An inspirational lady has become a fitness model who teaches her workouts to thousands of people after her incredible weight loss journey.
74-year-old Joan MacDonald is an inspiring woman from Cobourg, Canada, who once struggled to get up and down the stairs. Now, the senior fitness model runs a Train With Joan program that helps people achieve their body goals.
As Joan explained in her life story shared on her official website, she once weighed nearly 200 pounds and struggled with acid reflux and high blood pressure. To make the matters worse, her arthritis was causing constant pains and made it hard for her to walk up the stairs.
One day, however, Joan’s fitness coach daughter, Michelle, encouraged her mother to turn her life around and train with her.
“She said that I had to make a choice. She said if I continued on the path I was on I would end up even worse off, and probably on even more medication,” Joan, who now has over 800k followers on Instagram, wrote.
“She offered me the opportunity to work with her that winter. I would be participating in an online group with other women who were all working to change habits and take the best possible care of themselves.”
Thanks to the help of her daughter and her sheer determination, Joan managed to make a healthy diet and regular workouts a part of her daily routine.
While the 74-year-old admitted her journey wasn’t easy, her confidence in the gym gradually grew and inches kept on coming off of her waist.
“I stuck to my guns and never gave up. My motto was, ‘I don’t mind if my changes are slow. I am going to go at my own pace and this time the changes are going to last the rest of my life.’ I really meant it,” Joan expressed.
Three years after embarking on her life-changing journey, Joan runs her own fitness program and shares her workouts with her fans and followers.
“I just love connecting with other women and men who are also choosing to live a healthier lifestyle. I’ve found that this new way of living has allowed me to meet and help encourage many others to do the same,” she concluded.
“If you are looking for a change I can tell you that it is not an easy journey but it is well worth it. I hope that my story gives you the confidence that you can change too. If I can do it, you can do it.”
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