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If you think turning 70 means becoming frail, slowing down, and losing your independence, Carrie Sisson offers a very different take on what aging can look like.
The fitness trainer started taking strength training seriously when she was 30 because she “wanted to feel good in the long run,” she wrote on Instagram.
Now, at 70, she’s “having the time of her life,” which she attributes largely to years of constantly prioritizing strength.
“I always wanted to get stronger with age, not weaker,” she said in another Instagram post.
“I used to think 70 was old. Instead, I feel more grateful for my life than ever. I’m strong. I’m mobile. I feel good about my body,” she wrote in another post.
And, she says, none of this happened by chance.
“It’s not luck or genetics, it’s years of small deposits accumulating.”
Here are the five habits Carrie recommends adopting between your 30s and 60s if you want to stay strong, capable and independent later in life.
5 habits to adopt before age 70, according to fitness coach Carrie Sisson
1. Focus more on what you can lift rather than what you weigh
“I promise you that your strength will matter a lot more to your future than fitting into a smaller pair of jeans,” Carrie says.
Rather than chasing a number on the scale, she encourages women to celebrate becoming stronger.
Research supports this approach. A 2022 review of studies in adults aged 65 and older found that progressive resistance training significantly improved muscle strength and bone density.
“Bone density, balance, confidence, it’s all trainable, at any age,” Carrie added in another Instagram post.
2. Build muscle like your future depends on it
Because, in many ways, it is.
“Muscle is like our insurance policy against aging,” Carrie said.
“Every time you work out, you actually build stronger bones, muscles that you keep instead of losing, and a body that lasts with you through the years.”
She cites everyday examples of what this strength can mean.
“You can be the friend who keeps lying on the ground with her grandkids and getting back up without help, who carries her own suitcase to the airport, who says yes to hiking. It’s not a matter of luck or genetics, it’s years of little deposits that build up.”
Research confirms this. A study of mobility-impaired adults, with an average age of 85, found that just 10 weeks of strength training increased leg muscle mass and improved functional performance by 7 to 11 percent.
3. Include cardio, but don’t rely on it
Strength training forms the basis of Carrie’s routine, but she still makes time for cardio.
“I never used cardio to maintain my weight. Not at 40, not at 50, not now at 70,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“If you start with more body fat and not yet a lot of muscle… lifting is where that happens. You don’t need to run for an hour. You need to pick up something heavy and do it regularly!”
This is not to say that cardio has no value.
A systematic review of more than 2,000 adults aged over 70 found that aerobic exercise improved cardiovascular fitness, metabolic health, physical function, cognitive performance and quality of life.
4. Don’t let your age define what you can do
Carrie also believes that many of the limits we place on ourselves come from society rather than our bodies.
“Wear the clothes. Try the thing!” she said.
“You don’t have to ‘act your age’ just because society has decided what 70 is supposed to look like.”
Research has linked authentic self-expression to greater well-being, with one study revealing a positive relationship between the two.
5. Nourish your mind as well as your body
Finally, Carrie says healthy aging is about more than exercise and nutrition.
“The people you surround yourself with, the thoughts you repeat, and the things you give your attention to shape the life you create,” she said.
Research suggests she is right. A 2024 study found that people exposed to positive news experienced more positive emotions, while exposure to negative news had the opposite effect.
Gn Health
