There may not be many women celebrating their 75th birthday by ziplining down a canyon, but I have whitewater rafting, skydiving, and skydiving on my bucket list for future birthdays.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve become a family go-getter, but in the last six years I’ve changed my body and attitude, and it’s given me a whole new zest for life.

At 70, I weighed over 14, with high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, terrible insomnia, heartburn, ankles so swollen my legs looked like stumps, and painful arthritis in my knees. I had settled into a downward spiral of old age and ended up in a nursing home like my mother.

I never thought I would turn into a fitness fanatic with 1.7 million followers on Instagram.

At 70, Joan MacDonald weighed more than 14th, with conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, terrible insomnia and heartburn. Now she has turned her life around

But here I am, at the age of 76 and without medication. I’m five lighter, with strong and defined muscles, a flat stomach and shapely legs I never knew I had. And I don’t believe in wearing form-fitting lycra leggings and crop tops (not just to the gym) and even posting bikini pics on social media.

I’m thrilled that my transformation has garnered so much attention – and I love how my photos and videos inspire others to get fit and strong.

At first I found social media difficult – the technology made me cry with frustration – but people quickly started communicating and I chatted back and then someone said I was “influencing” them. I thought really?

I was so excited to hit 1,000 followers but things have grown so fast I’m having a hard time keeping track. I spend a few hours a day chatting online, answering questions and encouraging people.

76 years old and without medication. Joan is fifth lighter, with strong and defined muscles, a flat stomach and shapely legs

I love reading the uplifting stories of people I’ve inspired, often much younger than me. When you feel so loved, it’s easy to give back and the love and support only grows.

To be honest, I only started lifting weights because my daughter Michelle told me to.

And honestly? She saved my life.

Michelle, 51, and her husband Jean, 41, are competitive bodybuilders and fitness trainers. When Michelle came to visit and saw me shuffling up the stairs, she told me to take her online class.

At first I was hesitant – I felt uncomfortable, uncomfortable and thought it might be too late for me – but eventually I gave in and started doing three workouts a week and a yoga session to increase the range of motion in my joints.

It wasn’t easy, but I was determined to get rid of the drug cocktail for all my ailments. And it was enormously rewarding to realize that I actually had muscle hiding beneath the layers of fat that had accumulated over the decades.

Joan is living proof that you’re never too old, never too sick, and never too overweight to change tack

As I got fitter and stronger, Michelle increased the intensity of the exercises and added new challenges (like the pull-up bar, can you imagine?) fitness sessions per week (which combine strength training, cardio and stretching).

I may only be 5ft 3in tall, but I can do 300lbs on the leg press and a 200lbs bar for hip thrusts — more than many fit young men.

I’ve read repeatedly that people who do strength training plus cardiovascular exercise (like running or cycling) have the greatest health benefits — and research shows that strength training can help reduce your mortality rate by a whopping 40 percent .

I go to the gym every morning and it’s the best part of my day. The work I do is purely for maintenance and because I absolutely love how it makes me feel. I could not have achieved this transformation without also radically changing my eating habits.

I’ve been on a yo-yo diet for most of my life but only gained weight until Michelle taught me the importance of eating protein (fish, meat or eggs) at every meal and from three to five or six to change small meals during the day .

Canada is my home country where winters are very severe so I know how difficult it can be to motivate yourself to keep up your fitness regimen when it’s cold and dark outside.

I used to be a terrible hibernator, snuggling up indoors and rarely going out. But you can’t live like that. You can’t sit around and wish for a change in your life, you have to make it happen.

The good thing is that you don’t need an expensive gym membership or a personal trainer. There’s so much you can do at home, without fancy equipment, as long as you get some sort of expert guidance through an online course or app.

I’m living proof that you’re never too old, never too sick, and never too overweight to change tack. You just have to believe in your own potential and put yourself to work. You’ll be amazed at what you can do if you put your mind to it. If I can do it by 70, anyone can do it.

Big changes like mine only come as a result of daily triumphs over negativity and old habits. Every day I have to adapt to my new habits and attitude, but damn, it’s worth it!

• Follow @trainwithjoan on Instagram or download her workout app: Train with Joan ($19.99 per month). Her book Flex Your Age: Defy Stereotypes And Reclaim Empowerment is available now, £20, DK, via amazon.co.uk.

Now it’s time to be more Joan in your own home

Try this simple exercise series to start strength training. You don’t need any equipment, just focus on doing everything slowly and correctly. If it feels easy, increase the challenge with more reps or by adding hand weights or resistance bands.

1. Back pat in plank

This exercise helps build your shoulder, wrist, and abdominal strength, as well as your endurance.

Stand 1.5 m from a kitchen surface and place your hands on the worktop, shoulder-width apart. Support your body in a strong straight line from shoulder to heel. Draw in your stomach and raise one hand at a time while tapping the opposite shoulder. Don’t let your body twist.

Add difficulty by using a lower surface like a chair seat and kicking your feet out to keep your line straight. As you get stronger, decrease the incline until you can plank with your hands and feet on the floor.

2. Sumo squats

Helps strengthen the powerful muscles of the buttocks and thighs and increase flexibility in the hips. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out. Tighten your abs, tighten your buttocks and lower your buttocks, keeping your knees wide and your back very straight, aiming to align your buttocks with your knees.

Keep your glutes tight and come back up. Build up the number and depth of your squats over time.

3. Dead bugs

This strengthens the abdominal and back muscles and helps improve balance and coordination. lie on your back Tighten your abs and keep your back flat on the floor. Raise your legs and arms (in an inverted “all fours”).

Slowly and under control (don’t let your ribs pop out or your back arch), lower one heel to the floor and drop the opposite arm behind your head. Return to the starting position and switch sides.

If this feels too easy, try a straight leg or lower all four limbs at once.

SEOUL, Jan 30 (Portal) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday urged South Korea to step up military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy not to allocate arms to conflicting countries following the Russian invasion deliver.

Stoltenberg is in Seoul, the first stop on a trip that will include Japan and aims to strengthen ties with US allies in the face of the war in Ukraine and increasing competition with China.

In a speech at the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, he thanked South Korea for its non-lethal aid to Ukraine but urged it to do more, adding that there was an “urgent need” for ammunition. Russia calls the invasion a “special operation”.

“I urge the Republic of Korea to go ahead and step up on the specific issue of military support,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s your decision, but I’m saying that several NATO allies who should never export arms to countries in conflict have now changed that policy.”

In meetings with senior South Korean officials, Stoltenberg argued that events in Europe and North America were connected to other regions and that the alliance wanted to help address global threats through strengthened partnerships in Asia.

South Korea has signed key deals to supply hundreds of tanks, planes and other weapons to NATO member Poland since the war began, but South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said his country’s law bans the supply of arms to countries in conflict the supply of arms to Ukraine excludes heavy.

Stoltenberg noted that countries like Germany, Sweden and Norway followed similar policies but changed them.

“If we don’t want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they need weapons, that’s the reality,” he said, referring to Ukraine.

The NATO chief said it is “extremely important” that Russia does not win this war, not only for Ukrainians but also so as not to send the wrong message to authoritarian leaders, including in Beijing, that they can get by force , what you want.

Although China is not NATO’s adversary, it has risen “much higher” on NATO’s agenda, Stoltenberg said, citing Beijing’s growing military capabilities and its coercive behavior in the region.

“We believe that we should engage with China on issues such as arms control, climate change and other issues,” he said. “But at the same time, we are very clear that China poses a challenge to our values, our interests and our security.”

In a statement by state media Monday, North Korea called Stoltenberg’s visit a “prelude to confrontation and war as it brings the dark clouds of a ‘new cold war’ to the Asia-Pacific region.”

Last year, South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO and vowed to deepen cooperation in non-proliferation, cyber defence, counter-terrorism, disaster relief and other security areas.

The NATO chief’s visit also comes as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was due to arrive in Seoul on Monday for talks with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup.

Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Additional reporting by Hanna Song; Edited by Kim Coghill and Gerry Doyle

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his daily address on January 20, 2023 – BFMTV

“Russia wants the war to drag our forces out and exhaust them,” the Ukrainian president denounced in his daily speech. Volodymyr Zelenskyy “calls for speeding up deliveries” of arms to Kyiv.

Ukraine needs new weapons and faster supplies to cope with a “very difficult” situation of constant attacks by Russian forces in the eastern Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

“The situation is very difficult. Russian attacks are constant in Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other areas of Donetsk region. There are constant attempts to breach our defenses,” he said.

“We must make time our weapon”

“Russia wants the war to drag on and drain our strength. So we must make time our weapon. We need to speed up events, speed up deliveries and open up new weapon options for Ukraine.”

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said earlier Sunday that its forces repelled an attack near Blahodatne in the eastern part of Donetsk region, while Russia’s private military group Wagner said it had taken control of the village.

This latest call by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to increase arms supplies to Ukraine comes days after Germany and the United States topped a list of countries willing to supply the country with modern tanks.

Ukraine’s president said Saturday that Ukraine needs the US-made ATACMS missile with a range of about 300 kilometers, which Washington has so far refused to provide.

A presidential aide said talks were underway to supply long-range missiles, and a spokesman for Ukraine’s Air Force spoke of talks about aircraft supplies.

Original article published on BFMTV.com

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