You don’t need to have rock-hard abs in your 70s, but you have to keep moving if you want to age well. At least that’s the advice of Robin Maginn, a 64-year-old personal trainer, who caters to middle-aged and older adults in her role as health living and wellness coordinator at the Central Lincoln County YMCA in Damariscotta, Maine, the state with the oldest population.
Maginn has been a personal trainer and fitness coach for about 30 years, but she’s now part of an wave of older adult fitness experts such as Joan MacDonald, 75, who transformed herself over five years from overweight and on several medications to drug-free and fit with a social media audience of 1.7 million followers on her @TrainwithJoan Instagram account. Read: ‘My body was breaking down.’ This 75-year-old was sick and overweight, and now she’s full of energy and a fitness influencer. “There’s a boom in senior fitness and senior personal trainers. A lot of people want a trainer who understands them. Clients want someone who can appreciate how their bodies respond to training,” said International Sports Sciences Association president and chief executive Andrew Wyant. Last year, 10% of ISSA’s new students were over the age of 60, up from about 5% a decade ago, Wyant said. ISSA had about 50,000 students worldwide last year. “With age, comes experience,” Maginn said. “I like to stick to common-sense exercises that mimic what we do or need to do in life. I really hone in on form. I want people to understand why something helps or works better—I really explain things.” “Exercise can help anyone—from illness …