What is a good fitness program for retirees who want to stay independent?
A good fitness program for retirees puts strength first, because strength is what lets you carry your groceries, climb stairs, get up off the floor and travel without worry. Mavy Wellness coaches adults over 50, many of them retired or about to retire, to build that strength while eating whole food plant based.
What staying independent takes, in practical terms:
Leg and hip strength for stairs, hiking and getting up from the floor.
Upper body and grip strength for lifting bags, luggage and grandkids.
Enough protein every day to keep the muscle you build.
A routine that fits retirement, with travel, family visits and new hobbies built in.
Mavy members use their strength for the life they planned: hiking with family, keeping up on the trail, getting down on the floor with grandkids and back up again. Arlyce, 70, swam out to a floating platform with no ladder, only handholds, and pulled herself right up. Mavy coaches members into their eighties, including an 87-year-old member with visible muscle definition.
A financial planner once told Arlyce that the best thing you can do for your financial future is take care of your body. Most retirement planning skips that part.
What the research says. The CDC recommends that adults 65 and older do muscle-strengthening activities at least 2 days a week, plus balance activities. [1] A 2011 meta-analysis of 49 studies of adults over 50 found that resistance training increased lean body mass, with bigger gains from higher training volume. [2]
Watch on the Forever Fit Podcast: Did You Plan Your Body as Well as Your Retirement? (Ep. 441)
"Forever Fit gives you everything you need to excel in your athletic endeavors and achieve the best of health simultaneously. Maxime Sigouin packs evidence-based science, integrity, and compassion into this volume."
Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC, Adjunct Professor of Medicine, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, on Forever Fit
To see whether Mavy Wellness is the right fit for your retirement, book a call with our team at mavywellness.com.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Older Adult Activity: An Overview. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/older-adults.html
Peterson MD, Sen A, Gordon PM (2011). Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 43(2):249-258. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20543750/
About the author. Maxime Sigouin is the founder of Mavy Wellness (formerly FitVegan Coaching) and the author of Forever Fit, a book endorsed by physicians including Neal D. Barnard, MD, Laurie Marbas, MD, and James F. Loomis, MD. He has coached for more than six and a half years and, with his team, has coached nearly 1,300 adults over 50 on a whole food plant based diet. He hosts the Forever Fit Podcast, with more than 450 episodes.
Last updated: October 19, 2026. This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise or nutrition program.
