Exercise and Nutrition Saved My Life | My Transformation at Seventy Years Old

Congratulations. A little over a month ago, I started walking, I have neuropathy from chemo. When I walk there is pain in my feet by as I keep walking, it stops. My diet has changed as well. I've lost 7-8lbs so far and plan on walking for the rest of my life. My friend is going to show me how to use the machines at the gym. You are a testament, that we are never too old to take care of ourselves. I thank God for the life he has allowed me to live!

I began to reverse what the Standard American Diet had done to me. At 60, I was in a wheelchair. I cried out to God for help and the reply came quickly in my head: “Have you never read Genesis 1?” Yes, I had read it many times. But somethings don’t make that much of an impression on us and then I read Genesis 1:29 — “And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” English Standard Version.

I had eaten all the things on God’s list but things not on that list, I was hardly vegetarian. But that day, I quit all dairy and just that made the stiffness and soreness of arthritis lose its grip on me. I was out of that damn wheelchair inside of 3 weeks. I set my mind to discovering how to make vegetarianism and later, veganism work for me.

Then my husband came down with Prostate Cancer and it was Stage 4, he had to have surgery, it was too far along for other options. The surgery was horrific. Up till that time I had been being a vegan on my own, cooking what I could figure out and had lost some weight. I told my husband who up till then would not even taste my food that veganism was not just good for women in menopause but to help arrest and heal cancer and he was going to join me in what would now be “our” vegan adventure.

He listened as he heard the voice of my love and I did not want to lose him. Our progress has not always been rapid, his was not, but he is off his blood pressure meds and his BP was way higher than mine. Now his is lower than mine and he is off his BP meds entirely.

When I stopped eating meats, fish, dairy, eggs, nuts… I was 200 lbs. I was able via diet along to drop to 144 but then I hurt my back and I had been walking and also broke my ankle. Covid hit and the 144 grew to 165 lbs. All aches and pains healed, I went back to walking as I had been walking up till the time my back got sore.

Since going back to walking and also tweaking my diet more, I’ve dropped from 165 to 155 with a lot of work till I kicked up how much I walked from one hour to two hours. I am now down to 126 lbs. We went on vacation and did not gain an ounce.

I walk briskly 5.5-6 miles daily and additionally do some exercises my physical therapist has recommended for my back. Those daily take an hour and the walking takes 2 hours and sometimes I walk an hour in the AM and one in the last afternoon. Amounts to the same mileage.

Walking is invigorating and is good for seniors minds in that those who walk like I do and challenge themselves, have a 79% lower incidence of Alzheimer’s or other dementias. My father and maternal grandmother both died of dementias. My mother and sister died of breast cancer.

They all had type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and arthritis. I have had no cancer and not one of their diseases. Veganism is a healthy way to live. The longest lived people on our planet eat a vegetarian or mostly vegan diet without the diseases of modern man.

We all have to age but it is hard enough for our children to raise their own kids without having to take care of ailing parents who had no interest in their own health as did my parents. My husband’s parents were divorced and lived long distances from us. But we had to take care of my parents when our children were young. It was nothing I wanted to repeat and with my walking and with us following the Dr. John McDougall’s “Starch-Based Solution” diet, we both are active and feel and look years younger than others in our generation.

We have to eat but we can eat more wisely, cut the fat as much as possible and not hurt any of God’s creatures who He wanted us to take care of.

I’ve walked out of some churches hearing Vegan’s called “Soy Boys”. We do eat some soy on rare occasions but it is not frequent. But it is an insulting term.

If you use your intestines as a graveyard for animals, they will continue to rot inside of you. When you stop doing this, you can feel so much better, no constipation, and you just stop getting sick.

If you don’t know about it, you can look it up.

Thank you!

I’m 70 and very encouraged to get myself together!

wow so so proud of you 💋🤗🤗

Hi Joan, I am on a self development journey. I am looking for a list of inspirational individuals to add to my list. I want you to know that you have become first on my list. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with the world. 🌹

I so want to do this… But I've got bad knees and I have a rare autoimmune condition that causes my body to fatigue out at a certain point… But I still feel like it could do a decent amount just maybe not as much as her… I do walk 5 mi but it's not a brisk walk It's not a slow walk either but I do walk 5 mi almost everyday… Just started doing that, does anybody have any suggestions for someone in my situation on how to exercise?

Btw you look gorgeous ❤

Inspiring ❤

Way to go Joan!!! So proud of you!!