I’m 78 years old and soon to be 79. When I think about the past twelve years, one thing I’m especially proud of is the commitment I’ve made to staying strong.

For twelve years, I’ve worked consistently with Preston on strength training, usually two or three times a week. When we first started, the workouts were more intense. As I’ve gotten older, we’ve naturally adjusted the intensity, but we’ve never abandoned the goal of keeping me strong.

Over the years, my body has gone through surgeries and the inevitable changes that come with aging. Each time, Preston and I modified my routines to accommodate what my body needed. Sometimes that meant doing less, moving differently, or taking more time to recover. But I never stopped altogether. I always found a way to keep moving forward.

Strength training isn’t the only exercise I do. On another four or five days of the week, I’m usually walking or line dancing. I enjoy being active, and exercise has become simply a part of my life—not something I do because I feel I should, but something I genuinely value.

One of the nicest rewards has been hearing my doctors and friends compliment me on my muscle tone. At my age, those comments mean a lot. And honestly, I’m pleased with it too.

I don’t expect my 78-year-old body to perform like it did when I was younger. That isn’t the point. The point is that I’ve continued to show up, year after year, adapting when I needed to and refusing to give up.

I think there’s something powerful about that. Getting older doesn’t have to mean giving up strength. It can mean redefining what strength looks like—and continuing to build it, one workout, one walk, and one dance at a time.