Joan MacDonald struggled with her health and her weight for years, and she finally decided that enough was enough. She got serious about eating habits and fitness, and her results after sticking with a routine for months were unbelievable. Her daughter shared her progress on the Internet and Joan ultimately became an inspiration to older women looking to turn their lives around, too.
No Time For Herself
Joan found that over the years she'd stopped putting herself first. She had been so busy raising her children and grandchildren that she'd forgotten to make time for herself. Her health had suffered as a result and she'd struggled with managing her blood pressure. Doctors told her a change was necessary...
Progress Takes Time
Joan and her daughter started a new Instagram account dedicated to tracking Joan's fitness and progress. She was determined to live a healthier life and inspire other women who needed an extra confidence boost. She wanted to prove that it was never too late to start a new chapter of your life...
A Serious Approach
Joan's transformation took three years total. She lost nearly 70 pounds in the process, thanks to the help of her yoga instructor daughter, Lauren. Her workouts were tailored specifically toward older bodies, so the regimine was gentle yet effective. Joan stuck with it because she was desperate for a change, and that's exactly what she got...
Subtle Changes
Joan knew that her results would take time, even though she was excited and impatient. Despite the fact that she wasn't seeing any progress right away, she wasn't discouraged to stop. Lauren knew her mother's negative frame of mind regarding her health bothered her, so she did her best to be encouraging...
Slowly But Surely
After a few months of dedication, Joan started seeing real changes. Lauren helped her document each month and write down her weights and measurements as they progressed. The Instagram account they'd made was starting to pick up speed, and the supportive comments flooded in. Joan was so happy to see that she was actually having an impact on other people who were struggling with the same thing...
It's Never Too Late
Joan was always one to shy away from the camera. Now, she coulnd't get enough of having her picture taken. She'd had such a self-esteem boost since starting her workout routine, and she wasn't ashamed of aging anymore. She embraced her body and found new inspirations in her healthy lifestyle...
Perservering Even When It's Hard
High blood pressure wasn't the only thing holding Joan back. She also dealt with arthritis and vertigo. However, that didn't stop her from continuing on her journey, even when those issues threatened to get in the way. She made sure Lauren always went to the gym with her to make sure she practiced her routine safely...
Stunning Results
Joan was ecstatic when she finally reached a place where she felt totally confident with her body. She knew her weight loss journey would not be linear, and she'd accepted mistakes and cheat days along the way. That was just a part of life. It took her over a year, but she took it one day at a time, and the big picture results were well worth the wait...
No More Medication
Aside from losing weight, Joan also hoped to get off her various medications. Since starting her journey, she'd also become interested in holistic healing methods, and her dcotor cleared her to live drug-free once her levels hit a certain point. She was the healthiest she'd been in decades...
A Total Turnaround
Lauren was so happy for her mother. The new positive frame of mind was obvious to everone. A complete physical and mental change had done wonders for Joan's wellbeing. She was proud of Joan for sticking with the routine and for taking the time to finally look after herself...
An Inspiration To Others
Joan couldn't believe the way she used to look when she revisited old photos. She was shocked that she'd really made that much progress. Now, nothing was standing in her way from taking photos with her family...
The Truth Behind Her Regimine
Most people are intimidated by the gym if they don't usually go, Joan included. She was the oldest person there on any given day, but with Lauren's constant support, she encouraged Joan to say focused and ignore anyone who might give her any looks. It was a task in itself just to show up every day, but she did it...
Constant Progress
Joan found that she enjoyed cardio and weight training the most, and her results were reflective of that. She was nearly as toned as Lauren, a yoga instructor. The two of them made the perfect workout team and inspired other mother-daughter duos to hit the gym...
A Viral Sensation
Once people started following and sharing Joan's Instagram account, she'd racked up around 415,000 followers. She didn't ever think she'd have that much of an audience, but people of all ages, shapes, and sizes were fascinated by her one in a million story...
A Healthier Lifestyle
Not only was her workout routine perfected, but so was her diet. Along with regular exercise and yoga, she was also dedicated to a raw and clean diet. That was another popular part of her Instagram page. She frequently shared recipes and snacking tips...
A Positive State of Mind
Where there's positive physical change, there's often positive mental change. Joan's whole family could see that she was happier and healthier, and she'd started to take up new hobbies that she wasn't confident enough to do before...
A Total Lifestyle Change
Soon, Joan stopped thinking about exercise as a routine or a chore and more of a part of her daily life. She eventually started doing yoga first thing in the morning without a second thought. Then she would usually make a healthy breakfast and spend time outside.
Finding Joy Every Day
Joan quickly encouraged her family to get active with her. She loved to take her grandchildren on walks and hikes when the weather was nice. If possible, she even chose to bike instead of drive into town. That was one of the easiest and cheapest ways to stay fit without a gym membership...
Glowing On The Inside and Out
Becaus she was such a fan of clean eating, Joan also decided to plant her own vegetable garden. She'd researched farm-to-table methods and had gone completely vegatarian. She'd always wanted to tend her own garden, and now was the perfect time.
Approached By Brands
After seeing her online progress, brands like Lululemon and Aerie asked if Joan would join their campaigns and advocate for inclusivity. Joan of course said yes, and she was a huge fan of their dedication to health and fitness for all ages, shapes, and sizes...
A Social Media Star
The online fitness community is very close-knit, and Joan quickly became a friendly and recognizable face. She might have been much older than some of the other bloggers, but they all shared the same sense of dedication and passion for health, and they said hi to her whenever they saw her in real life...
A Motherly Face
Eventually, Joan's followers started to regard her more as a maternal figure rather than just a fitness blogger. She was flattered to be so inspiring and trustworthy to people she'd never even met before. She never would have thought a weight loss journey would have led her to such meaningful relationships...
"Train With Joan"
Joan eventually branched out past Instagram and started her own website, Train With Joan. Her tagline was simple: "If I can do it, You can do it." She retold her story there and uploaded longer exercise videos, recipes, and blog posts about her daily life.
Keeping Herself In Check
A big part of Joan's accountability was a fitness tracker app. She was able to calculate everything from steps to calories in real-time, which made it much easier to see her progress right in front of her. She only ate what her nutritionist advised, and was challenged to get creative with new healthy meals...
The Local News
Joan and her daughter had even been lucky enough to be featured on a news talk show where they discussed her progress. She had a huge following at that point, and spoke openly about fitness and health in old age. She emphasized how important it is for busy moms not to lose sight of themselves over the years...
Compliments Left and Right
While Joan knew that she'd done this weight loss journey for herself, she still of course loved the compliments she got from people. Who wouldn't? She is the picture of health and inspiration for younger people who never thought to stay active into old age...
New Victories
Joan didn't let her happiness end with fitness goals. She extended her hobby list and picked up Spanish, became a yoga teacher, and is even pretty tech savvy. Now she runs all of her social media by herself. All of these new hobbies only continued to boost her self-esteem...
Forever Friends
Joan became fast friends with the other regular members at her gym. Everyone was always so happy to see her and they all constantly encouraged each other. Through accountibility, they'd formed a deep bond. They spent time outside of the gym together too...
Open To Sharing
Joan's webiste is an open book. She's willing to answer any possible question about weight loss and health and happiness, because she knows how important it is to have a resource during the initial stages of your journey. She is happy to be that light for people who need it.
Better Because Of It
Joan says she'd never go back to feeling the way she did before. She is happier, healthier, stronger, and more present in every aspect of her life. She encourages everyone to put their own health and happiness first and strive to live your best possible life.