel how much I am loved and cared about. I have new purpose. I also spend 2-3 hours a day responding to all my comments on social media.
Igor: Do you have a favorite recipe?
Joan: I really enjoy Michelle’s Hattie Cake recipe. I made a Youtube video about it. You cannot go wrong with chocolate.
