12 Inspirational Over-40 Health and Fitness Influencers
These strong women can teach you a thing or two. Here are 12 of some of the most inspiring and influential, inspirational over-40 health and fitness influencers we love that you should follow!
Who: Joan MacDonald, 75
Why you should follow her: Joan’s a powerhouse and she shares fitness and nutrition tips, and funny personal content with loved ones in her family, and let’s face it: watching her do strength work in her Reels inspires us, but also guilts us, into getting up off of the couch to do some weights ourselves. Joan only began her fitness journey in 2016 and from 198.8 pounds she’s down to 128-132 lbs in 2022. But what has she gained in those six years? 1.6 million followers, she’s launched a fitness app and a journal and she’s graced the cover of D’FYNE twice.
Follow her @trainwithjoan.
Who: Rosalie Brown, 60
Why you should follow her: A top trainer in Canada, Rosalie shares recipes (try her Protein Puffs!), shares fitness and nutrition facts, and shares challenges you can get involved in, such as a cardio core challenge she shared in June. She also shares exercises that her followers have made a special request for. Rosalie is also on The Shopping Channel, and if you’re in the market for new fitness equipment, you’ll get a heads-up as to when she’ll be on air. Rosalie is a regular contributor to D’FYNE and has graced the cover twice also
Follow her @rosaliebrownfit.
Who: Mary Duffy, 72
Why you should follow her: You can’t help but be in awe of Mary’s sumo lifting at 72. She shares snippets from her gym workouts, inspirational quotes (“A little progress each day adds up to big results”) and some lighthearted humorous memes. Watching her journey and crush it at the gym at 72 is fuel to be a little more badass ourselves.
Follow her @mduff24054.
Who: Rebecca Woody, 73
Why you should follow her: Rebecca’s definition is enviable and on her feed, you’ll catch her at the gym going through different workouts, along with a few throwbacks (to past competitions and also family posts). She also shares her perspective on aging, life goals and body image.
Follow her @rebeccarwoody
Who: Harrah Brown, 62
Why you should follow her: As a lifestyle coach, Harrah asks questions that’ll get you thinking: “What’s the one thing you want most for yourself?” and “Do you want to get unstuck?”, for example. She also has hosted IG Lives, so you can tune into her chats to go a little deeper when it comes to her content, which focuses on encouraging you to stop procrastinating and make steps to feel alive and vibrant, with the occasional recipe and motivation when it comes to how to reach your fitness goals.
Follow her @harrah.brown
Who: Ellen Ector, 69
Why you should follow her: This plant-based fitness pro inspires her 177,000 followers with encouraging posts for your workouts. You’ll find snippets of the workouts she leads in Atlanta and even if you can’t attend them, they look so challenging and fun, you may just be inspired to join a similar class in your area. Ellen also shares a peek into her own active lifestyle, which ranges from sessions at an indoor climbing gym to roller skating at a rink.
Follow her @ellenectorfit
Who: Ernestine Shepherd, 86
Why you should follow her: The world’s oldest living female competitive bodybuilder–that should be enough to earn Ernestine your respect (and your follow). She shares some insight into her day-to-day life on her Instagram: one day she is sharing about a group walk she joined, and the next she’s talking about a Zoom workout she’s hosting via her website.
Follow her @shepherdernestine
Who: Iris Davis, 78
Why you should follow her: Iris at the gym, Iris on the dance floor, Iris at competitions, Iris flexing and showing us her lean, muscular body. This 78-year-old personal trainer is achieving her dreams and showing us that it’s never too late for that. She also shares exercise demos that we take note of for our next workout.
Follow her @irisdavisofficial
Who: Patti Lovett-Reid, 60-something
Why you should follow her: Patti refuses to be defined by her age and her active lifestyle proves she’s not slowing down one bit in her 60s. From touching family photos and some stylish #OOTD posts to sharing how she keeps moving daily (she’s always getting her steps in!), she is proof that women of a certain age are vibrant and a force to be reckoned with. Pattie was recently a main feature in D’FYNE read about her HERE!
Follow her @patti_lovettreid
Who: Alicia Schoroth, 40-something
Why you should follow her: As a certified hormone, fat loss and fitness specialist, Alicia shares insight into what her clients often struggle with (such as food guilt), a little bit of coaching expertise, personal anecdotes about her fitness competitions, and photos of her rocking the stage at showdowns. Alicia has also appeared in and contributed to D’FYNE a number of times
Follow her @herpowerlifestyle
Who: Julia Fowler, 40-something
Why you should follow her: Julia once lost 120 pounds and her focus now is to live her best life. Her feed includes flashbacks to show her weight-loss journey, some favourite meal tips, motivational quotes to push you to make that first step and some self-care reminders to be kind to yourself. Julia has also appeared on the cover of D’FYNE
Follow her @juliaafowler
Who: Clare Morrow, 50
Why you should follow her: Clare got the entertainment angle down pat. She’s got fun recipes (think 0-calorie honey mustard dressing), funny memes (so many truths in her “Lies the sh*tfluencers will tell you”!), and helpful health and fitness tips, all presented in a lighthearted way that’ll have you hooked.
Follow her @claremorrow_ifbbpro
