MAVY WELLNESS SUCCESS STORIES
A few years ago, Randy was at his youngest daughter's house, watching his granddaughters do cartwheels.
He told them he'd show them a headstand. He used to do them all the time in his twenties and thirties.
"I went to do it and I couldn't do it. I'm like, wow, I lost a lot of strength. It was impossible."
That moment stuck with him.
"In the back of my mind, that was one of those things that was like, you know what? You need to start going to the gym again."
The quick version
Who: Randy, 74 (75 a month after his interview), retired, cooks most of his own meals with his wife.
Starting point: Decades of diets that worked for a while and then didn't. His weight swung between 158 and 212 pounds, and for years sat between 190 and 205.
Result: From 203 to about 181 pounds, his waist down from 42 to 39 inches, five sets of four or five pull ups, and he figures he could do five sets of 50 push ups if he really tried.
Fifty years of starting over
Randy's first big diet was in the 1970s. He lost a lot of weight, then stopped paying attention.
"It was always the constant plan of, you lose a few pounds and don't pay attention to what you're eating afterward. Think that the weight's going to stay off. And it comes back with a vengeance."
He went vegetarian in 2020 and plant based in 2023. Then his yearly checkups started to worry him, and he decided to take his health into his own hands as he got older.
"I decided it was time to really get serious."
What changed
1. No more waiting for Monday
This is the one Randy brought up three times in his interview.
"If you make a mistake, the next day you just go back and do the thing you know is right. Instead of going, oh, I screwed this up, I'll start again next Monday. And next Monday never comes."
He'd heard me say it on different videos, again and again.
"Repetition in my head is what I need lots of times to make things work."
2. Asking "was it worth it?"
When he does eat something off plan, he doesn't beat himself up. He just thinks back on it.
"Was it really that great? And you know what? Every time I do that, I'm like, no, it really wasn't."
Now it happens maybe once a month, and he's starting to tell himself it isn't even worth that.
3. The gym as an appointment
He's retired, but he's busy with a million things around the house. So the gym goes on the calendar.
"It's an appointment for me and I don't miss my appointment."
And once the results started, it got easier.
"After you see success, it becomes easier and easier to go and slowly increase your weights and feel really good about what you're doing."
4. Understanding that food comes first
"The exercise is wonderful, but food is the primary thing. And it took me a little while to get that through my head."
He and his wife both love cooking and have binders full of printed recipes. He's still learning to go easy on dressings, gravies and sauces, and hides the snacks that come with having a teenager in the house.
5. One good question at a time
On the group calls, Randy mostly listens.
"I don't ask a lot of questions, but when I ask a question, it's really important to me. It's a piece of the puzzle that's missing."
Life now
"There's no question at my age, my muscularity is significantly better than it has been for probably the last 30 years."
He has an old knee injury that he works around. His next goal is a freestanding handstand, the same thing he couldn't do in front of his granddaughters.
His goal overall is bigger than any number:
"Living a good life to the very end. To me, that's what good quality of life is all about."
He's also noticed his taste buds changing. Restaurant food he used to love now tastes far too salty.
What you can take from Randy's story
It's not too late. Randy built more muscle in his 70s than he'd had in 30 years.
Skip "I'll start Monday." Get back on plan at the next meal.
Ask if it was worth it. Most of the time, the honest answer helps.
Treat training like an appointment.
Know your why. A clear reason keeps you going when motivation fades.
His advice:
"Don't give up. You don't need to do 50 push ups. You just need to get some muscle on and feel better about yourself. Figure out your why, and the rest will come."
Watch the full interview
Randy told his whole story on the Forever Fit Podcast, Episode 372.
Where to start
If you want to start building strength safely at any age, our free Joint-Friendly Strength guide is a simple first step: mavywellness.com/free
And if you'd like help building a plan around your life, book a call with our team at mavywellness.com.
Sincerely,
Maxime Sigouin
Co-founder of Mavy Wellness
Author of Forever Fit
Get your copy here, free worldwide shipping.
Results vary from person to person. This is general education, not medical advice. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise or nutrition program.