71-Year-Old's Gym Transformation: From Dialysis Candidate to Deadlift Diva
KEY POINTS
- â˘In January 2017, Michelle MacDonald convinced her nearly 71-year-old mother Joan to start working out.
- â˘Joan, facing high blood pressure and kidney problems, committed to gym sessions five times a week.
- â˘With Michelle's coaching, Joan lost 70 pounds, quit medication, and co-founded 'Train With Joan' for senior fitness.
At nearly 71, Joan MacDonald of Collingwood, Ontario, was 200 pounds heavy, medicated for high blood pressure, battling kidney issues and fearing dialysis like it was an unwanted Netflix subscription. Enter Michelle, her daughter, a certified strength-nutrition hybrid who recently left Canada for Mexico and dropped the immortal 'Go to the gym, Mom' truth bomb during a visit in January 2017. Joan, a former driving examiner and non-gym native (her social circle thought sweatbands were sci-fi accessories), went from barely lifting 20 pounds to deadlifting 170 and hip thrusting a staggering 230. She lost 70 pounds, quit meds, and now eats a protein-powered, 5-meals-a-day regimen, all while recovering from a recent shoulder surgery from bike trail bravado. Michelle and Joan even launched 'Train With Joan' to inspire other seniors to outperform their prescriptions and their prejudices.
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Nothing motivates like the threat of getting hooked up to a dialysis machine. But apparently, being nagged by your fitness trainer kid is the ultimate wake-up callâbecause deadlifting 170 pounds at 71 sounds like midlife crisis for the immortals.
Forget midlife crisis sports cars; Joan's wiping the floor with 30-year-olds using hip thrusts I can't even pronounce.
Some people get retirement plans; Joan got a workout schedule that would make CrossFit throw in the towel.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/23/2025 | Author: Jane Ridley
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