Arnold, who is fighting fit at 79, explained in a recent edition of his Pump Club Newsletter, that both fans and friends ask him if soft midsections, shapeless shoulders, and less than chiseled chests are the result of muscles turning to fat. “Here’s what I tell my friends (if they want my opinion), and what I’ll tell you,” he answered. “You are not imagining the change. Your body did get softer, probably weaker, and the mirror is not lying to you. But the story you’re telling yourself about why, is wrong in a very specific way, and that specific way is exactly where all the good news is hiding.”

Can Muscle Turn Into Fat?

“Muscle and fat are two different kinds of tissue,” explained the Terminator star. “One does not become the other, in either direction, ever,” he confirmed. Adding that when people say their muscle “turned to fat,” something real is happening, “but it’s two separate processes running at the same time, and you’re blaming one, when the culprit is both.”

Arnold points out that the first process is a natural one. As we age, muscle mass begins to decrease if not trained effectively. That’s when the second process then takes hold, as fat tissue moves into the muscle itself, “threading between the inside fibers, which researchers have linked to weaker, stiffer muscle,” explained Arnold.

In other words, muscle did not turn to fat, but muscle degraded and made space for fat to accumulate. “That is why the mirror tells such a convincing conversion story,” said Arnold, before providing hope for us all.

What Causes Age-Related Muscle Loss and How To Prevent It?

“The overwhelming evidence suggests that the process of losing muscle and accumulating fat can be slowed and steered in the right direction,” advised the seven-time Mr Olympia. “By the same habits that built the underlying muscle in the first place.”

The Austrian Oak admits that “Father Time is undefeated,” but he encourages us to hold back the hands of time. “The more you fight to keep what you have, the more you can hold on to your muscle and strength. And even if you start late, your body is still willing to respond and become stronger and more muscular.”

Arnold’s 4 Tips To Prevent Muscle Loss as You Age

The able actor added that, “The science on muscle, strength, power, and function is clear: you don’t just lose it. You lose it because you don’t use it.” So, to take back control, the Commando star prescribed:

• Lifting, two to three times per week: “This is the main lever, full stop,” advised Arnold.
• Add intensity, speed, and power:  “Move some of your reps with intent.”
• Eat plenty of protein: “At the lower end, expert consensus targets are at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. The more active you are, it might be better to get 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of your goal body weight. And at the highest end, you’re looking at 1.8 to 2.2 g/kg.”
• Move more:  “Don’t overlook everyday movement. It’s what pushes back on the fat creeping into the muscle and helps keep the wiring between nerve and fiber intact.”

How Often Should Older Adults Lift Weights?

Guidelines for physical activity among adults aged 65 years and older advise at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-to-intense aerobic activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, weekly. But whatever you do, start now, said Schwarzenegger. “The response to training does shrink a little with age, which is an argument for starting sooner, not that it stops working. The evidence runs all the way into the nineties,” encouraged the inspirational actor. “The worst time to start was a decade ago. The second-worst time is to keep waiting for a tidier week, putting it off until tomorrow, next week, or next year.”

To follow Arnold’s Pump Club on Instagram, click here. 

While this muscle-bound legend underwent shoulder surgery in December 2025, the two-time Mr. Universe recently took to social media to provide an update on the recovery process and explained the principle behind his ability to bounce back after having 95 percent of his tendon reattached. “I tell you, people that have shoulder replacement, hip replacement, any kind of surgery, when it comes to the joints, it’s very important to be in the best physical shape,” he explained via social media.

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Indeed, with the average age for knee, hip, and shoulder replacements sitting at around 65 years of age, Ferrigno is keen to get people strengthening their bodies ahead of time, so that they speed up the recovery process if and when their own surgery is required.

Why Lou Ferrigno Says Strength Training Is Essential After 60

“Because I’m in good shape, I made a comeback on my own. I can do these ranges of motion again, almost a hundred percent,” said Ferrigno of his expedited recovery progress.

“When you age, you have the ability to embrace the ageing process,” encouraged the Incredible Hulk. “For example, after the age of 60, the tendons have less blood flow.” He’s right, tendon injuries, particularly rotator cuff tears, increase with tendon aging. “Men my age, who don’t exercise look older,” he noted, looking like a man much younger than his years.

While Ferrigno was a hero to kids every as The Incredible Hulk, it’s great to see that he’s still inspiring gains among his more mature audience. “Maximum health, maximum mental attitude, and maximum physical effort,” explained the icon of his inspirational strategy for longevity. “Good luck.”

To follow Lou Ferrigno on Instagram, click here. 

How to Stay Fit Over 50: Craig Kirby’s Weekly Training Routine

Turning half-a-century in April, Craig Kirby still plays soccer in the Lancashire Amateur Premier Division for Wardle Football Club, and while he says it might be last full season, the avid athlete has no desire to hang up his boots. In fact, he was recently approached by the official England Over 50s football team, so staying in shape is a must. “I train in the gym at least six times a week,” he reveals. “I also play two football training sessions in the week and play eleven-a-side open age football on Saturdays, and veterans football on Sundays.”

That’s the kind of schedule that would tax individuals at any age, but for Kirby, it’s all about making the most of his abilities. This is why he’s also advocating for Age UK’s “Act Now, Age Better” campaign. Kirby, along with the charitable organization, hope to spread the message that physical activity is essential for enjoying greater mobility as we age. “I feel very lucky that my life leant me towards physical jobs,” Kirby tells M&F. “The Army, road worker, and gym owner.” Still, this fit Brit’s lifelong affection for activity is not always the norm, according to data obtained by Age UK. The charity’s research has revealed that school P.E. sessions often fill pupils with so much dread that millions decide to avoid being active as they become adults. “The new research shows that many mid-lifers are still held back by the emotional baggage of school-day P.E., with millions remembering feeling self-conscious about their body (40%) or being picked last for teams (40%),” explains Age UK.

Fortunately, inspirational mid-lifers like Craig Kirby are hoping to bring the fun back into getting fit. Kirby’s “footballat50” Instagram account has gained 25,000 followers and continues to grow, thanks to his vlogs, workouts, and soccer challenges like “keepy uppies” while holding kettle bells, or while trying to remove his kit.

How Craig Kirby Took Advantage of the Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

“I believe my training has pulled me through the darkest of times,” reflects Kirby. “I’m not sure if I’d be here right now without my training. It has taught me about myself as a person. I would recommend to anyone, who maybe hasn’t trained in a while, or is feeling sluggish, to get out there and try to be active. That’s a huge part of what Age UK’s ‘Act Now, Age Better’ campaign is all about, and something that I’m personally passionate about, too.”

Of course, you don’t have to play a 90-minute match to make a brave change. You could start simply by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or by taking a walk instead of a drive. “Movement is our secret weapon to staying strong,” advises Age UK. “Building fitness, strength and balance now can act as a buffer against aging, helping us to stay independent longer.” When it comes to workouts, Kirby loves to crush his sessions. “I like muscular endurance, with weights or bodyweight,” he tells M&F. “And I still do a Bleep Test (also known as the FitnessGram Pacer Test) every week.”

How to Start Training Again After Years Off

As a qualified personal trainer, Kirby understands that everyone’s journey has a different starting point, however. “I always say to new clients, ‘you don’t start building a house by putting on the roof,’” he tells M&F. “Create solid foundations: start with one hour a week and make it part of your regular routine and then build on that. Enjoy the process, and if you truly want change, you must learn to stick to your plan, especially when you can’t be bothered. These moments are the ones that change your character. It’s easy to train when you’re feeling motivated, it’s the times that you aren’t which can make a big difference.”

Studies show that being consistently active leads to a 25% lower risk of death from any cause, and experts recommend 150-300 weekly minutes of moderately intense physical activity, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous exercise to stay in your prime. “Go for it,” encourages Kirby, hoping you’ll spend a little less time on the couch and rack up some extra minutes being active. “The health benefits both now, and in later life, are enormous. Football and exercise should always be about improving your mental and physical health, so it’s about understanding your body and reflecting regularly. You can’t put a price on health, and that’s something I always tell people who I train as a PT. I wouldn’t swap my journey for any amount of money.”

For more information on the “Act Now, Age Better” campaign, click here. 

To follow Craig Kirby on Instagram, click here. 

That’s not longevity marketing copy—that’s real-world science.

Muscle: The Lifespan Predictor We’ve Ignored

Muscle isn’t vanity. It is biology. Multiple longitudinal cohort studies have found that grip strength and overall muscular strength predict all-cause mortality more powerfully than many traditional health markers, including blood pressure and cholesterol. A large prospective cohort of adults aged 20 to 80 showed that men with higher measured muscular strength experienced significantly lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality over long-term follow-up.

Even among the oldest old, adults over age 90 from 27 European countries, greater muscle strength was associated with lower mortality risk, controlling for age, sex, and health status. More than half of study participants died during the follow-up period, but those with stronger grip strength were less likely to die in that time frame, suggesting a dose-response relationship between strength and survival. In younger cohorts, similar patterns emerge. In a massive analysis of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), low muscle strength was independently linked with a ~65 % greater risk of all-cause mortality compared with individuals with higher strength, even after adjusting for age, sex, chronic disease, and lifestyle factors.

Put simply: Being stronger predicts living longer. The magnitude of these associations rivals, and sometimes exceeds, classic risk factors like smoking and obesity.

Strength Training Counters the Aging Process at Its Core

As we age, muscle mass and strength naturally decline, a process called sarcopenia. Beginning in our 30s, adults can lose 1-3 % of muscle mass per year, accelerating in later decades. Sarcopenia isn’t cosmetic; it’s a core driver of frailty, falls, metabolic disorders, and loss of independence.

The good news? This process is not inevitable.

Strength training is one of the most robust interventions to counteract sarcopenia. A recent systematic review of randomized controlled trials in older adults with sarcopenia found consistent improvements in muscle mass and strength with resistance training programs, sometimes in as little as six to 16 weeks, compared with non-training controls.

These aren’t subtle changes. Participants in these trials show statistically significant increases in functional metrics like grip strength, chair-stand performance, and skeletal muscle mass, all of which are directly linked to better survival, mobility, and quality of life as people age.

Strength Is Medicine for the Metabolic System

Muscle is not inert flesh: It’s an endocrine organ.

Resistance training triggers the release of myokines, hormones produced by contracting muscle that regulate inflammation, glucose metabolism, and fat storage. This plays a direct role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome, all major causes of mortality. Multiple mechanistic studies confirm that strength training improves insulin sensitivity, lowers blood pressure, and favorably alters lipid profiles.

Unlike many interventions that target only one system, strength training simultaneously tunes multiple biological pathways—metabolism, immune regulation, nervous system function, and even cellular repair processes associated with aging.

Brain Strength: Lifting for Cognitive Longevity

Physical strength training doesn’t just build muscle; it stimulates the brain.

Coordinating complex lifts engages motor planning, balance, and proprioception. Emerging research ties resistance exercise with improvements in executive function and slower cognitive decline later in life. While the exact mechanisms are still being explored by neuroscientists, animal and human trials suggest that strength training increases neurotrophic factors, biochemicals that promote neuronal health and plasticity.

This means strength training is both a physical and cognitive investment in aging well, protecting not just the body you live in, but the brain you live with.

The Myth of Extremes vs. the Power of Consistency

Modern fitness culture is awash in extremes: high-intensity interval training, metabolic conditioning, gram-perfect macros, and wearable metrics that count every heartbeat.

None of these rival the systemic impact of strength training.

While cardio remains valuable for heart health and endurance, it cannot substitute for the anabolic stimulus that resistance training provides to muscle tissue. Studies find that even modest amounts of strength training, and I’m talking as little as twice weekly, confer longevity benefits independent of aerobic activity.

Forty-five minutes with dumbbells or suspension bands can outweigh hours on a treadmill when it comes to preserving functional body systems.

How much longer do you want to let time dictate your health?

Recovery: The Secret Anti-Aging Ingredient

Strength training works by applying stress. What transforms that stress into lasting benefit happens between workouts.

Recovery, facilitated by sleep, nutrition, and metabolic balance, is where adaptation occurs. Muscle hypertrophy, hormonal regulation, immune recalibration, and neural repair all happen during rest. Inadequate recovery isn’t performance failure; it’s a longevity failure.

This is why anti-aging strategies that focus solely on biomarkers or supplements without considering recovery miss the point. Resistance training, paired with intelligent recovery, recalibrates the body’s response to stress, a core driver of biological aging.

A Lifelong Prescription: Strength as a Habit, Not a Phase

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of strength training is its universality and adaptability.

From age 25 to 95, humans can gain strength, improve muscle quality, and enhance functional performance with appropriate training. There is no age cutoff; only a choice to act. Older adults starting resistance training programs show significant gains in strength, balance, gait speed, and quality of life — outcomes directly linked to reduced mortality and better health span.

Strength isn’t an elite domain. It is accessible to anyone willing to progress deliberately, from chair rises and resistance bands to barbells and kettlebells.

Conclusion: The Medicine We Already Hold

Here’s the paradox of modern aging: The most powerful anti-aging therapy isn’t a patent, a pill, or a superfood, it’s a movement prescription.

Strength training is the closest thing we have to a universal longevity drug, with benefits that are measurable, replicable, and supported by decades of peer reviewed science. It improves not just muscle but metabolism, bone health, cognitive resilience, immune function, and mortality risk.

The prescription is simple:

• Lift consistently.
• Progress intelligently.
• Rest strategically.

Do that over decades, and aging stops being a passive decline. It becomes a process you engineer.

Strength training isn’t vanity. It is medicine in motion. It is longevity in action.

Rigor. Discipline. Results.

I do not see training as something you survive. I see it as something you engineer. That shift changes everything.

The athletes who are separating themselves today are not just working harder. They are working with more intention. They are aligning training with physiology instead of fighting against it. They are measuring what matters and adjusting accordingly.

This is where performance is going. Not toward more chaos, but toward more control. Not toward guesswork, but toward rigor.

There are four tools I see showing up more and more in that conversation. Not as shortcuts, but as ways to refine the margins. NAD+ therapy. Peptides. Continuous glucose monitoring. And advanced sleep tracking.

On their own, they are useful. Together, they create something far more powerful. A system.

Recharging from Within

Every rep you perform depends on energy at the cellular level.

NAD+ is central to that process. It supports mitochondrial function, DNA repair, and how efficiently your body produces ATP. The problem is that NAD+ declines over time. Age plays a role, but so does stress and sustained training demand.

You do not always feel that decline in a dramatic way. It shows up in small ways that add up. Slower recovery. Less endurance. Mental fatigue that is harder to shake.

That is where NAD+ support comes in. Some athletes use intravenous therapy, while others rely on oral precursors, compounds the body converts into NAD+. The most common are NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) and NR (nicotinamide riboside), both forms of vitamin B3 that act as building blocks for NAD+ production. The goal is not just more energy. It is better for energy production.

There is also growing interest in how NAD+ interacts with longevity pathways, especially sirtuins: proteins that regulate cellular repair, inflammation, and metabolic efficiency. NAD+ essentially fuels these pathways, influencing how well your body adapts to stress at the cellular level.

That said, this is not a shortcut. If your training is unstructured and your recovery is poor, NAD+ will not fix that. It is a tool. It works best when the foundation is already in place.

Targeting Recovery with Peptides

If NAD+ supports energy, peptides influence instruction.

They are short chains of amino acids that signal specific processes in the body. Tissue repair. Inflammation control. Hormone release. Their value comes from how targeted they are.

In high level training, recovery is often the limiting factor. Not effort. Peptides like BPC 157 are often used for soft tissue repair, especially in tendons and ligaments. TB 500 is associated with cellular migration and regeneration. Protocols like CJC 1295 with Ipamorelin are used to stimulate natural growth hormone release.

The appeal is obvious. Recover faster. Maintain consistency. Train at a higher level for longer. But this is also where people make mistakes.

These compounds are not universally regulated. Quality varies. Dosing matters. Long term safety is still being studied. Without proper oversight, what is meant to be precise becomes inconsistent.

I look at peptides the same way I look at training. They require structure. They require restraint. They require discipline.

Fueling with Real-Time Feedback

Nutrition has always mattered. What has changed is how we measure it.

Continuous glucose monitors give you real time feedback on how your body responds to food, training, and stress. What you learn quickly is that there is no universal response.

Two people can eat the same meal and get completely different outcomes. One stays stable. The other spikes and crashes. That matters.

Those fluctuations affect energy, recovery, and focus. When you can see that data in real time, you stop guessing. You start adjusting.

Carbohydrate timing becomes more precise. Foods that do not work for you become obvious. You begin to build a system that matches your physiology instead of following a generic plan.This is not about restriction. It is about awareness. It is about making better decisions with better information.

Sleep Is Not Passive

If there is one area where most people still fall short, it is sleep. Not because they do not value it, but because they do not measure it.

Wearable technology has changed that. You can now track sleep stages, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and overall recovery. That data tells you whether your body is actually adapting to your training.

Sleep is where the real work happens. Growth hormone release. Tissue repair. Nervous system recovery. When sleep is poor, performance drops. Strength, coordination, and focus all suffer. Injury risk increases.

I do not look at sleep as something that just happens. I look at it as a variable I can improve. When you start tracking it, your mindset shifts. You stop asking if you slept enough. You start asking if you recovered properly.

Building a System

What makes these tools powerful is not using them in isolation. It is how they work together.

You might see low recovery scores and look at your sleep data. That leads you to your nutrition. Your glucose data shows instability late at night. You adjust your intake. Sleep improves. Recovery improves. Performance follows.

That is a system, and it is not about adding more. It is about refining what is already there.

Performance becomes something you iterate. You assess, adjust, and execute. Then you repeat.

The Reality

None of this replaces the basics. No therapy or device can compensate for poor training structure, inconsistent nutrition, or chronic sleep deprivation. The athletes who benefit from these tools are not beginners. They are the ones who have already built discipline into their routine.

There is also a mental side to this. Data is powerful, but it can become overwhelming if you let it control you. The goal is not perfection. It is progress.

Use the data. Do not become dependent on it.

The Standard

I do not believe in doing more for the sake of doing more. I believe in doing things well. Repeatedly. With intention.

There is a science to building the body. There is an art to executing that process every day.

The difference is not effort. It is standards.

Rigor. Discipline. Results.

Forget the rocking chair, there’s always time to get those reps in, proves Judis, who never stops thinking of ways to show that slowing down should be an alien concept. In fact, as of early 2026, the model who now leans on her muscle has secured multiple Guinness World Records, many of which she’s one-upped, herself.

Guinness World Records Held by Annie Jeanie Judis

Judis jumped into her collection of world records by securing the Oldest Female Competitive Rope Skipper title in 2019 and has maintained that record ever since. With that first record serving as fuel for Judie’s fight against Father Time, she’s amassed a wealth of Guinness gongs ever since:

• Oldest female competitive rope skipper
• Oldest female to execute a plank for at least 2 minutes
• Oldest female to hold a dead hang for at least 2 minutes
• Oldest female to complete a farmer’s walk for over 20 meters
• Most skips on a trampoline by a female in one minute.

Why Functional Fitness Matters for Longevity and Heart Health

Whether you are still young and failing to work towards your potential or simply getting on in years and need to become a little more active, Judis is just the tonic. “I challenge you to make a commitment to yourself,” she encouraged her almost 200K followers in a recent Instagram post. “Just like you would make an appointment with your doctor, block out 30 minutes of your calendar. You deserve it! So, let’s lace up those shoes and get moving!”

While Judie loves to break down barriers, she is just as passionate about the type of functional fitness that can be attempted by anyone, at home. In one video, the fit female is seen challenging herself to walk backwards up her staircase without the use of the handrail, in order to develop her coordination and balance. In another video, Judis can be seen performing a traditional gym workout, no doubt building her strength for that next world record challenge. But perhaps most inspiringly, Judis is not afraid to share the weaker points that she is still working on, documenting her journey with repping a single pullup, and utilizing support such as the assisted pullup machine on the way to getting to her goal. “Aging is exciting, you’re missing out,” implores the model with muscle. So, what are YOU waiting for?

To follow Annie Jeanie Judis on Instagram, click here.

“I never imagined I would be where I am now,” she says.

A Survivor Before the Stardom

To truly get to know Granny Guns, you should know more about Marlene Flowers, the person behind the personality. If you were to tell her younger self about the life and celebrity she has in 2025, she would likely be in disbelief.

“If you knew me as a kid, you wouldn’t see anyone like I am now because I was a very shy and introverted girl.”

Before Flowers became a part of her larger fitness family, she was the oldest of seven children and did her best to be the example that the younger siblings could follow. Flowers acknowledged that she strived to get straight A’s in order to get the approval of her parents and teachers.

“Six of us were girls, and there was competition for attention. Being the oldest of seven, you don’t get much. I was looking for credit and acknowledgement.”

Despite getting good grades, doing chores, and excelling as a swimmer and diver, her biggest critic was her own mother. Flowers opted to focus on the praise and recognition from her teachers and coaches, and that fueled her drive to be her best.

“I relished the achievement.”

Following college, Flowers married twice. Her first marriage was with a former football player turned attorney, and they had two boys together. Unfortunately, her relationship went from one of hope to one of control. Her husband, who was much older became very controlling and abusive to her. After seven years in that relationship, Flowers realized that she needed to move on.

“I lived in actual fear for several months,” Flowers recalled. “After I tried to start standing on my own two feet, he started literally threatening my life. Out of fear, I packed my boys up and left.”

Flowers took her boys and relocated to a shelter for four months to try starting over. Many victims of domestic violence will confirm that an abusive situation can become even more dangerous after the abused partner tries to leave. Her now former husband continued to make life difficult for her in the years that followed, both in and out of court. Despite this and with her ultimate focus on her boys, Flowers found the courage to leave.

“I had two boys to raise. That was my primary concern and what kept me going. I had no choice. In the end, it did make me stronger.”

Years later and after her children grew up, Flowers remarried, but once again she found herself in an abusive situation. She reported that this partner was much more physically abusive. In the end, the strength she developed in her first marriage fueled her to end that relationship as well.

“I had to find myself.”

Finding Herself

As a result of the struggles she faced, Flowers developed self-image issues and suffered from an eating disorder. This resulted in her having to undergo a surgery. Following that and with the encouragement of her son Ryan, Flowers began exercising. The journey started with Ryan showing her a DVD of older people exercising. That was what got her started, but Flowers’ own improvements reinforced the decision to keep going.

“The physical changes I was making had a significant impact on me,” she stated. “That helped me build my self-confidence and self-image.”

Unfortunately, she was once again faced with a challenge after she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. She is living with it now, and the gym is doing more than improving herself mentally. It is helping her stay alive.

Even with that new challenge, Flowers didn’t stop, nor does she let it bother her because it did not elevate to the point that it needed treatment. The approval and recognition she was looking for was now coming from the mirror and the weights she was moving. Flowers recalled that seeing and noticing the results in the form of visuals and numbers served her well both physically and emotionally. The then 63-year-old decided to start going to a gym. The feedback she was getting from other members just kept the new flame she had lit.

“They were the ones saying they wanted to look like me, and they even suggested I should compete.”

It was at the gym where she got her new name. Another gymgoer praised her for how she looked, specifically her arms.

“She said, ‘I’d like to have guns like that.’ Even though I wasn’t a grandmother myself at the time yet, I was still older. So, it became Granny Guns, and it stuck.”

Rise to Fame

Two years after she started training, Flowers stepped onstage in a bodybuilding show. Flowers recalled that it was the first time she actually wore a bikini and was the oldest competitor onstage.

“I was nervous but managed to do it, and I got all kinds of applause,” said Flowers. “I now have six trophies here at home.”

Flowers also joined social media and was following many of the fitness industry’s most popular athletes and influencers. They got word that Noel Deyzel was making a local appearance, and she and Ryan went to meet him. While they were waiting in line, Deyzel’s videographer recognized her.

“His videographer pulled me to the front of the line, and Noel introduced me to everyone there. It was such a phenomenal experience. He gave me a hug that made me feel like I was with my dad again.”

Flowers’ own persona kept rising, and more opportunities came her way in the form of sponsorships as well as opportunities to share her story and inspire others. Now, there are people that wait at shows to meet her just like she was when she met Deyzel.

“I’ve been compared to him, and he’s been compared to me because we put out similar content. I am still very close to him, even though I don’t have as much contact with him now. He has a very special place in my heart.”

Flowers may be the star, but her success has now reached a point that she can’t do everything alone. Her son Ryan works behind the scenes in support of her, but as much work as it takes, he does it with a smile on her face.

“I remember watching Mom struggle,” he recalled. “I remember her not smiling or having friends. Watching this community come together and seeing her have a family of supportive people hug her and laughing. It’s a lot of work, but this is better than any paycheck.”

What Lies Ahead

Flowers’ past struggles and adversity was indirectly laying the foundation and serving as the origin of the personality and inspiring figure that her followers now today. Granny Guns is not one to look back often, and she has a lot to look forward to in the months and years ahead.

There are more events she will attend, many more people she will likely meet, and projects that will be rolling out in 2026. One of those is her book, that shares much more about her experiences, adversities, and her path to get where she is today. Just like her social media posts, the goal is to reach and inspire as many as possible.

“It is so rewarding to know that something I started to help myself is able to help so many other people. That makes me feel good to help them by doing something I enjoy.”

To keep up with Granny Guns and her future plans, you can follow her on Instagram.

“At 79, I’d rather crank out a squat that need help of the couch,” quipped the inspirational figure who has graced the cover of fitness magazines, proving that it’s never too late to make positive changes. “Strength isn’t just about lifting weight, it’s about living full and safely,” she explained in a previous Instagram post.  “We don’t just train for strength, we are training for independence,” she added.

Of course, the benefits of exercising as we age are well documented. Short term results from working out include improved sleep duration and quality, better mental health, and reduced blood pressure, while the longer-term effects of keeping it consistent include better heart health, less unwanted bodyfat, and even greater protection against dementia. Sound good? Why not try Joan’s workout below.

Joan MacDonald’s Full Body Workout for the Wise

• Medicine Ball Russian Twists — 3 to 4 Sets of 16 to 20 Reps
• Abdominal Hip Lifts — 3 to 4 Sets of 16 to 20 Reps
• Smith Machine Front Squat to Box — 3 Sets of 8 to 10 Reps
• Cable Lat Pulldowns — 3 Sets of 10 to 12 Reps

Workout Breakdown

Joan is an experienced gymgoer these days, so if you are just getting started on your own journey towards longevity, feel free to reduce the number of sets and reps in this plan until you can complete it fully. Starting out with weighted Russian Twists, you’ll work the core. This is important for balance and stability, particularly as we age. Then, the abs and obliques will be taxed again during the hip lifts, along with the glutes, hamstrings, and quads, bolstering your foundations for carrying weight and walking comfortably.

Smith machine front box squats are a sensible idea for more mature muscle builders, since the box provides an elevated platform and put’s less stress on the knees. To get started, practice this move without a barbell at all, at first, and only add weight when you are comfortable with form. The fixed path and relative safety of the barbell when placed on a smith machine will serve you well here. Then, if you can, try to pause at the bottom of the squat for increased muscle tension and activation.

Last but not least in this workout are lat pulldowns, targeting the large latissimus dorsi muscles otherwise known as “wings.” This movement will also build your shoulders and biceps as you haul the weight but be sure to focus on contracting the back muscles at the bottom of the pull.

Of course, any new fitness regime will depend on your starting level of physical fitness, so always seek advice from a medical professional before making dramatic changes. But for those willing to level up, the benefits are there for the taking. “Strength after 50 doesn’t happen by accident,” explained Joan. “But it does happen when you keep moving. Let’s go.”

To follow Joan MacDonald on Instagram, click here. 

Scientists have mapped out 12 core processes that drive aging, called the 12 Hallmarks of Aging. These may determine how long and how well you live. First outlined in 2013 then refined in 2022 as science evolved, they form the foundation of longevity medicine today. These help guide how researchers and clinicians measure, test, and target the biology of aging.

When I traveled to the Amazon rainforest for a week-long longevity retreat, I expected to explore the usual pillars of healthy aging: movement, nutrition, recovery. What I didn’t expect was how deep we’d go into the cellular mechanisms behind them. The workshops went way beyond lifestyle advice.

During one-on-one consultations with the founders of Unlimited Life, Dave Asprey, Dr. Tim Cook, and Marc Kielburger, each member received a personalized chart of the status of their 12 Hallmarks of Aging, showing which mechanisms were actively accelerating their biological age. Seeing your aging, quantified in color-coded data, is both humbling and empowering. It turns longevity from a vague journey into something visible, actionable, and deeply personal.

Here’s an example of how over 600 biomarkers as well as health and lifestyle indicators help Dr. Cook’s team assess each patient’s aging profile.

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The 12 Hallmarks of Aging

Before dissecting the five lessons I learned in the jungle, here’s a breakdown of what the 12 Hallmarks of Aging are. It could get a lot more scientific than this, but it’s worth having a high-level understanding of what we’re looking at. It’s also especially important to understand that lifestyle choices are the main drivers impacting these hallmarks.

1. Genomic instability

DNA damage builds up over time from stressors, toxins, poor sleep, and even normal cell activity. When your body’s repair systems can’t keep up, small errors start slipping through, changing how your genes function and slowly weakening your body’s original blueprint.

2. Telomere attrition

Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of your chromosomes that get shorter each time your cells divide. When they become critically short, cells stop dividing or die, slowing tissue repair and contributing to aging.

3. Epigenetic alterations

Your genes don’t change, but the way they’re expressed does. Aging flips certain genetic switches off and others on, reshaping many things from energy metabolism to inflammation.

4. Loss of proteostasis

Cells rely on perfectly folded proteins to stay functional. As that system begins to have cracks, misfolded proteins accumulate and cellular repair slows. It’s like trying to build a house in which the blueprints are scrambled, and the door ends up on the ceiling. In other words, the structure stops working the way it should.

5. Deregulated nutrient sensing

It’s the scientific way of saying your body gets worse at recognizing what you consume. Over time, those mixed signals may throw off metabolism, recovery, and energy balance.

6. Mitochondrial dysfunction

As your mitochondria, your energy engines, become less efficient over time, your cells may accumulate more oxidative stress leaving them more vulnerable to damage. The downstream effect of that may manifest in symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, sluggish recovery, and more.

7. Cellular senescence

Senescent cells are the so-called “zombie cells” that linger when a cell stops functioning properly but refuses to die, or go into apoptosis. Instead, they release inflammatory signals that damage nearby healthy tissue, increase reactive oxygen species, and contribute to aging.

8. Stem cell exhaustion

As we go through life, and especially in athletics or bodybuilding, our stem cells are constantly called upon to repair microtears, joint stress, and tissue damage. Over time, both the number and effectiveness of these stem cells decline, reducing the body’s ability to regenerate. Scientifically speaking, stem cell “exhaustion” doesn’t mean they vanish, it means their regenerative potential weakens over time as DNA damage, inflammation, and stress in the surrounding cellular environment impair their ability to renew and repair.

9. Altered intercellular communication

As signaling between cells becomes distorted, it may lead to increased inflammation and immune dysfunction. It’s like static in the system, your body stops communicating clearly with itself.

10. Chronic inflammation

Low-grade, persistent inflammation quietly drives most age-related diseases. It’s the slow burn beneath many forms of decline, and often gets the nickname “inflammaging”.

11. Disabled macroautophagy

Autophagy is your body’s self-cleaning system. When it declines, damaged components pile up inside cells, clogging renewal and recovery. Internal medicine specialist, and pioneer of integrative longevity medicine Dr. Cook told me that while there’s no commercial testing available to quantify this hallmark, “if someone isn’t fasting at least 16 hours (periodically) and if their bio-age and inflammatory markers are elevated, then we assume this hallmark is active,” he explained.

12. Dysbiosis

Our body thrives in a symbiotic relationship with the trillions of bacteria that live in our gut. However, when harmful strains begin to outweigh the beneficial ones, inflammation rises, metabolism takes a hit, and nearly every system starts to feel the effect. The gut microbiome gradually shifts out of balance as we age due to a myriad of reasons (antibiotics, nutrient-deficiencies, a diet high in ultra-processed foods, stress, and more), and that microbial chaos spans from nutrient absorption to immunity and even mood.

Five lessons I learned in the Amazon

Understanding the 12 Hallmarks gives you the “what” of aging. The Unlimited Life program teaches you the “how”. Over several days of workshops deep in the rainforest, we explored some powerful levers that may influence these hallmarks. What’s interesting is that since nothing in the body works in isolation, neither do these 12 hallmarks. They are interconnected, so when you improve one, you create ripple effects across the others.

Here are five lessons that stood out throughout the week.

1. Nutrition

Every meal you eat sends messages that influence how your cells respond, how efficiently your mitochondria produce energy, and how your body manages inflammation. It’s one of the most direct ways you can influence several hallmarks of aging. Stop jumping on the next diet trend, and take the time to listen and track how your body responds to what and when you eat, and be willing to adapt as it changes. Different phases of life, hormones, and training loads demand different macros and micronutrients. Asprey noted during one of the workshops to “not approach food with fear, approach it with awareness,” because “your nutrient status helps you handle your environment better.”

Continuous glucose monitors can show how your body reacts to certain foods in real time, while genetic and methylation testing can reveal how well you process nutrients.

That awareness means understanding what you’re eating at a deeper level, like being mindful of oxalates in certain plants (yes, Asprey still isn’t a fan of kale) or cooking mushrooms thoroughly to avoid compounds that can irritate arteries.

2. Personalized supplementation

Asprey shared that just in the last decade, 50,000 new studies were published on supplements. So if you think you were confused about what works and what doesn’t, it’s not even half of it. Dr. Cook added that research in longevity medicine doubles every four months. No matter where you are in your health journey, supplements are critical to maximize your healthspan and target weak points within your individual aging profile, whether it’s DNA repair, mitochondrial support, or nutrient sensing. Several members were asked to reshuffle their supplement stack as they reviewed their test results.

3. Connection

This was the most unexpected takeaway. Kielburger shared several notes on how connection directly affects cellular health and inflammatory markers. Studies have shown that loneliness was associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein and changes in gene expression in immune cells. So, while your healthy journey might feel like a path of isolation, it’s worth putting in the effort to nurture close relationships because it may literally add years to your life.

4. Move consistently

The notion that muscle is a longevity organ has been well-established. But it turns out that even short-duration but consistent activity goes a long way. For example, REHIIT, which is a short maximum-intensity sprint workout.

Exercise activates autophagy, stem cell renewal, mitochondrial repair, and nutrient sensing, making it one of the most potent anti-aging tools we have. All three founders highlighted that you can’t supplement your way around movement.

5. Advanced biomarker testing

Finally, the thread that ties it all together: data. One of the workshops made it clear that most of us are looking at an incomplete health dashboard. Conventional lab tests, like cholesterol or thyroid panels, offer a narrow view of health, and don’t tell the full story. As Dr. Cook explained, true longevity medicine requires digging deeper. His team ran coronary CT angiograms on all members to see what was actually happening inside the arteries, along with tests that reveal how inflamed those arteries might be, including CRP, fasting insulin, HbA1c, homocysteine, ApoB, Lipoprotein(a), and oxidative stress.

Additionally, measuring key biomarkers like intracellular NAD levels, DNA methylation, and microbiome balance reveals which hallmarks are thriving and which need attention.

The Takeaway

Over the past couple of years, I’ve studied the 12 Hallmarks of Aging at a surface level, enough to understand the framework, but never quite seeing how it all comes together in practice. What I liked the most about the Unlimited Life program was watching these hallmarks shift from academic concepts into actionable interventions.

Plus, the team made it clear that no matter how many red flags show up on an individual’s assessment, you’re not supposed to tackle them all at once. Instead, they focus you on the lowest-hanging fruit, whether that’s optimizing your hormones, refining your nutrition, or adjusting your supplement stack. This longitudinal approach is what sets it apart from most of what I’ve seen in the longevity space. You’re getting a deep understanding of your unique aging profile, followed by a deliberate, phased strategy that evolves as your body changes and as your test results shift over time.

“I used to tell myself I was as fit as my body would allow,” Herjavec told Muscle & Fitness. “But then I asked: How much of that is the truth, and how much of that is just my own limitation?”

Turns out, it was the latter. So he made changes. Now at age 62, Herjavec’s sitting at 13% body fat, and feels better than ever.

“I feel like we’ve reversed my age,” he adds. “It’s really inspiring to me, because if I can do this in an area that I didn’t think I could get to, what else can I do in life?”

He shares that his drive is deeply personal. Herjavec is the father of  7-year-old twins. And as they continue to grow up way too fast, Herjavec is making sure he doesn’t become the elderly dad who can’t keep up with his kids.

“I’m not afraid of getting older. I’m afraid of becoming old in their eyes,” he says.

And his efforts show up in real life. Recently, he posted a video on his Instagram wakesurfing with his kids, cutting across the water like someone decades younger.

Inside Robert Herjavec’s Life-Changing Health and Fitness Transformation

Robert Herjavec made major shifts in four core areas of his health: cardio, weight training, diet, and sleep. He started intermittent fasting, often going from Sunday dinner to Tuesday lunch without food. “Fasting makes my mind clearer and sharper,” he says, though admits, “by the end of the fast, I am a little irritable.”

He also cut back significantly on alcohol. While his life involves plenty of social dinners and events, he doesn’t let that dictate his choices anymore. He makes smart adjustments, like skipping appetizers and desserts, and only eats if he’s actually hungry and not because he enjoys the social aspect of ordering food.

Additionally, he traded his old “I’ll-sleep-when-I’m-dead” mentality for deep, prioritized rest, because without adequate recovery, he wouldn’t be able to perform at a level that he wants to.

Yet his biggest shift was around exercise. For years, Herjavec leaned on cardio. He could run for days, smash SoulCycle classes, and effortlessly grind out five-mile runs. But weight training was not his thing. He avoided them.

In September last year, however, he hired a trainer and attacked the one blind spot he’d always danced around: strength training. He keeps at it, not because he loves it, but because he sees how far consistent small steps can take him.

“People want fast results. But I’ll take consistency over discipline all day long,” Herjavec noted.

His physical transformation showed results within just eight weeks, but the mental recalibration has been the bigger win. He’s set a non-negotiable to go no more than one day without training.

Even with his brutal travel schedule, he finds a way. Whether it’s bodyweight workouts, running, push-ups or pull-ups when there’s no gym in sight, consistency never fails him.

Next Challenge for Robert Herjavec: Recovery

That level of push leaves the body craving recovery, and Herjavec says it’s his “biggest challenge right now.” While the Shark Tank star gets massages weekly, his eyes are now set on exploring what the latest tech can offer. He’s exploring modalities like red light, hyperbaric chambers, and PEMF.

However, some “biohacks” don’t seem to fit. He jokes that he still can’t stand the cold plunge and doesn’t have the patience for long sauna sessions.

“I get really bored sitting in a sauna for 20-25 minutes,” he admits.

He’s endlessly curious to find what else is out there that can help him continue to perform at a high level and recover more efficiently. From just our brief conversation it was easy to tell that Herjavec doesn’t stop at one finish line. He finds another.

“I’ve done the thing I thought I couldn’t do,” he says. “Now I’m looking around and thinking what else am I leaving on the table?”

The video, shared via Jackman’s official Instagram account, gave his 34-plus-million followers an inside look as the star, who is currently wowing audiences with his string of live shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York, proved that he’s intensely working out between shows, making the time to perfect his trap bar deadlifts.

Full-Body Exercises

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What are Trap Bar Deadlifts?

This deadlift variation uses a trap bar, also known as a hex bar because of its shape. Unlike a regular barbell, the trap bar has raised grips on either side. Instead of standing behind the barbell, you actually position yourself inside the trap bar frame, meaning that the more centralized up-and-down movements bring in elements of a squat as well as that of the traditional deadlift. Trap bar deadlifts are great, because they work many muscles including the glutes, adductors, and quads. Not only that, but your core and arms will be recruited to support with lift too.

Hugh Jackman Reps Out Heavy Trap Bar Deadlifts

While Jackman often trains with his coach, Beth Lewis, he didn’t tag her into this particular video. Still, a woman’s voice can be heard guiding him through his form. “Little pause, light touch,” advised the coach as Jackman lowered the trap bar and his plates made contact with the floor. “Push quick,” she continued. “Right through the middle of the feet.” This instruction refers to the fact that lifting the trap bar requires force through the feet, rather than just pulling with the arms. “Don’t lose the speed on the way up,” she continued. “Push quick,” further advised the trainer, hoping to build some explosive power in her superhero client.

“Ouch,” quipped Jackman, looking suitably pleased with his efforts after completing 8 solid reps. “Yes!” agreed his trainer. And the actor’s fans were equally impressed. “The Wolverine is coming back,” fantasized one follower. “Gee mate, a little spray tan and you could compete in the next Mr Olympia,” encouraged another. Standing at 6’ 2”, the trap bar deadlift is a sensible lift because the trap bar is designed in such a way that there is less bending over required, reducing the risk of injury that is associated with regular deadlifts. With a trap bar deadlift, the load is more evenly spread across the body and less focused on the lower back, while providing a comparable benefit. It’s great to see that Hugh Jackman continues to lift smarter for longevity.

To follow Hugh Jackman on Instagram, click here. 

Fowler explains to M&F that his relationship with health and fitness is something he has seriously harnessed in recent years. In fact, his #FitnessAt60 hashtag has also served as inspiration for those of us who are maturing to think about our own muscles. “I love talking about this topic,” says Fowler. “I mean, at 62, you do become conscious of time being precious, and not something to be wasted, and trying to be as healthy as you can for as long as you can to avoid the inevitable decline.”

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Chris Fowler Works Through the Wear and Tear

Fowler says that he feels the inevitable wear and tear that comes with maturity. His injury list resembles the long list of athletes he’s covered since he began at ESPN in 1986. He’s had four knee operations and is also dealing with shoulder issues. To that end, he’s learned to be smarter while getting his sweat on. “Every box has to be checked,” he explains. “From warmups to stretching, to workouts and recovery. I worked out like an idiot for a long time. Back then, I was “bro lifting” with a lot of effort but not much intelligence. I learned a lot of hard lessons, I think I’m much more intelligent but no less intense while working out at 62 than I was in my 20s and 30s. I’m in better shape now.”

Chris Fowler Exercises With ‘Prudent Aggression’

Unlike some of the athletes that he covers, Fowler humbly admits that he was “not a gifted athlete,” but he always loved to participate in sports, whether it be basketball, tennis, or track. “Fortunately, my career has nothing to do with my actual sports talent,” he adds. Still, isn’t there something more inspiring about an individual who plays for the love of the game?

“I’m active every day,” says Fowler. “So, I don’t take a ‘rest day’. I’m miserable when I’m sedentary. Some days you’re forced to sit on a plane, in a car, or in meetings. But I get edgy. When I have those days, I want to get out and be active, so I’m never sedentary by choice.” The commentator comments that he is more focused in the gym than ever before.

“But I also now lift very differently,” he shares, in order to avoid unnecessary injury. The star says that he does still love to lift heavy three days per week with compound moves such as the bench press, but when making deadlifts or squats, he is careful not to overload his back.

To support his spine, Fowler now opts for the Pit Shark when performing squats. The buff broadcaster also shares that he has been undergoing stem cell treatment for those shoulder ailments, and he’s recently deadlifted 300 pounds. “That’s not a lot for me, but it’s the first time I did it in three months,” he says with justifiable pride. “And, I listened to the little voice in my head that said, ‘Be prudent.’ I call my philosophy ‘Prudent Aggression,’” he says. “I think you have to push yourself, and you have to surround yourself with people who are going to push you.”

Chris Fowler Loves To Get Out Into the Great Outdoors

“Mountain climbing was the thing that spoke to me loudest at the youngest age, and you know, mountaineering and trekking and hiking have been lifelong passions since I was 9 or 10,” says Fowler. “So, I spend a lot of time in Colorado. When I’m up in a mountain or some sort of elevation, that is probably when I feel most alive.”

The broadcaster says that he’s not the type to summit a naked rock face, but he does love to scramble up big mountains, trekking his way to the top. “I was in Nepal as a 35-year-old and didn’t climb Everest,” he says. “I went back at 60 and had more stamina for the trek, 20,000 feet plus what I did at 35. That was a source of immense pride.”

In his non-lifting gym sessions, Fowler is still fierce. He loves to drag heavy sleds and perform weighted pullups. The star is also a fan of blood flow restriction cuffs in order to get his pump on and his heart rate up without overloading himself.

Despite speculation on social media, Fowler tells M&F that he has never taken PEDs or received testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). “People make assumptions,” he explains, noting that those closest to him tell him that he should be flattered. Fowler says he doesn’t have anything against other people’s personal choices, but supplements for him include staples like creatine and vitamin c.

Along with a definite desire to push his body, Fowler also commits himself fully to recovery. The goal, he says, is to build back stronger. “The cold plunge has been a revelation,” he explains, noting that he takes a dip every morning or pre-workout to get his endorphins going, before warming up and getting his reps in. Fowler may be over 60, but his thirst for fitness is stronger than ever. “That’s my mission right now,” he tells M&F. “I still believe in constantly improving in all areas of life, no matter what your age is.” As for his own personal challenges? “Why not go back to Everest?” he ponders. “Go back at 65, go back at 70, if I’m able to!”

Watch out for Chris Fowler calling Wimbledon for ESPN, and to follow him on Instagram, click here.

But here’s the good news, small, consistent efforts can make a huge impact. By dedicating just 15 minutes, 2-3 times per week to focused mobility work, you can reduce stiffness, improve joint health, and enhance your overall movement quality. Think of it as essential maintenance—like changing the oil in your car—to keep your body running smoothly for years to come.

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How Mobility Impacts Daily Function

When one area of the body is restricted, it creates a ripple effect. A locked-up joint or tight muscle doesn’t just affect one spot—it impacts the entire chain of movement, leading to compensations that cause pain elsewhere. For example:

1. Neck & Cervical Spine: Tightness here can lead to tension headaches, poor posture, and limited shoulder function.
2. Thoracic Spine (Upper Back): If mobility is lacking here, the neck and lower back take on unnecessary strain, leading to discomfort and even chronic pain.
3. Hips & Ankles: Limited mobility in these areas affects balance, gait, and lower-body strength, increasing the risk of knee and lower-back issues.

Move Better, Feel Better

By intentionally unlocking these key areas, we can move more freely, reduce pain, and improve overall function. Mobility is the foundation that allows us to train harder, recover faster, and live with less discomfort.

Here are two full-body mobility sessions designed to keep you moving, grooving, and enhancing the way you feel every day.

Session Breakdown:

• Full-body focus from head to toe, ensuring all movement chains stay fluid and functional.
• Targeted mobility work to unlock stiff areas and restore natural movement patterns.
• Simple but effective exercises that can be done in just 15 minutes, 2-3 times a week.

Remember this: If a few minutes of movement can reduce pain, improve longevity, and keep us doing what we love—why wouldn’t we make it a priority?

Session 1: Full-Body Mobility Flow

Goal: Loosen up stiff joints, improve flexibility, and enhance overall movement. Time: 15 minutes (perform each movement for 45 seconds, rest 15 seconds, repeat for 2 rounds)

1. Neck & Thoracic Spine

• Chin Tucks & Head Rotations – Gently tuck chin to chest, then lift and rotate side to side, and ear to ear.
• Seated Thoracic (upper back) Rotations and Lateral Flexion – Sit up tall in a chair or on a bench, place hands softly behind the ears, bend to one side as you exhale all your air, come up and then rotate your upper body back and repeat until you get as far as you can.

2. Shoulders & Upper Back

• Wall Angels: Stand against a wall, keeping your back in contact, bring arms up into a “W”, and slowly raise them over head while staying in contact with the wall. Avoid shrugging the shoulders.
• Thread the Needle: From all fours, reach one arm under the body, palm facing up and allow the upper back and posterior shoulder to stretch.

3. Hips & Lower Body

• 90/90 Hip Rotations: Sit with legs in 90-degree angles with a leaned back position to start, rotate so knees alternate side to side. Advance this drill by sitting tall and not leaning back.
• Hip Flexor Stretch with Overhead Reach: In a lunge, extend arms overhead for a deep hip flexor and lat (back) stretch.
• Ankle Rockers: In a half-kneeling position, gently push your knee forward over your toes to increase ankle mobility. Continue to move back and forth over your toe.

Session 2: Dynamic Mobility & Activation

Goal: Improve movement control, joint stability, and reduce pain in daily activities. Time: 15 minutes (perform each for 40-45 seconds, repeat for 2 rounds)

1. Neck & Spine Mobility

• Cat-Cow Stretch: On all fours, alternate arching (extending) and rounding (flexing) your back.
• Side Lying Thoracic (mid-upper back) rotations (Open Book Stretch): Lying on your side, open your top arm across your body to stretch your upper back, hold in the position for a few breaths, bring back to start position and repeat.

2. Shoulder & Hip Activation

• Shoulder handcuffs: Lying in prone position (on stomach), start with hands on the back of the head, slowly bring hands down toward low back, making a circle as hands rest on low back with palms facing. Go back and forth between these positions.
• Cossack Squat: Shift side to side in a deep lateral squat to open up the hips, holding in the end range for a few seconds before switching sides.

3. Lower Body & Full-Body Coordination

• Deep Squat Hold with Reach and Rotation: Starting in a standing position, hinge over to lengthening the hamstrings and then pull yourself down in a deep squat while, press knees out, rotate at the thoracic spine and extend one arm toward the ceiling, hold and breath into the position, perform on both sides and then start over.
• Bear Crawl Shoulder Taps: In a quadruped position, lift both knees off the ground a couple inches, with one hand at a time and tap the opposite shoulder to improve core stability and mobility.

Why This Works:

• Focuses on entire-body movement patterns (not just isolated stretches).
• Improves joint health and reduces aches from stiffness.
• Increases circulation & flexibility to help prevent injuries.
• Only 15 minutes! Easy to fit into your routine a few times a week.

Mobility isn’t just about moving better today—it’s about investing in a future where strength, ease, and confidence remain a part of your everyday life. Because when you move well, you live well, you age well.

Dani Coleman is a seasoned dancer and has suffered unavoidable wear and tear due to the high impact nature of her favored art. The coach tells M&F that she first began her fitness journey as a way to stay in shape — without grinding herself into the ground. “Dance gave me my love of movement, while fitness gave me the ability to share that passion with people on a larger scale,” she explains.

It was Coleman’s burgeoning career as a fitness professional led her to join Pvolve in 2020 — an organization that teaches functional methods for staying in shape both in studio and online. When Jennifer Aniston was encouraged by a friend to try it out for herself, the two would forge a relationship based on trust, and a ton of sweat.

“I’ll never forget our first session,” shares Coleman. “We did a full-body workout using our p.band, p.ball, and gliders.” For the uninitiated, these are some of the patented accessories used in Pvolve’s varied classes. “Jen loves a challenging workout, and our sessions help you break a sweat without breaking your body,” explains Coleman. “No two workouts are ever the same, and I love programming her workouts using our unique resistance equipment to keep her on her toes, and to help meet her body where it’s at on a particular day.”

Jennifer Aniston’s Self-Care Routine

Of course, before even getting into the specific movements that Jennifer Aniston incorporates into her workouts, there will be those that say she has all the money and time in the world to invest in her physique. But really that’s just a cop-out mostly uttered by those who want to justify staying on the couch.

“What I love about working out is that no one can do it for you,” says Coleman. “You have to show up for yourself and do the work for yourself. When it comes to getting started, it’s about prioritizing your time and finding a workout that you actually enjoy and will commit to. Start small with 10 to15 minute workouts, three times a week, to help build consistency and then scale from there. Also, find more ways to incorporate movement into your day-to-day, like stretching during your favorite show, or taking your phone call on a walk. Movement doesn’t have to be done in a gym setting to count.”

Coleman details some of the easy tasks that can bring quick wins. These are the same methods practiced by Aniston and her other clients without even entering a gym.

• Drink water and focus on hydration
• Get enough sleep
• Be mindful of posture, especially if on a computer all day
• Take short walks 

Exercises Jennifer Aniston Uses For A Super Star Body

Once you begin to see those big results by making small changes, it’s game on! Aniston never allows herself a chance to become bored, so her workouts rotate to keep her body guessing. Coleman explains that Pvolve’s classes include sessions such as ‘Strength & Sculpt’, ‘Sculpt & Burn’, and progressive weight training. “We train your core 360-degrees,” enthuses the coach. Not only does Aniston stick to the plan, but she’s even helped design her own workout sessions called ‘Strength Redefined.’ If you want to follow her path to fitness, then these are some exercises you can try:

• Plank variations
• Resistance band work
• Dumbbell lunges
• Weighted stretches
• Cardio – moving your body while staying on a mat

These movements don’t have to be done via the Pvolve platform, but many people find that this type of group fitness class, either online or in person, keeps them coming back for more says Coleman. In fact, studies have shown the benefits of group fitness compared to individual workouts, those who worked out in groups felt more “intrinsically motivated to engage in high intensity-exercises.”

Jennifer Aniston is Highly Invested in Her Health

For a Hollywood A-Lister like Aniston, aesthetics is everything in the competitive world of showbiz, but her sweat equity is resulting in more than an epic resume. “The results go far beyond aesthetics,” says Coleman.

For women, working out as they mature can also alleviate the symptoms of menopause. One study has concluded that “Sedentary women should consider modification of their lifestyle to include physical activity as it leads to improvement in their quality of life.” By balancing her hormones via weight training, and building her cardiovascular endurance through moving and stretching, Jennifer Aniston looks set to glow for some time to come. Coach Coleman says that the secret to saying consistent is all about balancing work with fun. “Our sessions are filled with hard work, a good playlist, and a few intermissions to play with the pups!”

Follow Dani Coleman on Instagram 

Click here to keep up with Jennifer Aniston’s inspirational progress on IG 

Click here for more information on following in the Hollywood A-listers footsteps and giving Pvolve a try!

Alzheimer’s main biological features are the presence of amyloid protein plaques, tau tangles (abnormal accumulations of the tau protein in the brain) and myelin degeneration (myelin helps to transmit electrical impulses in the brain). A new study, recently published in Science Direct: Brain Research has successfully built on a growing body of evidence that points to physical exercise as a means of reducing these biological features. Experts from the University of Bristol (UK), and the Federal University of São Paulo (Brazil) put aged rodents through structured programs of aerobic activity and found that physical exercise had the following positive effects:

• Reduced amyloid protein plaques by approximately 76%
• Reduced tau tangles by around 63%
• Reduced inflammation by up to 68%
• Improved communication between brain cells
• Increased the number of brain protective cells

Exercise is Essential To Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease

While a firm number is yet to be placed on how often you should exercise in order to help alleviate AD, the take home message is simple: Swapping a sedentary lifestyle for one that includes regular aerobic activity is essential for longevity. “Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure, impacting millions worldwide,” says Dr Augusto Coppi, who is one of the study’s authors. “While physical exercise is known to reduce cognitive decline, the cellular mechanisms behind its neuroprotective effects have remained elusive—until now. This research highlights the potential for aerobic exercise to serve as a cornerstone in preventive strategies for Alzheimer’s.”

The authors of the study also suggest that public health initiatives should prioritise the promotion of exercise programs that are tailored to aging populations. For the elderly, exercises such as cycling or swimming could be a safe option where avoiding injury is paramount. But you don’t have to be getting on in years to begin the fight against AD. The onset of Alzheimer’s disease can begin 20 years before symptoms appear, so there’s no better time to get your body moving than today.

The clip, posted to the legendary entertainer’s Instagram account on December 18 shows Van Dyke executing reps on the leg press machine. But not just double presses, he can be seen crushing some single leg work too. “I can’t even do that at 38, lol,” wrote one impressed IG follower. “Such an inspiration! Keep moving,” added another. Of course, DVD has long talked of his passion for fitness. When he turned the grand old age of ninety, he celebrated at the gym by giving interviews to reporters.

In June 2024, having become the oldest actor to win a Daytime Emmy Award (at 98, for his performance on Days of our Lives), he told Entertainment Tonight’s Deidre Behar that he was still hitting the gym three times per week. “And I recommend it to everybody. That’s my secret weapon,” he shared, proving that you are never too old to invest in your health.

Dick Van Dyke Never Skips Leg Day

With muscle now considered by many health experts to be the most important organ of the body, Dick Van Dyke is not only increasing his lean mass by getting his sweat on, but he’s also working on his coordination too. Single limb work such as leg presses are thought to aid brain performance and help stave off both mental and physical ailments. There are countless studies that have determined moderate to vigorous exercise extends life expectancy.

At the age of 95, Van Dyke had also shared an impressive workout routine that included crunches for his core. “Well, I can do a couple of hundred of these,” he explained at the time. “All you old guys out there, listen to me,” he enthused during that popular workout. “You can keep going. I’m still dancing and singing … I’m looking forward to 100. George Burns made it and I’m gonna do it too.” Here’s to 2025, Sir!

@cbsmornings

At 95 years old DickVanDyke is still kicking — literally. He showed us his daily workout routine, which he says keeps him dancing and singing.

♬ original sound – CBS Mornings

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“Mother-daughter strength in action,” recently shared Donnie Moss, who is a fitness coach and bikini competitor. Taking to social media, the fit and fierce female gave her almost 100,000 Instagram followers a circuit that they can try without even leaving the house. “Our spin on the daily isn’t just about fitness — it’s about showing up, pushing limits, and having fun together.

Donnie Moss’s Daily 50 Workout (Mom optional)

With no gym equipment, the motivational mother and daughter literally build their abs, and lots other muscles, in the kitchen. Here’s the circuit:

• 50 Pushups
• 50 Bodyweight Squats
• 50 Lunges (25 on each side)
• 50 Wall Sits
• 50 Planks

Need to make some adjustments? No worries! By adding in a chair, you can make those squats a little more manageable just like Mom. And, feel free to tweak the pauses on those planks and wall sits. “Remember, make your own riles,” explains Donnie. “Modify the move or change up the reps to fit your individual level of fitness. Instead of 50 reps, try 20 and build on.” For those that want to follow the exact plan, Moss states that the wall sits and planks are held for 20-30 seconds.

This mother and daughter duo are really onto something here. Studies show that pushing your limits as you age through moderate to intense activity is a great for longevity, improving coordination, muscle mass, and preventing injuries through better mobility. “I’m your age, but I gotta start with Mama’s way,” joked one follower. It doesn’t matter how you start, so long as you just get started!

For more fun fitness that is suitable for all the family, follow Donnie Moss on Instagram!

Recently, I embarked on a 10-day trekking adventure that took me and a group of extraordinary individuals through Switzerland, Italy, and France. At 40, I found myself among the youngest in the group, which was primarily made up of men and women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Despite their age, these people were some of the fittest, most determined individuals I’ve ever met. They tackled the discomfort of a 100-mile trek through rugged terrain with remarkable resilience, proving that age is just a number.

Some of these adventurers were retired, approaching their 70s, yet they showed no signs of struggle, frustration, or physical limitations. They walked, trekked, and hiked through three countries, savoring delicious food along the way and engaging in lively conversations about past adventures. They spoke of how travel, adventure, and good company have been essential in enhancing their aging process, keeping them strong, healthy, and happy.

A 100-mile trek is no small feat. Setting and achieving goals like this at any age is challenging, but it’s especially rewarding as you get older. These adventures can be the key to a healthier, happier, and stronger aging process. The benefits extend far beyond the physical. They rejuvenate the mind and spirit, filling you with a sense of accomplishment and vitality that transcends the years.

Make no mistake, rigorous preparation and training are essential for a 100-mile hike. However, regardless of age, setting goals (both small and ambitious), traveling with like-minded individuals, trying new foods, and embracing conversations and challenges can have a profound impact. These experiences can foster deeper connections with others, energize your spirit, and fill your life with positive energy and a youthful enthusiasm

How To Use Travel and Outdoors Adventures To Your Benefit

Set Physical Goals

Whether it’s a 5K, a marathon, a strength feat, or a 100-mile trek, having a physical goal keeps you motivated and active. It gives you a reason to train, to push your limits, and to stay fit.

Plan Adventures

Adventures give you something to look forward to. They keep life exciting and provide motivation to stay in shape. Whether it’s a hike, a bike ride, or a journey across multiple countries, planning adventures will keep you young at heart.

Surround Yourself with Good People

The company you keep can greatly influence your attitude toward aging. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are also eager to explore, travel, and push their limits.

Break Down Big Goals

A large goal, like a 100-mile trek, can seem overwhelming. Break it down into smaller, more manageable goals. This not only makes it achievable but also gives you a series of wins to celebrate along the way.

Believe in Yourself

No age is too old to start. If you’ve ever dreamed of doing something adventurous, now is the time. You’re not too old for this stuff; you just need to put in the time, effort, and energy.

In an Instagram post updating her more than 15 million followers, Cox, who starred in Friends, Cougar Town, and the Scream movies, amongst other famous projects, showed that nothing replaces hard work and dedication when it comes to staying in shape. “So, I’ve just had a birthday,” said the star. “Don’t love the number, but we have a choice. You just gotta do the best you can.”

Pro Tips

This Actor Stays Shredded While Pushing 60

Roberto Sanchez, star of "2 Fast 2 Furious" and "Palm Royale," talks muscle with M&F.

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Courteney Cox Tips For Looking Young?

The beloved actor is a prime example of how a fit and toned body can shave years off an individuals appearance. Of course, exercising is also a great way to raise your endorphins, flush away toxins, and gain the overall glow that comes from smashing a great session in the gym.

Courteney Cox’s Full-Body Blast Workout:

Seated Machine Row

The seated row machine will tone and build muscle in your biceps and middle back, helping to give you a defined shape. Whether you want to look great on the red carpet, or just want to make a positive change to your physique, the seated row is a great tool. If your gym doesn’t have this machine, swap it out for the seated cable row.

Treadmill Run

No matter your shape or size, running on a treadmill will torch calories. In fact, 30 minutes of running could burn around 300 calories for a 155-pound person. If you weigh 185-pounds, you could expect to burn over 350 calories. (source: https://www.livestrong.com/article/306196-how-many-calories-are-burned-in-20-minutes-on-the-treadmill/ ) For this reason, running is one of the most efficient ways lose weight if you maintain a calorie deficit. Plus, running moves every muscle in the body from your feet to your neck.

Seated Machine Chest Press

With the seated machine chest press you can work the main muscles of the chest; your pectorals, without the need for a bench spotting partner. Unlike the bench press, the seated machine chest press isolates the movement, making it great for beginners because you don’t need to worry so much about the stabilizing muscles. The seated option is great for more volume and toning, while the bench press is a more advanced option for recruiting more muscle fibers and adding greater mass. (source: https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-seated-machine-chest-press-3498292 )

Dip Bar Leg Raises

If you were wondering how Courteney Cox maintains such an impressive core, an answer certainly lies with these dip bar leg raises. You’ll target your abs, but also your lower back, hamstrings, hip flexors, triceps, and shoulders, meaning that this is a seriously fit and functional movement to include in your workouts. (source: https://www.exercise.com/exercises/dip-bar-leg-raise/ )

Kettle Bell Sumo Squats

The wide stance of the kettle bell sumo squat targets the hip adductors and the inner-thighs, making this a great move for toning the legs and hips. You will also engage the core as you maintain an upright position. (source: Hhttps://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/kettlebell-squats )

Chin-ups

Challenging but so rewarding when you get there, chin-ups tax your biceps, shoulder muscles, lower back, and deep spinal stabilizers. Not only is the humble chin-up great for building strength and toning, but it will also improve your posture and mobility too.

Cox’s “Cryotherapy” For Recovery

Okay, so Cox’s version of cryotherapy has her climbing out of the freezer in a skit that reminds us of her alter ego Monica from Friends, but having fun is one of the keys to staying consistent with workout sessions. Cryotherapy, or cold therapy, may improve muscle pain, sprains, and other ailments, but always seek medical advice and stay out of your household chiller!

“Happy Birthday Courteney! You’re rocking 60,” wrote one follower after seeing Cox’s impressive workout. “You’re killing it!” wrote another. Congratulations on looking so stunning at 60, from all at M&F!

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“I live in a town in Ontario with a mountain in the backyard and a lake in the front yard,” Shawyer says. “We have some great ski paths and sail on the water and I hadn’t been outside in weeks.

Next up for Scott Shawyer will be on May 29, as he competes in the one person, 3,600 mile New York Vendee. The route starts in New York City and finishes in Les Sables-d’Olonne, Vendée Region, France.

“I was just dying at my desk and I started watching this race that happens every four years called the Vendée Globe, he says. “:I was watching these skippers around the docks, crowded people all wearing masks and when they got to the end of the docks, they took off their masks, jumped on their sailboats and went to set sail around the world. I was just comparing that to where I was: Strapped to my desk, hadn’t been outside, on the phone dying by Zoom calls and these guys are out sailing around the world. I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ I just turned 50 and I was like, ‘I’ve got to do something different.'”

Shawyer found himself so inspired that he almost immediately quit his job—he served as CEO of industrial technology company JMP Solutions—and jumped in feet first to learn how to be his own skipper. He caught on quickly, but realized he had a lot to learn.

“There’s a lot of preparation,” Shawyer says. “Physically, mentally, skill wise, there’s a lot of preparation and needing diet and nutrition, what you eat while you’re at sea. That’s what I like about this sport. It’s so multidimensional.”

From CEO to Skipper

Scott Shawyer learned quickly and set sail quite literally on his new journey into the second half of his life. Unlike most of his competitors, Shawyer didn’t grow up in the offshore sailing scene and he hasn’t sailed a Mini, a Figaro, or a Class 40.  In just a few short years, he’s accomplished a win in the double-handed monohull class in the RORC Transatlantic and a 10th place finish in his first-ever IMOCA class race, the Guayder Bermudes Race. He was amazed how his new path made him calmer than the stressful days at his desk job ever did and has learned to trust himself.

“I’ve never had anxiety or any real form of anxiety until probably four or five years ago,” Shawyer says. “I just started feeling anxious for no reason and then I got anxious about feeling anxious and then it just became all consuming.”

Shawyer—now the skipper and president of Canada Ocean Racing—then turned to mindfulness to ease his restlessness.

“I really learned, practiced meditation and a bunch of different strategies on how to kind of not let intrusive thoughts come and go. That’s the same thing with sailing. You can be out in the middle of the ocean and if you start thinking about, ‘Is the mast gonna stay up? Am I gonna hit something? Am I gonna get a hole in the boat and sink?’ It’s not good thinking. The first step for me is to stop the thought and the second part is doing something else so you don’t have the thought. Especially when you’re trying to sleep and you can’t sleep, you start to get sleep deprived.”

A Whole New Type of Training

There’s been other adjustments, too. He’s traded fancy hotels and bathrooms for biodegradable bags and buckets in order to relieve himself and leading board room meetings with rooms full of colleagues to spending time alone on his boat with Mother Nature. Scott Shawyer also had to adapt to a strict fitness routine to stay in a different kind of shape than he ever was in before.

“I do a mix between pure strength training and then more sport specific strength training,” says Shawyer. Deadlifts, squats, pull-ups, bench press, different things that are more strength focused. I’m not nearly in as good of cardio shape as I have been for triathlons, but I think in terms of strength and being able to handle the demands of this boat, it’s a bit different. I think it’s more sport specific and I think I’m in a great position for that, much better than ever before, for sure.

Shawyer’s overall goal is becoming the first Canadian to compete in the Vendée Globe.  The 23,000 mile, 3 month race will take place in 2028, so he has some time. It is a single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world sailing race that takes place only every four years. The journey starts at the tip of France and ends at the tip of France. Should Shawyer be able to compete, he will do so at age 56.

In addition to getting in sailing shape, he also has to familiarize himself with some of the new rules of the New York Vendee. Shawyer has to be careful as it’s easy to become disqualified– Especially on accident. If he touches land, receives any sort of help or his boat breaks down, he will be out. Shawyer will also be the only North American racing and will be on board with Be Water Positive, a $2 million dollar vessel designed and built for speed. The journey will make this Shawyer’s first solo, Transatlantic race and he’s predicting he’ll finish between 13 and 14 days. Despite the sound of it, Shawyer is confident in his plan.

“I’m a risk taker, adventure seeker, but I’m not crazy. You make sure you have safety systems in place, make sure there are kind of lifelines available, too. There are definitely things I wouldn’t do.”

What happened to Joe Rogan’s knee?

During episode #2100 of the JRE podcast, Rogan revealed that he’d had a patella tendon graft on his left knee. The patella tendon was actually used to replace a torn ACL in this instance, but he’s also had a different type of surgery on his right knee. Rogan’s right knee was rebuilt using a part of his ACL, donated by a deceased person. “I’ve always told everybody I’ve had my knees done both ways,” he explained on his show. The left knee appears to be the one that has given him the most grief however. “I had my left knee done with a patella tendon graft, which was the most painful and took forever to recover from. And then I had my right knee done with a cadaver graft. It was way easier. I went to a party five days after the operation with no crutches, no nothing. Just put on a brace and walked,” he shared.

Joe Rogan is now recovering well from his knee injury

“I went without kicking for a whole year to deal with a knee injury,” explained Rogan for those that didn’t know of his ailments in an uplifting new post, dated May 21, 2024. “And thanks to @ways2well it’s now 100% pain free.” Ways2Well is a medical service providing a range of resources including injury prevention and rehabilitation. “The video of me hitting that bag was yesterday, and in the past if I did that the next day my knee would be sore, but today I feel absolutely perfect,” he confirms.

The footage shows the standup comedian demonstrating that he’s a standup guy once again, giving the bag some hell with a flurry of punches and knee strikes.  “That bag is 130 pounds and the amount of torque generated by kicking full blast is just insane,” he explains. “It’s one of my favorite things to do and the best way ever to release stress, but before @ways2well it felt like every time I did it it just f***d my knee up more. I can’t thank them enough. @ferrisbuhler81 (the owner; Brigham Buhler) is an amazing guy and a great friend, and I can’t thank him and his company enough.” Rogan also praises Ben Patrick, who is better known as the “Knees Over Toes Guy” for keeping his knee strong and stable.

“Good work,” exclaimed combat coach Dewey Cooper

“Felt those 3 states away,” wrote Huberman Lab’s Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., who like the rest of us is eager to learn more about Ways2Well’s techniques.

Despite looking fit at 56 and offering up some blistering work on the bag, it’s unlikely that Rogan will come out of retirement, but X/Twitter will likely have a field day with those GIFs!

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Anti-Aging

What are 'Super Agers' and How Can You B...

According to science, aging better is all about staying motivated.

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Super Agers are people over 80 that have either the physical or memory ability of a person that is 20 to 30 years younger. It is, of course, “normal” for us to suffer mental and physical decline as we age. For one thing, both our muscle and brain mass tends to decrease as we get older, but a study carried out more than a decade ago established that Super Agers are a genuine phenomenon, and that people who were found to be in the better mental bracket had a thicker cerebral cortex than their same age peers.

Then, there are physical signs of Super Aging too. In 2015, athletes in the Norwegian Senior National Games had an average age of 68, but their collective estimated biological age came in at just 43. Among other signs such as increased muscle mass, physical Super Agers display better VO2 max scores, displaying greater fitness levels. It seems then, if you want to become a Super Ager, now is always the best time to start.

How to Become a Well-rounded Super Ager

Motivating yourself by constantly being challenged is the key to being a well-rounded Super Ager. On the mental side of things, always seek to train your brain. “We found that SuperAgers not only perform similarly to young adults on memory testing, they also do not show the typical patterns of brain atrophy in certain regions,” explains a 2016 study, leading many people to suggest that keeping the brain active is a great way to hold off its decline. While influential factors such as genetics and other biological markers are still being studied in terms of predicting Super Agers, it is thought that it’s very much a case of “use or lose it” as relates to maximizing our health as we age.

The difficulty though, is that challenging ourselves as we age is often more difficult than we might think. One theory is that as we get older, we develop a “positivity effect” that tends grow as we mature. Being young is about taking risks and experimenting, whereas getting older is often though of as a time for winding down and doing less risky things, keeping us in an effortlessly positive state.

This is why pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, at any age, is so important, unless you just want to sit in a chair and lose all of your powers. Find a mental pastime that works for you. If you don’t like word games, try numbers, or test your memory, just make sure you stay mentally active. Remember; If you don’t use it, you may lose it.

Super Agers Can Be Better in Pairs

Want to improve you mental capacity but don’t like playing games alone? No worries! Find a partner to play chess or cards with. Social networks have been shown to help us age better too!  The need to push yourself is just as essential for becoming a physical Super Ager, and the good news is that you don’t have to bungee off the side of a cliff to get your heart rate up. Try walking or jogging instead, and continue to challenge your limits in a way that suits you. Hate running? Try lifting weights! But always stay motivated to improve your mortality. You can’t control your genetics, but you can find longevity through staying sharp.

Life as a Hollywood star kicked off for Roberto Sanchez when he landed his breakout role of Roberto (yes, same name!) the henchman in 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003). Before that time, the Cuban had been landing gigs as a model and appearing in commercials. But at the advice of others, Sanchez decided to go into acting. Still, he was working as an armed guard on the Miami Metrorail when his agent called to tell him that he would become part of the biggest ever motorcar movie franchise of all time.

“It was a big deal in that, out of all the main characters, my character was the only one that was cast out of Miami,” he shares. Sanchez had been working his shift at the train station for about fifteen minutes when he received the welcome call. By that time though, he was already dealing with an unruly passenger who was refusing to stop smoking. “Something said, answer this,” recalls the star. “I’m looking at this guy, and I said ‘you know what, hold on a second.’” After hearing that he’d got the part, the would-be actor walked up to the troublesome smoker. “And, he squared off because he thought I was gonna actually wrestle, and I just walked up to him and I said, ‘man you can smoke that whole pack for all I care.”

Moments later, Sanchez was handing in his two-week notice to begin shooting on 2 Fast 2 Furious, and he’s never looked back.

Roberto Sanchez believes that workouts should evolve as we mature

While Sanchez didn’t follow in his father’s Olympic level judo footsteps, he has always been a fan of sports like basketball, and is also a lover of Bruce Lee, so he caught the fitness bug early on. The actor has a tattoo on his chest emblazoned with the legendary line; ‘Don’t pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”

Fortunately, the star never shies away from his own challenges, and he’s happiest when getting a sweat on but also understands that workouts should evolve just as we do. “As we get older, and I’m hard headed sometimes so it’s been an adjustment, you have to make adjustments in your workouts,” says the star, who has picked up a passion for jump rope. “You can do it anywhere,” he explains. “I’ve got the digital (version) because sometimes you are in a gym, and you need to find space.”

Digital skipping ropes are convenient because they are cordless and tangle free. The handles have weight attachments on them to recreate the rope’s load. And, like with traditional skipping, you can burn up to 20 calories per minute, meaning that just 15 minutes of jump rope can torch 300 calories.

Sanchez explains that skipping has become such a staple part of his regime that he adds it between other exercises to reduce rest times. “It’s been great man, I love it, and I feel like my heart feels good, I’m still in shape.” A quick check of Instagram reveals that Sanchez is in awesome shape, and he’s ripped and ready to go for any project. The star says that in recent years he’s also added intermittent fasting to his lifestyle, generally not eating after 8pm and going until around 11am the next day.

In addition to Palm Royale, Sanchez is starring in 6 Hours Away, available on Hulu and Prime Video, and is also returning in the new season of Black Mafia Family. The actor notes that while he loves to play ‘bad guys,’ he does so by adding an element of humor, adding a “lovable rogue” element to many of his on-screen personas. Creating positive representations of his culture is important to Roberto Sanchez, who is an inspiring illustration that hard work pays off.

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While Michael Hearn grew up in a loving relationship with his dad, who was morbidly obese, the father and son relationship didn’t extend much in the way of sports or being active. Hearn played a little racquetball and softball at school, but outside of a physical education lesson, he never ran. As he grew up, Hearn struggled with his weight issues, trying a range of diets but finding himself unable to find a sustainable plan that worked for him.

Now married and consumed by adult life, weight loss would become an up and down priority, just like the weighing scales, and he would soon hit 300 pounds. “Like many people, I focused all my energy on my family and my career,” explains Hearn. “During my work as a management consultant, I travelled almost weekly – which meant 100% of my meals were takeout or from a restaurant and it’s easy to snack in meetings and at airports on high calorie items. When I transitioned to an office role, my travel went down dramatically, but I was still eating most of my meals out.”

He adds: “When I was home, my entire focus was my family. My kids were physically active and participated in a range of sports, so most weekends I was busy going to games and practices. I always assumed that I would address my weight issue ‘eventually’ but, by mid-2017, I was over 400 pounds and unable to exercise at all, and my body required a lot of calories just to do the basics, which wasn’t much. By late 2018, I weighed around 450 pounds and I knew I was putting my future at significant risk.”

Michael Hearn began his fitness and weight-loss journey after realizing that time was running out

A lifestyle laden with fast food, ultra-processed snacks, and few fruits or vegetables was becoming a life-threatening situation. Hearn now recognises that one of the biggest issues with food was the unhealthy relationship that he’d built around junk food. He’d convinced himself that bad foods and increasingly large portions were simply a reward for a long workday.

“I was in complete denial over the amount and types of food I was eating,” he says. Far from being a reward, those bad habits were causing some serios health issues. Hearn was heading towards diabetes, had low energy, but couldn’t sleep. A coronary scare should have been a wakeup call, but even that couldn’t break old patterns, and yet; “A short walk from the car to the office or store took my breath away,” says Hearn. “I couldn’t fit in an airline seat. I could barely fit behind the steering wheel of a car. All of my clothes came from the big and tall store, and nothing ever looked flattering on me.

His family began to share their own frustrations with Hearn, especially when it came to family photo time, which he more often than not refused to participate in. “I became more and more reclusive by avoiding anything that would require major exertion, and when I did, it was physically exhausting – activities were simply to be survived, not enjoyed.”

He adds: “By my 55^th birthday, in late 2018, I was at 450+ pounds with a 62-inch waist and I wore 6XL shirts,” shares Hearn. “I knew that time was running out for me to do something. What I hated the most was embarrassing my wife and kids in front of others by being the ‘fat dad’ – of course, no one ever said anything to my face, but I knew how others felt about me. There were many times when I would just stay home rather than put my family in that position. I also knew that I looked a lot bigger than I mentally accepted. The fact was; I was a huge guy. At a point, I promised my son that somehow, some way, I wouldn’t be the ‘fat dad’ at his college graduation having already missed that mark with our older daughter.”

Seeking medical advice, Hearn underwent bariatric surgery in 2019, an operation designed to reduce the size of the stomach so that people feel full faster, or simply cannot eat what they had previously become accustomed to.

“It was a hard decision,” explains Hearn. “Because, I considered surgery an admission of failure and defeat, when I should have just ‘done the right things’ to maintain my weight and my health. I realize now that I was wrong to feel that way. My eating habits changed immediately after the surgery. I was on a liquid diet for several weeks and a highly limited one after that. I lost all interest in food and had to constantly be reminded to eat. My stomach could only hold about an egg-sized portion of food, so I had to be very strategic about what I ate in order to get a minimal level of nutrition.”

Within 60 days of the surgery, Hearn weight-loss journey began by dropping 40 pounds. Then came the quick wins: Now 65+ pounds down, he was finally able to participate in family activities, even enjoying a long walk around the San Diego Zoo. As the weight began to fall, he became more and more fulfilled. Hearn’s clothing size dropped dramatically and by the time his weight plateaued at around 75 pounds down, he figured that he’d continue this journey and make the most of his increasing energy levels by becoming more active.

“I watched a documentary on ultramarathons, having never been a runner myself, and it absolutely inspired me to think about running as my outlet,” he says. “The idea of pushing oneself to find your limits, and what you might be capable of, was a complete mental shift from the ‘just survive every day’ mindset I’d had for many years.”

Michael Hearn took his increasing energy level and ran with it

After lacing up his sneakers and attempting short runs, Hearn entered his first 5k in January 2020. He says that the Atlanta Track Club did a great job of encouraging him to get started, and he’s even now an ambassador there. “I was worried I wouldn’t finish, or finish last, or just generally embarrass myself by walking the entire course,” he admits. “But I did finish, and I couldn’t wait to enter my next race.”

With several more 5k runs completed and additional practice that saw him pushing towards further distances, Hearn entered his first half marathon (13.1 miles / 21.1 kilometers) in May 2021. His diet now consists of lean meats like chicken and fish, and he’s upped his salad game too. “One tip that I received from my endocrinologist several years ago was to largely avoid the center of the grocery store and focus on the sides where the ‘real food’ is,” shares Hearn. “Our world is driven by consumption and it’s almost impossible to escape the advertising and promotion of ‘crap.’”

Hearn, who has now participated in more than 130 races, is well on his way to racing in 100 half marathons, but his goal is never to win, only to finish. “I’ve met so many interesting people at the back,” the weight-loss wonder says. Hearn explains that he hopes to complete 100 half marathons by the end of 2025, and has a separate task too: He hopes to tick off 50 runs in different states. I’m at 31 states now, including the recent Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington D.C.,” he explains.

Hearn, who has now lost more than 200 pounds, hopes to make Hawaii the 50^th state, so that he can combine this weight-loss achievement with his 65^th birthday and a well-earned vacation with his wife. He also doesn’t rule out an ultramarathon either. It took time to get to where he’s at now, but Michael Hearn accepts that the negative relationship he had around food pales in comparison to the physical and mental boost he’s received by eating more healthily and actively pursuing exercise, and he shows no signs of slowing down. “If my knees and ankles hold up, I intend to keep running and entering races as long as I can make it to that start line.”

Follow ths inspirational figure’s journey on Instagram!

Taking to Instagram on March 3, the Street Fighter star said; “On set, resting between the fight scenes. Cool movie coming out!” While it’s not clear what movie he is referring to, a quick check of IMDB.com shows that Van Damme, who last mixed it up in the 2021 film, Haters has a number of projects on the go.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Looks Sensational at 63

With JVCD slated to appear in upcoming movies such as the action-thriller Silent Kill, and the action-adventure What’s My Name, we will have to join the rest of his 8 million followers to find out when we will next see him on the big screen. In the meantime, the actor recently provided a glimpse of another upcoming movie, Darkness of Man and he also blew us away last year, proving that consistency is key by posting a picture from Thailand that left us all in awe of his muscular and lean physique. It certainly seems that Father Time has his hands full with the martial arts legend.

In a 2023 interview for the PA news agency, promoting his Whiskey brand, Old Oak, the “muscles from Brussels” shared that aside from a shot of the good stuff, JCVD prioritises flexibility for longevity. Those who remember Van Damme’s epic stretch scenes, like meditating while performing the splits across two chairs will know that few have ever been as flexible as this film star. “When you train and you are getting older; it’s good to stay very flexible, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “You feel the correct movement and suddenly the muscle will become a mind, and the mind will take over and will say: ‘today I want a little more weight,’ and this is how it works.” Van Damme could be described as an old oak himself, but he’s still in better shape than the majority of people half his age.