Jennifer's story: a busy mom of three builds muscle at home on plant based food
Jennifer, a Mavy Wellness client, physician and mother of three, built muscle at home on a plant based diet and did her first real push ups at 42, after trying unsuccessfully on her own for over a year. She kept her home strength training habit going after finishing her Mavy Wellness program.
Where she started: Jennifer was plant based and active but had low upper body strength and no time to commute to a gym.
What changed:
Home workouts. A plan built around her time and the equipment she had.
Better progressions. Different push up steps that built real strength instead of only range of motion.
Meal prep for a family of five. Chopped produce, whole grains and beans ready to go, and high protein plant based main dishes.
Asking for help. Letting a coach handle the plan instead of piecing it together alone.
Life now: Jennifer still trains at home, tracks her workouts on paper, and needed heavier dumbbells for Mother's Day. "It's not a sacrifice. It's just different." She shared her story on the Forever Fit Podcast, episode 299.
What the research says. The World Health Organization recommends muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week for adults, including adults over 65. [1] A 2018 review of 49 studies in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that protein helps resistance training build muscle, with the benefit leveling off around 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. [2]
"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
If you're juggling work, kids and your own health, book a call with our team at mavywellness.com.
Sources
World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020); summary in Bull FC et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine 54:1451-1462. https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/physical-activity
Morton RW et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine 52(6):376-384. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222/
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 26, 2026. Results vary from person to person. This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise or nutrition program.
