If you think it’s too late in life to start losing weight, Joan MacDonald is about to prove you wrong.

MacDonald, now 73, began her fitness journey three years ago, when she was just entering her 70s. In addition to high blood pressure, she also endured arthritis, fatigue, muscle swelling all of which hindered simple walking.

When her daughter gently told MacDonald that perhaps she should begin to start living a healthier lifestyle, MacDonald took it seriously. And now, in 2020, MacDonald looks like a completely new person.

Check out her amazing before and after below!

 

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Let’s talk about gym style, something I never would have considered to be important even just two years ago… When I first started out on my transformation journey, I hated trying on clothes, and in fact most of my clothes barely fit me any more so I had just a few bottoms and tops to choose from. Baggy shorts and over-sized t-shirts in boring colors were my go-to. I didn’t love myself back then and that’s how I dressed myself. I used to think 1) I didn’t deserve beautiful clothes and 2) nothing nice would fit me anyway, especially at my age. It wasn’t until my daughter insisted that I buy some new workout clothes and took me shopping at @forever21 that I understood that that mindset wasn’t working for me. When I saw myself in flattering clothes in cute colors, I could see that my inner dialogue had to go. I actually had muscles! I actually had a good shape taking form! I felt so good inside to see that in those new clothes. 💛Even though it might seem like something superficial like clothing can’t have a big impact on how we see ourselves it absolutely can my dears! If I can learn that lesson in my seventies you can too. Now you won’t catch me heading to the gym (or my living room as the case may be 😅) without taking the time to chose a favorite outfit. My daughter tells her clients, “you have to invest the same love and compassion for yourself at the START of your transformation that would to your own daughter if she was in your shoes. You would encourage her, compliment her on her successes no matter how small, and you would treat her to some workout clothes that were flattering, wouldn’t you? So learn to do that for yourself, and replace that negative inner dialogue with a positive one”. Now I’m sharing this with you. 💕 Please don’t wait til you’re “perfect” to take pride in yourself. You have to already see your perfection, your effort and your courage today. Love yourself enough to change, and show yourself that love daily. On the right I’m wearing one of my favorite outfits by @womensbest . If you have any questions please ask below, and share your favorite gym-wear brands with each other! With Love Joan 💗 . #womenbest #womensbestwear

A post shared by Joan MacDonald (@trainwithjoan) on Apr 30, 2020 at 5:17am PDT

Besides just looking more fit, you can tell MacDonald is a happier person, too. And as you’ll see in her caption, MacDonald credits a bulk of her weight loss to a simple yet unexpected thing: Wearing new, fun workout clothes.

She explains that before she began working out, she felt as if she didn’t deserve nice clothing or that nothing would look good on her, so why even bother?

However, once she saw how amazing she could look in a new wardrobe, especially workout clothes, it changed her entire perspective and helped her achieve her goals.

“Even though it might seem like something superficial like clothing can’t have a big impact on how we see ourselves it absolutely can my dears,” she says. “If I can learn that lesson in my seventies you can too.”

Now, MacDonald says that she always takes the few minutes before she works out to change into an outfit that makes her feel good—and it makes all the difference in how she feels. What a great, simple way to get some motivation to have a good workout!

She also gives some great advice to those who might find themselves in a similar position MacDonald found herself in before she invested in herself.

“Please don’t wait til you’re ‘perfect’ to take pride in yourself,” she says. “You have to already see your perfection, your effort and your courage today. Love yourself enough to change, and show yourself that love daily.”

What an inspiration! To hear more on MacDonald’s story and see more photos of the fit grandma, check out the video below.

Where do you usually buy your workout clothes? Do you find that a new gym outfit can make all the difference in a workout? What’s your favorite type of outfit to exercise in?