Yahoo Lifestyle 'I'm 67 and In the Best Shape of My Life—This Is the Exact Workout Routine I Swear By'
Sometimes, there are those of us who might have a passing or occasional interest in exercise throughout the years, and later in life, we find that fitness shouldn’t be a second thought—it should be a top priority. That’s how it went for Andrea Lepcio, who now at 67 is the founder of Mighty Fit and helps women over 40 reach their fitness goals. In Bar Harbor, Maine, Lepcio teaches classes and continues her own fitness quests as well.
Starting a New Chapter
Lepcio says that she has always loved to move and was a dancer in her younger years. But she admits that she would work out inconsistently.
“I’m glad I started strength training at 40, but it was often no more than one time per week,” she shares.
Then came age 59, when Lepcio says that she had the “great fortune of getting laid off” just after her birthday.
“I say great fortune now because it gave me the opportunity to rethink the coming years,” she says. “I recognized that I was getting older, and not taking care of myself.”
That’s when Lepcio had a radical idea. She thought if she became a certified personal trainer, it would benefit her, and she’d be able to help others.
“I consider myself Client No. 1 as a result,” she says. “I try everything first on myself to determine what will work for my aging clients.”
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Katie Dyer
A Second Act
Lepcio says that she changed her life at 59.
“Becoming a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher led me to solidify my workouts,” she says. “A writer by trade, my posture had weakened from hunching over the keyboard for years and being sedentary outside of dog walks. My yoga training showed me how to improve my posture and core strength. I would credit that as my biggest fitness achievement because the improvement to form benefited my entire cardio and strength training program.”
Today, Lepcio is certified in tai chi, aqua fitness, mat Pilates and TRX and has completed 500 hours of yoga training to become a yoga medicine registered therapeutic specialist. She is continuing her yoga studies to complete 1,000 hours.
Related: New Study Reveals Exactly How Many Minutes to Walk Per Day to Add Years to Your Life
Experiencing Benefits
In addition to the many physical benefits that Lepcio has gleaned from working out, her mental health has improved.
“When you work out consistently, you feel better physically and emotionally,” she says. “You tend to sleep better, which improves brain functioning and mood. Exercise paired with diaphragmatic breathing calms the nervous system, which benefits mental health.”
She says that up until she discovered her dedication to fitness, she was, for many years, an “anxious speed demon.” When paired with regular exercise, Lepcio has found that deep breathing has allowed her to turn off her fight or flight instincts.
Related: The One Simple Workout Move an Endocrinologist Is Begging People Over 50 To Do for Bone Health
Andrea Lepcio’s Workout Routine
Teaching classes
Lepcio teaches a group class on Zoom five mornings a week. This is in addition to her own regular workout schedule.
Courtesy of Andrea Lepcio
Strength training
“I strength train three times a week,” Lepcio says, adding that her current strength training program requires 15 minutes a day for six days per week, and she alternates upper body and lower body moves. Her sets include squats, planks, wall sits, push-ups, triceps dips and isometric reverse bicep curls. Many of the moves she completes are body-weight only and require little to no equipment.
Related: The Popular Exercise Move a Physical Therapist Is Begging People Over 60 to Stop ASAP
Cardio
Lepcio works cardio into her routine six days a week, saying that as soon as she aged another year, she “doubled down on cardio.” She says, “I want to make sure I have good stamina as I age,” especially since heart conditions run in her family. She rows for 20 minutes or walks for 20 to 60 minutes. Lepcio adds that she lives near Acadia National Park, giving her opportunities to hike at least once a week. She takes the seventh day of the week as a rest day.
Related: 19 Workouts That Are Great for Your Heart
Courtesy of Andrea Lepcio
Top Tips
“There is no magic pill,” Lepcio says, as she reflects on maintaining your mobility into your eighties and nineties. “You need to enhance strength, range of motion, balance, flexibility and stamina. Mobility equals independence. If you lose your ability to stand up from a chair, get in and out of a car or bed or use the bathroom on your own, independence is gone.”
Lepcio also looks back on her clients who have aged the best when it comes to their fitness. She says, “They may have stopped tennis at a certain point or other sports, but replaced it with walking, biking or another activity. My clients who are struggling with mobility in their early 80s are clients who quit their sport and stopped working out entirely.”
As Lepcio has proven with her own life, where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s always a way to get moving, even if it seems impossible, and you can get moving at any age. Lepcio emphasizes the importance of eating and drinking healthy, doing varied cardio three to six days per week (preferably cardio that’s fun and will provide opportunities to learn new skills), strength training two to three times per week and stimulating your mind and soul with activities, hobbies, books and films.
And of course, she says rest when you need to rest, and take a break from exercise one day a week.
“The future is coming for you, but you have the power to change it,” she says. “Science has proven that exercise can improve cardiovascular health, bone health, brain health and much more. Get moving and discover the benefits for yourself.”
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Sources
Andrea Lepcio, founder of Mighty Fit
