Meet our Superhero of the Month for December: Stevie Glover!
If you haven’t met Stevie yet, I hope you go out of your way to meet her. She’s a gem and she’ll brighten your day.
I know the rules…it’s impolite to ask a woman’s age, and even more rude to share a woman’s age. HOWEVER, at Mo-Mentum Fitness we value our BIOLOGICAL age as much as – if not more than – we value the gift of our CHRONOLOGICAL age.
I’m going to break the rules for this blog out of MAD RESPECT for Stevie, who just turned 80 years old in November! If you haven’t met Stevie (without the give-away of her picture above this article) you would NEVER guess who she is. She looks like she’s in her 50’s, her biological age.
Stevie is vibrant, friendly and UNSTOPPABLE! If you’re new to our small group training program, or new to Mo-Mentum in general, Stevie will be one of the first to introduce herself and help you feel welcome. When Stevie enters our big red doors at Mo-Mentum Fitness, she always has a bright, genuine smile and she’s ready to work!
Stevie is still working in her lifelong career today. She loves her work and doesn’t see a reason to stop working. She makes people look beautiful for a living. Stevie breaks the OLD paradigm rules of aging (the ones that need to be broken) in so many incredible ways. While most people have been retired for 20 years, she continues to work part time helping people feel better every day.
Last year while at work Stevie tripped over a cord and fell, trajectory style, directly onto her shoulder. She fractured her humerus and her doctors suspected it would take her about six months to recover. But Stevie was back to the gym and work within about eight weeks, at age 79!
You should also know that Stevie’s doctors were SURPRISED when they saw Stevie’s x-ray. They thought that “at her age” the break would have been much bigger and more complex. Stevie had been seriously lifting weights to build her bones, and it WORKED!
You might be reading this blog and thinking, “Well Stevie has probably exercised her whole life….I’ll never be able to catch up with her.” You would be wrong.
Stevie got serious about exercise because she was experiencing a difficult, low time in her life. She wanted to feel better and age better, and she decided to make herself a priority in her life. Stevie was 52 years old when she made the decision to make herself a priority. Inevitably exercise became a priority.
Yes, even the small decisions count.
Our daily, seemingly small and insignificant actions create the lives and the body we are each living in today. We can’t control ALL the external events that happen in our lives, BUT we ARE responsible for the decisions we make to deal with the events (both positive and negative) in our lives. We also get to create a vision for the life we desire and then chose the actions that will get us there. Stevie is a shining example of how our daily, small, seemingly insignificant decisions can upgrade the quality of our lives. Daily decisions that affect us positively can include things like:
- eating clean 80-90% of the time
- showing up for workouts
- making health and wellness a priority
- consistently practicing our new habits for life
Exercise really is beneficial!
Stevie one received a severe arthritis diagnosis, and her doctor prescribed pain meds. But she no longer takes the medicine today. Stevie wrote in her Superhero responses that she wondered if maybe her arthritis isn’t as bad today because of exercise. I will confirm that right now: the reason Stevie’s arthritis is better today is ABSOLUTELY due to exercise.
Allow me to back that confirmation up with science.
- Exercise oils up your joints so they move better and with less pain. We have something called synovial fluid in our joints. Think of synovial fluid like WD-40, the stuff we spray on everything to make it move better. Or think of the Tin Man from the Wizard Of Oz. Synovial fluid helps our joints move more smoothly. Exercise fires up the synovial fluid inside our joints…IMMEDIATELY. This is one reason your body feels better after you exercise, no matter what age you are.
- Exercise decreases inflammation. How? Exercise is like sending out garbage collectors to clean up after a party. When you exercise your blood flow increases. Your circulatory system has a pump, which is your heart. However, your lymphatic system, which is also your immune system and helps reduce inflammation, does not have its own pump. Exercise, or moving your body with intention, is the pump for your lymphatic system.
- Exercise builds your muscles and muscles move bones. When you move with healthy movement patters, you are preserving your bones by not rubbing them together in ways our bodies aren’t meant to move. Bad posture is one of the most prevalent causes of injury and arthritis today.
I was so excited when we chose Stevie as our December Superhero of the month! She is an absolute ROCKSTAR. Stevie is an incredible example of how exercise is a nonnegotiable for living our most vibrant lives – at EVERY AGE! She’s an excellent example of making your health, AND your happiness a priority.
Together with your health, you can have 1000 dreams. Without your health, you can only have ONE dream. Every choice we make today, counts toward the outcome of our lives tomorrow.
Stevie, Thank You for being a WONDER WOMAN. I’m personally so grateful that I get to have you in my life. I’m also so grateful, and know Team Mo is too, that you are a part of Mo-Tribe. You are an inspiration to more people you will ever know! We love you girl!
Love,
Amanda and Team Mo
A few words from our Superhero herself…
Specifics: age, job title, children, partner?
Age: just had my 80th birthday!
Job: hairdresser
Describe what your life (and your health) was like before fitness.
I didn’t think I was lacking anything in my health, but I had read about what aging did to our bones without weight-bearing exercise. I didn’t want to have weak bones – I was only 58!
Was there ever a low point or an experience that made your priorities change?
I was at a low place in my life – I had just lost my mom and a boyfriend and decided I needed to make a change.
How did fitness come into your life (or back into your life)?
I finally made ME a priority.
What kind of results have you seen since starting a regular fitness program
Fitness improved my outlook on life after 50. There have been many improvements in my body and mind.
Please talk more about the actual changes in your life? (weight loss, confidence, more endurance, less medications, increased energy, better relationships etc.)
I improved my posture which, before working with a trainer, I had no idea my posture was not good. At 5’2″ it entered my mind that my posture wasn’t good. I discovered more about how to balance my food intake and without up and down weight loss.
Fitness definitely increased my energy. My previous idea that exercise made you tired was dismissed. In fact it did the contrary!
After being diagnosed with severe arthritis, I was put on pain medication. I no longer take any pain medication! I only take supplements to boost my immune system.
At one time, I was diagnosed with osteopenia. My latest bone density test says I am 6% better and am no longer pre-osteoporosis.
Let’s focus on blood work. What kind of changes have you seen there? What do these changes mean for your lifestyle, longevity, finances, etc.?
I am convinced that I must keep moving to maintain my longevity. My father lived to be 95 and I decided with those genes I might be here a long time and I want to be the best I can be as long as I am on this earth.
Why do you make fitness a priority in your life?
Fitness is a priority in my life because I have realized if I’m not at my best, I can’t be there for those I love.
How do you feel compared to 1 year ago?
I’ve had some injuries along the way – a broken arm, severe pulled hamstring, and other issues I thought were just part of the aging process. But the team of trainers (especially Amanda) have ALWAYS helped me get it back together.
HOW WE CHOOSE OUR SUPERHERO OF THE MONTH
Team Mo and I choose our SUPERHERO OF THE MONTH based on several important factors that we believe reflect the values on which the Mo-Mentum Fitness world-class culture has been built upon.
Mo-Mentum’s Core Values Include:
· Mindset for growth, constant never-ending learning – if you’re not growing, you’re shrinking.
· Over-deliver on all we do.
· Tribe – we all need a supportive and inspiring tribe, people we can be ourselves around and who nudge us to be one percent better every day.
· Transparency – We believe in honesty with ourselves and with others of course.
· Vitality – We believe in living vibrantly and living all out with courage and passion.
