I can’t imagine my life without fitness – but for the first 60 years of my life, exercise wasn’t something I focused on. As an adult, I stayed active raising by two children and working full time, but I never had a regular workout routine. However, by the time I reached my early 60s, I started to feel weak during everyday activities. My balance wasn’t as steady, I needed to hold onto a railing going up the stairs, and picking up my grandchildren became more challenging. My daughter, who’s always loved exercising, encouraged me to start strength training. I had never picked up weights before, so the idea was intimidating, but I knew I needed to make a change if I wanted to stay healthy, strong, and active.
At 65, I began training three times a week with Angela Macleod, a certified personal trainer at my daughter’s gym who specialises in working with menopausal women. My goal was simple: become stronger and improve my functional strength. In the first few sessions, we focused on full-body strength with bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, planks, and triceps dips. That way, I could learn proper form and get comfortable with the movement patterns. As my strength and confidence grew, I gradually began using 5- and 10-lb dumbbells. The workouts were challenging, and I was sore after every session, but Angela’s unwavering encouragement made me want to keep showing up. For the first time, I started to actually enjoy exercising.
I made some dietary changes around the same time. I’ve always tried to eat a balanced diet and limit ultra-processed foods, but I upped my protein and fibre intake and began tracking macronutrients to support my gains. I started consuming 90 to 120 grams of protein each day with staples like lean meats, fish, lentils, nuts, and kefir. I aimed for 20 to 30 grams of fibre daily, mostly from fresh fruits and vegetables.
After a few months of consistent training, my balance improved tremendously, walking up the stairs without a railing felt effortless, and I no longer thought twice about picking up my grandchildren. Plus, fuelling myself better improved my endurance and progress in the gym, increased my energy throughout the day, and helped me recover faster. I had noticeable muscle tone and finally felt strong again. But more than anything, it was empowering to realise that getting older didn’t mean becoming weaker or less independent.
Today, at 67, my current workout routine is focused on improving my functional strength and bone density
I now train with Angela once a week and go to the gym on my own two other days, where I follow Angela’s programmes on an app, and she can follow and comment on my progress. The full-body sessions always start with a dynamic warmup to prepare my body with movements like arm swings, hip rotations, and lateral lunges. From there, I move into strength work and do moves such as Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, deadlifts, and incline shoulder presses. I typically do three sets of eight to 12 reps per move.
When I first started strength training, I could barely deadlift 20 kgs (roughly 44 lbs). But last month, on my 67th birthday, I deadlifted 67 kgs (roughly 148 lbs), which was a huge milestone that I’m extremely proud of. I’ve also moved away from needing stability poles on Bulgarian split squats to holding 16-lb dumbbells, and can confidently power through 8 reps on each side.
On top of resistance training, I also incorporate plyometric exercises, like box jumps, jump squats, and single-leg hops, at least once a week to better my balance and bone density. Combined with the weight-bearing moves I do during lifting sessions, the higher-impact nature of plyometrics will help keep my bones strong in the long term.
I don’t count steps or do formal cardio, but I am lucky enough to spend a lot of time with my grandchildren, which requires plenty of running around. I also try to choose walking over driving, so I end up getting a lot of steps in throughout the day, whether that’s for errands, taking my grandkids to the park, or just walking around the neighbourhood.
I am successful in my strength transformation because of these two factors:I work with an expert who knows what I’m capable of
Working with a coach I truly respect, appreciate, and enjoy being around has been a complete game changer. For a long time, I lacked motivation to exercise, but once I found Angela, I learned to love my time at the gym.
Beyond programming my workouts and keeping me accountable with my form, Angela constantly pushes me to challenge myself and set bigger, more ambitious goals. Whether it’s encouraging me to squeeze out one more rep or add a little more weight to the barbell, she’s been an invaluable part of my strength journey. My goal is to continue becoming the strongest version of myself, and her support makes me feel like I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.
I train in a way that directly improves my quality of life
Before starting functional strength training, I often felt weak and unstable. But now, I feel stronger than ever at 67. I love being able to lift weights and smile my way through a challenging workout, but what makes me the most proud is how much easier moving through life has become. I can lift a heavy suitcase into the overhead bin on an airplane, keep up with my grandkids, and walk up a flight of stairs without thinking twice. Training for functional strength has transformed my quality of life, and I’m so grateful that I can now move through each day with more strength, confidence, and ease.
Learning to strength train in my mid-60s wasn’t easy, but I’m so glad that I continue to show up and put in the work. It took me a long time to finally pick up the weights and start building strength, but I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come. If I have one regret, it’s only that I didn’t start sooner.
Andi Breitowich is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, relationships, beauty, and smart living. She is a graduate of Emory University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, POPSUGAR, Food & Wine, What To Expect, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, and elsewhere. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she loves all things fitness and has yet to meet a group workout class she doesn’t like.