Senior Care Academy - A Helperly Podcast
Senior Care Academy is the podcast for caregivers, senior care providers, and families with aging loved ones. Hosted by experienced professionals, we explore essential topics like elder care planning, dementia support, financial advice, and emotional wellness for caregivers.
Each episode offers expert insights, practical tips, and resources to help you navigate senior care with confidence. Whether you're a healthcare provider, a family member supporting aging parents, or a senior adult seeking guidance, this podcast delivers actionable advice tailored to your needs.
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Senior Care Academy - A Helperly Podcast
You’re Not Too Old: A 75-Year-Old CrossFitter Proves Consistency Changes Everything
What if growing older meant growing stronger? That’s the reality Beverly McCarter created after walking into a CrossFit gym at 63. Now 75, she trains six days a week, deadlifts 170, and chases grandkids with the kind of energy that turns errands into adventures. We explore the simple shifts that changed everything: building muscle to take pressure off joints, turning “slow” into a mindset advantage, and using small, repeatable systems to make hydration, protein, and sleep automatic.
Beverly opens up about the aches, osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel that led her to try strength training—and how physical therapy principles and progressive lifts eased the pain she once managed with caution. She shares the habit that saved her life: three decades of annual mammograms that caught cancer at stage zero, requiring only minor treatment. We talk about finishing last on the whiteboard yet winning where it counts, the burpees she still dreads, and why one rep at a time beats perfection every day of the week.
Community is a core theme. As someone who moved from Taiwan to the U.S. and lived in Colorado, Oregon, California, and Utah, Beverly learned to build deep friendships by reaching out first. The gym, church, and school became chosen family, helping raise kids when relatives were far away and filling quiet days in retirement with laughter and purpose. For caregivers, adult children, and older adults themselves, her message is clear: it’s never too late. Start with chair exercises, a short walk, or a light dumbbell. Add a palm-sized protein. Track water with a system. Show up even when it’s slow.
If you care about healthy aging, fall prevention, mobility, and real-world strength, this conversation will change what you believe is possible at any age. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a nudge to start, and leave a review telling us the one small habit you’ll begin today.
Welcome back to Senior Care Academy Podcast by Helperly. Today's guest is Living Proof that strength and vitality don't come with an age limit. She was born and raised in Taiwan, taught elementary school in California for over 20 years, and now, well into her 70s, she's outlifting people half her age. She probably outlifted me. Um, with four kids, six grandkids, and a six-day-a-week CrossFit habit. She's showing us what it means to be a strong senior. So please welcome Beverly McCarter. I'm so happy that you're here, everyone may be working.
SPEAKER_01:I'm happy to be here too.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Um, I was talking to a friend of mine from high school, Eli You know, and we were just talking about what I do, and he's like, You have to meet Beverly. She is like the epitome of getting aging with vitality and strength. She's you're 75. She didn't start CrossFit until she was 63. She's like outdoes all these people. And I was like, oh my gosh, I need to I need to meet Beverly. Um, but yeah, so you started CrossFit at 63. Most people feel like it's too late, especially if they didn't have good health habits before that. So what made you walk into and CrossFit sometimes is intimidating. So what got you in the gym the first time?
SPEAKER_01:So I used to have like a lot of aches everywhere. You name it foot, wrist, knee, or finger, right? Problems. And I felt really weak and often had no energy. So I wanted to be strong stronger. So my son at that time already started his CrossFit journey for a few years. So yeah, he introduced me about CrossFit. And he he probably did a research on that the strength would be good for see older people. Yeah. So that's how I started my own CrossFit journey 10 years ago.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. That's so cool. And it's like you said, strength. Um, there's a basically the the muscle density in your quads is one of the biggest indicators of whether or not you'll get dementia and pass early. I bet. Yeah. And so that's really cool. I'm sure that there was still some like intimidation. What was it like at 63 being like, I'm gonna get fit and take care of my muscles and my body? Um, was there any like apprehension or or anything like that? Or you were just like, I'm gonna try this.
SPEAKER_01:Um I think my mother set a good example for me. Well, so she well, she passed away two, three years ago, but then she up to n almost a hundred years ago. And so she was doing all the like um, you know, aerobics, dancing, all that, up to 95. Holy cow. Yeah, and she was like a like poster child in a way. Yeah. Because she so she set a good example for me. And I said, Oh, one day I would like it to be like her, just you know, be active. Yeah. All the way to 95 or 100.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and you're well on your way to staying that strong. You said um consistency is one of the biggest keys. So, what does consistency look like for you? Um, and maybe not even just like in your fitness, but living a holistic life as you get older.
SPEAKER_01:So if we want to see results from anything, we need consistent investment to achieve them, such as uh regular and yearly doctor checkup. Yeah, right? Memograms. Yeah. Well, interesting. I did a mamogram every year for the last 30 years. Interesting thing is two years ago, they spotted cancer. Oh, wow. Tissue. Yes. Yeah. So um, so anyway, they they did more uh biopsy. Well, luckily you found out it's only a stage stage zero.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, so you're gonna do that.
SPEAKER_01:Which doesn't cut really early because of mammogram. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00:Because you're consistent.
SPEAKER_01:So every year, because then they know there's a difference there. So after that, I just did this uh surgery, and I even don't need to do the uh radiation, just take the medication. Wow. So so I'm feeling good. I'm just not, you know, knocking with that, I won't get it again. But I still will do my mammogram every year. Yeah. And another one, be consistent, uh is um like eat eat healthy, yeah, drink water, enough water, plenty of sleep, uh, so going to bed and get up at the same time and then regularly exercise. Those need consistency. Yeah. And also I've I believe it takes determination and discipline to do all of both.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Right? Uh to do it consistently. I believe that it is so important to have the right mindset to deal with all these daily challenges. Like I have to tell myself I can do this. Yeah. I'm slow, which I am slow, but I just need to keep going and one step at a time. So, and I said I'm positive, and then uh I'm confident that I can do all this. Wow. So this this kind of map mindset.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you've got like the affirmations and all of that going as well. Just like I can do this, and that's inspiration. That's so cool.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I have to accept that I am slow.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:At the gym, you compare to those young folks, I'm always the last person to finish, which is okay.
SPEAKER_00:But you finished you showed up and you finished it.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's so cool. Um, oftentimes there's a downward spiral that because you mentioned you had pains all over your wrists, your hands, your knees, whatever. Um, and usually it's the opposite where um people, as they get older, it's like, oh my gosh, my knee's hurting, so I'm gonna work out less. And then because they're less mobile, now all of a sudden they're hips hurting. Um, but then they have this fear that if they start going and exercising, it's going to get worse. Is there anything that surprised you most about your strength when you went back to the gym with all of those aches and pains?
SPEAKER_01:Well, at the beginning, you you know, uh I just give a little bit try. And um uh so what was the question again?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, is there anything is there anything that like surprised you because your body had aches and pains? You mentioned that you had dealt with osteoporosis and carpal tunnel and all of these things. There's a lot of seniors that would go down the opposite path of like, I have these things, so I can't do fitness, it's risky. Um and so was did you get surprised?
SPEAKER_01:So now I'm just thinking, yeah, because I was thinking about how to answer it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So um I remember when I had those problems, I went to PT. They all say, oh, you need to strengthen your your thigh, your hamstring, all that, so that you know, the knee problem, all these problems will be kind of will be lessened. Yeah, right. But now I'm thinking back because uh I didn't have those strong muscles with my arms and legs. So I had a tendency to use my fingers, my wrist, or just you know, yeah. And then I then I get hurt, I get hurt, or they they were inflamed and they were just you know painful. But then after I started doing the CrossFit, slowly I build up my arm muscles, my hamstring, my little thighs. It's amazing. They're strong, very strong. So I don't have knee problems because I I guess because the strong muscles, yeah, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, your knees aren't needing to compensate for weak muscles.
SPEAKER_01:Exactly. So, anyway, so I hope that answered.
SPEAKER_00:That did, that's a really good. I think so. Like, what do you think motivated you to stay determined? Because I imagine getting into it with hurt knees and all of that, like you knew probably or you hoped that over time your muscle would be strengthened and you wouldn't have this pain. But it probably did hurt when you first started exercising, like your knees hurt worse for a while. So, what helped motivate you to stay like determined to make it through that to get the other side to the other side where you are now, where all that's worth it.
SPEAKER_01:So, with 10 years, for doing this 10 years, so first few years, yes, I was like, am I doing the right thing? Do I need to keep going? Yeah, but after I tried a few years, all these problems problems went away. Then I realized now, 10 years later, I just strongly believe I cannot quit. So if there's any, even you know, when I exercise, I get it, not injured, you know, get sore here, sore there. I I just don't I don't quit. I say, oh, maybe I just take a break. Uh so I still keep going because of that experience, positive experience in the past, yeah, they solved my problems, right? In a way. So now I know I just need to keep going.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's so cool. And I think it's cool. I think about my mom a lot. So she's just turning 60 next month. Um, and all that I so I've got two little boys, uh almost four-year-old and then a one-year-old. And I'm like, I just want mom to be here as long as she possibly can to get as many decades with these little boys as she can. And I think your proof that like consistency and showing up and fighting through the soreness and stuff, to have the longevity is important. Like you're you're living proof that you probably are adding years onto your life every single time that you go to the gym. So it's really cool. Um, what would you say is the hardest part about um or which habit is the hardest to stay disciplined with? You talked about sleep, you talked about exercising and nutrition and and all these other things.
SPEAKER_01:Well, uh, so I'm I'm Chinese, so eating vegetables and fruit, that's very easy, right? But uh, you know, now you need to have we all need to eat a little bit more protein. Yeah, that's a little bit challenging for me. But the most challenging one is drinking enough water. Interesting. Is that interesting? For some people, that's easy. But for me, uh in the past, I waited and waited until I feel like I'm thirsty. Then say, oh, I need to drink water. That's that's how I, you know, that's my the indication for me to drink water.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I'm very thirsty now.
SPEAKER_01:But by the by the time you feel thirsty, it's too kind of late because it's already dehydrated.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So from that, I have learned in the past couple of years that I I have a system that makes sure I drink enough water throughout the day. Oh, good. Yeah. And just I have to force myself to do it, even I don't like it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, no, I love the word the system that you used. I think that um so many people, myself included, um, focus so much and rely so much on like willpower and determination. And and that only goes so far. But then when you have a system that makes doing the right thing easier, like drinking water, or for me, it's like eating healthy, um, it makes it so that way you don't uh what's the saying? It's like you don't rise to the standard of your motivation, you fall to the level of your systems. So if you don't have a good system in place, you're not gonna get it done. So it's cool that you learned and you made a system to say, like, even though I don't enjoy drinking water, that's the easy one for me. I drink water all day long. But the eating healthy, I wish I'd like eating too.
SPEAKER_01:Like I have a plate, I make sure I have protein, yeah, vegetables, all that every meal. Even I don't I can eat some protein, but not a whole lot. It's too much meat or protein. So anyway, that that's those two are probably the hardest ones.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And you so you you've given CrossFit um a lot of credit and your healthy habits for giving more energy in your family life. And I want to touch on that. I talked about how my I talk to my mom all the time of like, all I want you to do is just get healthy, stay healthy. Um, how does it change the way that you've shown up as a mom to your little kids and then as a grandmother?
SPEAKER_01:Um, so as you know, CrossFit is like a type of functional fitness, yeah, right? That makes everyday tasks easier, yeah, you know, to do. And so from CrossFit, my balance and stability and mobility have improved. And so um I'm basically easy to get off the ground, trip something, or jump or whatever. If I trip something, I can just jump up and try to miss that. Yeah, it's not a problem. And with get kids, I uh two, three years ago when my two younger uh grandsons uh live close by, I babysat them like three days a week, yeah. Three and one, right? Boys. Yeah. And I had to, I basically had to keep up with them, right? Hold on. Run after, yeah, I run after them.
SPEAKER_00:That's not an easy thing to do.
SPEAKER_01:And then eight hours a day. Uh yeah, I need to have energy. So because this, because I know I I exercise really helps me to spend quality time with the kids, the grandkids, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's the age of my two little boys, and it's a tour to keep up with them every day. So the fact that you can. And then it's also so cool, like we have a lot of um older adults that we work with that are decades younger than you, and a fall would be detrimental. It would, you know, debilitate them for the rest of their life. So it's cool that you've been able to get to the point where you jump back up and you're still grandma ing and you're still doing everything. Um, I think there's just so many lessons that people can pull from this. And I want to switch gears a little bit talking about community, because you are from Taiwan, you've lived in Colorado, Oregon, California, you're here in Utah now. Um, very different places with a lot of different cultures um and like norms from Oregon is very like outdoorsy and everything, and then Utah, you've got like a very strong religious group. Um, and so what or I guess how have you how's moving so much shaped your view on community and then and then how do you find community um in your life?
SPEAKER_01:So interesting because I when I came to BYU to study and then stay here because I got married, uh well, I had intention at that time to go back to Taiwan, but then now I married, so I stay here. So I'm basically the only person for my family living in the States. All my families are in really yeah, in Taiwan. And my husband's you know, back in back east. So we we don't have any immediate family, you know.
SPEAKER_00:Utah.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, everywhere. Oh wow everywhere from Colorado, Oregon, all California, all the places. So we I had to rely on the community. Yeah, right? It could be, you know, it could be the gym, it could be church, uh, or the the school that I work at, all these teachers, you know, people that I met, that's a community to me. They're like family to me. So we kind of we um what do you call it? We go, we go through the you know the tough times, we celebrate.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and we yeah. I think that it's something that like so many people don't like know how to do. Because like myself, a lot of my family is just still here in Utah. We all live within like an hour. And so when we have the tough times, um we have this built-in community that we grew up with. It's my older brother and you know my siblings. Um and I think it's hard to, especially because you've done it so many times, to uproot and then find roots where you have somebody that you can celebrate the good times with and mourn the bad times with. How do you how did you go about doing that? Like it's being able to open yourself up that much to people.
SPEAKER_01:Because every time when I go to a new place, I have start over the the process, right?
SPEAKER_00:You like totally free yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, a new stranger to that place. And that I I have to well, I've learned that I have to be reach out. I don't wait until other people to reach out to me. I have to reach out and I have to be more a little bit outgoing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:To you know, talk to them, get to know the to know their names, really know their stories. Um, so then we have that bonding and the relationship to you know to um support each other.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Were you born outgoing? Were you an outgoing kid?
SPEAKER_01:Yes and no. Yes and no. Well, when I was younger, I was shy. Yeah, right. And then when in college I became more allgoing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Well, that's so good. I think it's hard that transition from like being kind of more reserved and shy. And then because it's true, I think that you have to a lot of the times, especially in adult friendships, you have to kind of be that instigator to deepen the connection, to be curious about them. Um, because a vast majority of people aren't the ones that want to instigate. They'll be they they'll happily like wave high across the street as you pull into your driveway, but but they're not gonna be coming over and saying, hey, come over for dinner, and and all those things. So that's cool that you're able to do that. Are there any do you keep in contact with any of the people from apart from family from like Oregon and California?
SPEAKER_01:Some, yeah, some California, Colorado, yes. Yeah, they really have become yeah, but yeah, well I want to say uh a few of them are actually uh are my best friends. Wow, yeah, yeah, to this day. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's so awesome. How do you maintain that friendship across state lines and stuff? Like, do you guys still hang out very often?
SPEAKER_01:Uh we don't hang out, but we call. Yeah. Right? Now we'll text each other nowadays. So it's so convenient. Yeah. So we'll call, you know, when um it's our, you know, their birthdays, I will just call them or they call me so we can keep in touch.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. What impact would you say community has had on you as your kids became adults and you know, like having all those friends over the years, what impact has it had, or what what do you think it would be like if you didn't have that?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, that would be it will be hard because that means I well sometimes that can the community actually actually helped me raise my kids. Wow. Because we, you know, we have a tendency to find friends uh with same-age kids, right? And then so we'll have dinner together, kids can play together. Now, here you probably just do that with family, yeah, right. But over there is we'll do it with the famil uh with the friends.
SPEAKER_00:To become family.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, they become family. So yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. In the moment, right, when you're all in that stage of life, it's like so vital to have it. And now, even later, would you say it's just as vital that they're because you're now still in the same phase of life, they're probably empty nesters as well. And like, have you found comfort or like solace, I guess, in those friendships where it's like, hey, we're still we're still in life together. Like, I think that's cool.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Now, like you said, empty nesters retired. No job. I mean, I didn't work, and so only my husband and I, and we we do have, I do have a couple of uh, you know, like children and and grandkids that live close by. So, but we only have like family dinners, right?
SPEAKER_00:Like once a month or something.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. So every day for me to to uh not to be alone, I need to go out to do something. So that's why I go to the gym every day. Yeah. Even just one hour, meeting people, talking to people, laugh with them, or just laugh at the silly things they do. Yeah uh just that made me happy and yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's just having that, like said, the small little connections, whether it's a little conversation or oh, how's how's your kid doing, or whatever, like just having that connection can like said one hour can change the trajectory of your whole day versus waking up and then being alone. Like it's like even if you're content with yourself as a person, being alone for 12 hours or 16 awake hours every single day is a lot, you know? So that's really cool that you have that. Um you've hit PRs, uh, back squat, deadlift, all the PRs over the last decade, I'm sure. Which personal record has meant the most to you and then why?
SPEAKER_01:Uh I won't say deadlift. Well, because um I remember half a year ago we were working on the death lift deadlifts once or twice a week uh for you know for that. And then um we just kept uh kept building up. Yeah, you know how that goes put more weights every day. We pull more weights. So on the day of the lifting, um, you know, our one rep max, uh huh. So I hit uh 170, which is like I said, it may be light for other young folks.
SPEAKER_00:But still, and it's also heavy for a lot of young folks.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know, but anyway, but yeah, it meant a lot to me because I put all the hard work to do it and build it up, right? So it just makes me feel strong and so proud of myself, you know, just like, oh, I can do it, 170 pounds, and that's pretty good.
SPEAKER_00:That's huge. Like there's a lot of young people that probably will never one, go to the gym in their life, and then two, ever deadlift any, you know, anything close to that. So that's so cool. And then I think I like the idea of uh deadlift too. It's not quite the same, but like the squatting down and picking up motion is like something you're using every single day, especially with your grandkids. Like if you can deadlift 170 pounds, you can pick up your grandkids into their teenage years if you want to. So that's really cool. Um, is there a crossfit move that you secretly dread, but that you do it anyway?
SPEAKER_01:Um I won't tell Eli. Well, no, you probably knows burpees. Oh I I you know the lifting, you know, like lifting or squats, that type of thing with the weights, I always can uh modify and scale down. Yeah. So it's not a problem. Yeah. Yeah. You have to go down to the floor and then push up yourself and then jump up, and you keep go doing that. So um the workouts sometimes you know they have eight to ten times, which is hard. Yeah, yeah. But uh I I try to to what's what's the word to tell me to pump pump up?
SPEAKER_00:Pump yourself up.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, saying that I can do this, just do one at a time, one down, one up, and by the time halfway, then I'll say, Oh, halfway done. This should be easy. Going downhill, downhill. So that's how I yeah, but this is the one I really yeah, I think like because it's just so cool.
SPEAKER_00:The amount so I've been in this space and working with older adults for a few years now, talk and worked with hundreds of older people, and the amount of people that like at 60 couldn't do three burpees or maybe even one, and you're doing eight to ten, probably regular like burpees is a pretty integral part of like CrossFit. They're always it's a lot of cardio as burpees. And so it's really cool that you're able to do that.
SPEAKER_01:But I'm doing very slowly, but that's okay. I do, I go down, I'll get them slowly. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:That's so cool. Um kind of the the last question, parting note with um whether it's this older person that's listening today, or maybe a lot of the times it's um administrators or people that work with older seniors or their adult kids that listen to this, and they think it's too late for me, you know, I'm 60, I'm 70, I'm 80, whatever the age, um, to start moving. What would be your message and advice to them?
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's always it's never too late. You just start doing what whatever you can do now, and anything do whatever, anything is better than nothing. And then like we always say line upon line, step by step step, slowly, little by little, I guarantee you will be amazed and proud of how you can become a stronger, more mobile, more confident, and happier person. And I remember seeing uh this from Instagram, there's some old folks they're sitting in the chairs, um in chairs, and then doing their exercise. So you don't have to jump around, jumping up and down, yeah, even just sitting on a chair. You still can get that done, yeah, little by little, and you get stronger. Eventually, hopefully, you can get up and do some, but definitely start little. Start now, yeah, and it won't won't be late.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I love that. That's honestly inspiring. I think that um, yeah, little by little, step by step, there's a quote that I really love, and it says, um, you can suck, but you can't skip it. So, like, show up, even if you feel like you're moving slower that day, or even if you're like, I've got all these other pains and I can't do the full workout or whatever, you can you can suck or not be great at it, but don't skip. And I think that Beverly, your story is a powerful example of strength. It's not just about lifting weights, it's not just about eating healthy, it's just being consistent and resilient and talking to yourself and choosing to invest in your health every day. So that way, no matter what your age is, you're able to be vibrant and full of vitality and just a really awesome story. Um, so I appreciate you coming on the podcast and sharing your experience.
SPEAKER_01:Well, thank you for inviting me.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. Thank you.