A 74 year-old Instagram fitness model can do pull-ups, burpees, and 200 pound weighted hip thrusts

• 74-year old Joan MacDonald has built a huge following on Instagram after she started working out with her daughter in 2017.
• Now, MacDonald is a fitness influencer in her own right, offering workout tips, motivation, and life advice to more than 850,000 followers.
• Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health as you age. It reduces the risk of illness, and boosts mood and brain health.

Joan MacDonald is not your typical Instagram fitness model.

At age 74, she's sporting a trim physique and seriously toned triceps, biceps, and shoulders that would be impressive on someone decades younger.

But she'd be the first to tell you it didn't happen overnight. MacDonald first starting working out in 2017 with the help of her daughter, Michelle MacDonald, a chef, yoga instructor, and holistic health coach.

Now, she shares her exercise routines with more than 850,000 followers on Instagram, along with tips and words of wisdom she's gleaned throughout her life.

"Life is so short. Make sure you are building something beautiful for yourself and always tell the people that you love how much you love them. Do it now, don't wait," she said in one post.

Initially, MacDonald aimed to lose some weight, but 10 months into her progress, she decided she had lost enough and started to focus on gaining muscle instead.

Now, she routinely aces advanced exercises like pull-ups, hanging leg raises, and lower body movements like hip thrusts with more than 200 pounds.

Never stop believing in impossible things. It’s an essential human gift, to keep hope alive. . Here I am at 73, doing 2.5 lbs weighted chin-ups. Now if this isn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is. . . . #pullups #chinups #weightedchinups #grandma #fitover70 #inspo #fitspo

A post shared by Joan MacDonald (@trainwithjoan) on Apr 27, 2019 at 2:56pm PDTApr 27, 2019 at 2:56pm PDT

Her biggest advice is to be patient and persistent with your fitness journey

MacDonald launched her Instagram account, Train With Joan, in July 2017 to document her fitness progress.

"My advice to you all: once you start just keep on going. It's all about the small daily successes in life," she posted.

And that's exactly what she did. The account now shows a record of her transformation, week to week, as she gains confidence in the exercises and continually improves her strength, balance and mobility.

Although MacDonald has an impressive physique, she doesn't focus on the aesthetic benefits of exercise as much as how it can benefit your health and wellbeing.

Core exercises and back exercises aren't just useful for six-pack abs or to look good in spaghetti straps, although that's a bonus. These movements also improve your posture and the health of your spine, MacDonald notes in her videos.

And rather than going for heavy weights, MacDonald prioritizes excellent form and range of motion, which are goals even young athletes should strive for.

Here’s a great circuit you can do at home or on the beach, courtesy of my coach, @yourhealthyhedonista ! . Don’t forget @womensbest is still celebrating their 5-year anniversary with up to 60% off EVERYTHING Link in my bio ⬆️ Thank me later . Do 2 rounds, 40 seconds each as hard as you can followed by 20 seconds recovery, for a total of 20 minutes . 1) partner squats: do 10 body weight squats while your partner does an isometric hold squat, then keep switching roles. Your legs will be trembling! 2) push ups! If you can’t do strict pushups yet, try incline push ups keeping a tight plank (better than kneeling pushups if you have a goal to one day master them ) 3) walking lunges! Practice good form by staying upright, squeezing the glutes to keep the hips stable and the knees tracking over your toes 4) crab walks! these are fun and hard on the triceps! 5) curtesy lunges: just like the walking lunges keep the glutes engaged, and the core tight, staying upright and making the lower body do the work 6) shuttle runs!! pick a 10-yard space and run back and forth as fast as you can, tapping the imaginary line and pivoting like a gazelle (or a 74-year lady in my case ) 7) side lunges: so hard! Glutes tight, strong core, and upper body as upright as you can get it! 8) plank to “T”: keep a tight plank, glutes engaged throughout. A great core and triceps ‍♀️ 9) front lunges: same form as the other lunges. 10) plank To Touch: again, keep a tight plank, and the hand touches the alternate leg. The shoulders get worked here too! . Have a go girls and let me know how it goes! . Because you asked, I wear a small bottom and a medium top, and Michelle wears XS bottoms and a small top. Happy Tuesday!

A post shared by Joan MacDonald (@trainwithjoan) on Aug 11, 2020 at 5:44am PDTAug 11, 2020 at 5:44am PDT

Exercise is important for health as we age

MacDonald has told her Instagram fans that her fitness journey was one of the best choices she's ever made for her health, and there's evidence to back that up.

Extensive research shows that regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to stay mentally and physically health as you age. It reduces the risks of chronic illness, helps prevent cognitive decline, improves mood, and can even fend off loneliness, since the gym is often a social environment.

While weight lifting is great exercise, and not just for body builders, you don't have to pump iron to see the benefits.

Studies have shown one of the most healthful types of exercise is simply going for regular walks, which you can start incorporating into your routine at any age.

Read more:

Sweating a lot during a workout may mean you're more fit, according to a sweat scientist

Chloe Ting's YouTube workouts probably won't give you six-pack abs — here are 4 things she doesn't tell you about getting fit

The memory-boosting effects of working out could be bottled into an 'exercise pill,' a study found