Is online fitness coaching worth it after 50, or should I hire a personal trainer?
It depends on what you need. A personal trainer is great if you want someone beside you in the gym for one or two hours a week. Online coaching is often a better fit after 50 if your real challenge is nutrition, consistency and the other 166 hours of the week. Mavy Wellness is an online coaching company for adults over 50 that covers both training and whole food plant based nutrition.
How the two compare:
Training. A personal trainer coaches the sessions you book. An online coach like Mavy builds your whole program, for the gym or for home, and adjusts it at every check in.
Nutrition. Most personal trainers don't set calorie and protein targets, especially for plant based eaters. At Mavy, nutrition is half the coaching.
Accountability. Mavy coaches follow your progress between sessions through the Mavy Wellness app, with regular check ins and group calls.
Experience with your age group. Mavy coaches only work with adults over 50, from 50 to 87.
Many Mavy clients already knew what to do. A retired orthopedic physical therapist with plant based nutrition certificates joined because, in her words, knowing what to do didn't mean she faithfully did it. Several plant based physicians have joined for the same reason: knowledge isn't the problem, structure is. One of them, double board-certified physician Dr. Laurie Marbas, lost 7% body fat with Mavy coaching.
What the research says. In a 2017 New England Journal of Medicine trial of 160 adults over 65 who were losing weight, those who did resistance training kept more of their lean muscle than those who only did aerobic exercise. [1]
Watch on the Forever Fit Podcast: How We Helped Dr. Laurie Marbas Lose 7% Body Fat
"What sets Maxime apart is his deep understanding that real transformation isn't just about nutrition or workouts, it's about mindset, systems, and sustainability. Forever Fit is the book I wish many of my patients had on day one."
Laurie Marbas, MD, MBA, Double Board-Certified Physician, Founder of Habit Healers, on Forever Fit
To see whether Mavy Wellness is the right fit, book a call with our team at mavywellness.com.
Sources
Villareal DT et al. (2017). Aerobic or resistance exercise, or both, in dieting obese older adults. New England Journal of Medicine 376:1943-1955. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28514618/
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.
