In 2016, 70-year-old Joan MacDonald was overweight and out of shape. She faced an uncertain, likely harsh future reality. Her daughter then approached her, almost in tears, to lose weight to ensure a longer life. Clearly coming from a place of love, she mentioned that she didn’t want to see her mother suffer with expensive medical bills and a lower quality of life in her older age, like she’s seen countless times before.
Others would take these things offensively or would simply do nothing. Shocked, Joan took her daughter’s words seriously, using them as motivation to improve her current and future quality of life. Joan details her entire transformation in video.
Soon, Joan sought out physical fitness, creating a life-changing routine to help her lose weight over the years. She is an open book, speaking of her experience eloquently and directly. She details her entire body transformation, including her mentality before even starting her workout regimen, admitting that a change was necessary.
3 years ago, at 199 pounds, Joan put little effort into her overall health, seemingly going years without touching a gym, taking life and longevity for granted. She admits to being unhealthy and overweight. But all of that changed through sheer motivation and willpower.
Joan started an intense gym regimen, visiting regularly and religiously. She mentions that planks were her hardest challenge at first, gassing her within a few moments. Unlike many others, she did not falter, using her struggles as further motivation. She sprinkled in ergs and pull-ups, among other workouts. After a matter of months, she started resembling Arnold Schwarzenegger during his famed Mr. Olympia run (well, kinda).
Joan has undeniably made a huge transformation, physically and with the quality of her life. She mentions cooking and eating much healthier now than she used to. She credits these changes for her newfound energy and overall health. Her fitness and endurance began exceeding those decades younger than her. She dropped dozens of pounds and looks trim and fit. Her “before and after” photo says it all.
Joan recalls her daughter’s words before starting her regimen, “You can do this. You can make yourself better, and I’ll be there for you all the way.” Her family’s support was key.
After 3 years and countless hours in the gym, she looks amazing. Her body has completely transformed, shedding weight and adding quite a noticeable bit of muscle. Joan continues her routine, maintaining her health and lifestyle.
She looks great now, crediting her wonderful family and support group for helping her along even when she felt embarrassed and unhealthy at the start. She even says with a sly smile that she can outperform a lot of younger cyclists now on her usual 6-mile bike rides.
Often, people find the proverbial mountain too hard to climb, unwilling or scared to take on life-changing challenges. Through hard work, determination, and the right support, truly anything is possible. Hopefully Joan’s story inspires others to achieve similarly trying goals.
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