‘I’m 71 and in the Best Shape of My Life—Here Are the 3 Simple Habits That Transformed My Body'

Emily Laurence

May 30, 2024 at 7:25 PM·5 min read

Ellen Ector was 40 when she decided to start prioritizing her health. A mother of five, her kids consumed her time and energy. But after looking at a photo of herself and feeling insecure about how she looked, she decided it was time to focus on her physical well-being.

Ector hit the gym and started running on the treadmill and lifting weights at her local Bally Total Fitness. Over time, her passion for health grew, and in 2010, she and her daughter opened Gymnetics Fitness, a fitness studio in Atlanta, Georgia offering personal nutrition and fitness advice to Black women.

Here, Ector shares the three pillars that have transformed her health, what her personal workout routine looks like and advice for staying motivated at any age.

3 Pillars of Health That Will Transform Your Body

Ector says there are three pillars she has lived by since she started prioritizing her health in her 40s that have served her well the past three decades, completely transforming her body and mind: Eating healthy, lifting weights and doing cardio. “Within nine months, I had a completely different body,” she tells Parade.

1. Eating healthy

“In my 40s, I completely changed my diet. I started eating low-carbohydrate and didn’t eat foods with added sugar,” Ector says.

Seven years ago, she decided to go vegan.

“I wanted to try something that would benefit my health and keep me from gaining weight,” Ector says, adding that following a vegan diet has, in fact, helped on both of these fronts. Scientific research shows that following a vegan diet has many health benefits, including lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and certain types of cancer.

Ector explains that, for her, the key to sticking with a vegan diet has been finding ways to cook vegetables and other plant-based foods so they have lots of flavor—she definitely makes good use of spices and seasonings. She says that having good vegan cookbooks on hand helps too and even co-wrote her own cookbook with her daughters, Black Girls Gone Vegan!

2. Lifting weights

Ector credits her lean and strong body type to regularly lifting weights, which also keeps her bones strong. Scientific studies show that weight lifting exercises, such as resistance training, are an effective way to keep bones strong—protecting against bone loss that is common with aging.

Ector says that cardio helps keep her lower body strong, so the bulk of her weight training focuses on her upper body. “If I’m not at my gym, I’m at the YMCA in the weight room,” she explains. “My favorite body part to focus on when lifting weights is my shoulders. If you can keep your shoulders erect, you will walk into a room and people will know you work out."

Below are three upper body weight lifting moves Ector does regularly:

Front Lateral Raise

1. Stand up straight, slightly bending your knees, with a dumbbell in each hand.

2. Extend both arms on each side, forming a “T” shape. Bring your arms back down.

3. Raise both arms directly in front of you. Bring your arms back down. Do 15 reps.

Overhead Press

1. Stand up straight, slightly bending your knees. Grab a barbell with your hands wider than shoulder-width apart and place the bar on your front shoulders.

2. Lift the barbell over your head in a controlled movement.

3. Lower the bad back down to your shoulders. Do 15 reps, resting every five reps.

Resistance Band Military Press

1. Stand on the resistance band with your feet shoulder-distance apart. Hold the resistance band handles in each hand, with your elbows bent at 90 degrees (“goal post” position).

2. Straighten your arms out, bringing them above your head.

3. Bring back down to the starting position. Do 15 reps.

3. Cardio

The last pillar of healthy living Ector lives by is regular cardio. For her, that often means trail running or swimming. “I like running outside because there are so many different courses, which keeps it challenging,” she says.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of heart-pumping physical activity each week to maintain good health. Besides running and swimming, dancing, cycling, rowing, jump roping and brisk walking are all forms of cardio that meet these recommendations.

Ector enjoys running outside to get her cardio in.<p>Ellen Ector</p> — Ector enjoys running outside to get her cardio in.
Ellen Ector

Her Advice for Getting Started and Staying Motivated at Any Age

No matter how old you are, Ector emphasizes that it’s never too late to start prioritizing your health. If it’s been years since you’ve walked into a gym, she recognizes how overwhelming starting can be. “What’s most important is to take that first step, even if it’s a baby step,” she says. That can mean walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes, which is 10 minutes more than you would otherwise! If you aren’t sure what to do at the gym, she recommends working with a personal trainer, who can teach you exactly what to do.

“There is one woman who comes to our gym who is 60. She started coming nine years ago and she looks so good,” Ector says. “When you first start taking fitness classes, it’s okay to be shy and be in the back. But believe me, if you are consistent, your confidence will grow and you’ll move up to that front row! But it all starts with that first step.”

Next up, find out how walking can help you get in the best shape of your life.