Margaret Richard will get you in shape. I’m not saying that it will be easy, but you will feel like you have a friend on your side as you fight your way to fitness. Although her dance/exercise program Body Electric  originally aired in 1984, I discovered Margaret in the 1990’s.  I was slim at the time but had lost my muscle tone due to prolonged illness. With Margaret’s help I was determined to heal and tone my body.

Now, when I say that Margaret Richard will get you in shape, you should know I do not make this statement lightly. I am not, nor have I ever been, someone who enjoyed doing exercise. I spent all of my time enjoying music and the arts. I was certainly not athletic and struggled endlessly in physical education classes in school.

But Margaret made me feel like I was working out with a girlfriend. She integrated dance into the routines so that it felt more like a night out, than a day in my living room building muscle tone. She would talk me through it, encouraging me, constantly reminding me how to keep correct form. She made it o.k. to customize the workout to my fitness level. I was hooked.

I videotaped every new episode that aired on my PBS channel and began to use the programs to customize a workout for my entire body. I purchased her more advanced videos. I continued the workouts and in the end I could get through every exercise with her and was so very proud.

Margaret’s workouts increased my flexibility, stamina, and strength with a 3 hour per week program. You too can practice the workout routines along with her. Embrace the pain, and reduce your unsightly and unhealthy body fat from the comforts of your own home!

Margaret never fails to put together a program that increases muscle tone and builds bone strength, while avoiding injuries and aches.  You won’t have to “gussy up”, feel intimidated by the gym, or drive anywhere to begin on your road to fitness. You will be able to work out on your own time, at your own pace, and customize the workout to your personal fitness level. Her warm smile, girlish giggle, fun routines and expertise will compel you to get off of the sofa, put in her exercise DVD and get to work. Margaret Richard will get you in shape!

And now Margaret is working on getting me back into shape again.  All ladies understand how life can get busy and we gradually fall away from our exercise routine and healthy eating habits. Time goes by and we look into the mirror or visit the doctor and realize that we have been forgetting to take care of ourselves. This is when we reach out to our good friend and exercise mentor; Margaret Richard.

Margaret sums up a lifetime of exercise advice this way, “There are twelve major muscle groups and my program works each of those groups for three and a half minutes each workout. It doesn’t matter how many reps you do, what’s important is being slow and controlled and having the correct form.” Of course, Margaret makes doing the exercises look easy, but you will find them fun, challenging and body changing! 

After a lifetime career in the fitness industry Margaret know what Boomers need. “There is an urgent need in the fitness industry to provide appropriately challenging exercise programs for people in their mid years. We boomers want a fitness program that respects our vibrancy, with no negative side effects.”, Margaret shared. “Exercising during midlife, especially if you haven’t been, can pay enormous later-life benefits. Being physically fit “compresses the time” that someone is likely to spend being debilitated during old age, leaving the earlier post-retirement years free of serious illness and, at least potentially, imbued with a finer quality of life.” Who doesn’t desire that? We all want to THRIVE, no matter what our age!

Ms. Richard recommends that you begin using free weights. The key is to start with lighter ones and build up to using heavier weights. Basically, if you start making it all the way through the exercise and it begins to get easier, it’s time to add more weight!

She stresses the importance of waiting three days between workouts to exercise the same muscle group again. Margaret does remind us often that we need to additionally do a brisk thirty minute walk every day, and longer if we need to lose body fat.

After all of our years of working out and sharing virtual sweat, pain and gain together, I like to feel like Margaret and I are dear friends.  This sentiment is shared by many other women on Margaret’s Facebook page.

I recently read a story about Margaret and thought it sounded just like the Mentor I adored…  She was enjoying the beach one day when she overheard an over-fifty lady comment that she was pleased she had reached an age where how she looked in a bathing suit no longer mattered. Margaret’s response to that statement was “It’s true that you can’t do much about the skin as you age-especially if you’ve got sun damage. But at least if you maintain muscle tone you’ve got something decent to drape it over.” And let’s face it, it’s not just about our appearance anymore ladies, it’s about our health, the quality, and longevity of our life.

In one of Margaret’s earlier articles she talks openly about Menopause. This is an issue many women are facing and struggling to find answers for. Even Margaret with her beautiful, fit body faced the same difficulties we do. She wrote “I sailed through my thirties and forties brimming with strength, passion, and infinite possibilities. Then, something changed. I began to experience a seismic shift in my body’s shape with my hormones waning and my body fat gaining. My once lean and muscular frame began to morph like a science experiment gone awry. I was in my early fifties and every ounce of my being oozed menopause.” Sound familiar girls?

It turns out that in addition to age, our hormones are affected by our poor American diet. Margaret reached out for help and hired a nutritionist. And now we all should know that poor eating habits and processed foods are affecting our hormones, and our lack of exercise is making us plump and sick. If we want to have good health, flexibility, and balance as we age, we need to get with the program.

 

Get on the road to health with me! I am personally giving up all sugar,  eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, and working out faithfully. And I know it’s not going to be easy. There is nothing worth having that ever is. So, are you ready to race down the road to excellent health and fitness? Would you like to embrace Margaret Richard with me and allow her to expertly guide and encourage us? 

I encourage you to explore the 40 DVD’s and videos, over 500 PBS programs and book by Margaret Richard. If Body Electric is not being aired on your PBS affiliate, please contact them and request they consider broadcasting the program. I am certain that you will love her as much as I do. Margaret says, “In order to succeed, one must be able to endure the anxiety that comes with the possibility of failure. And, you have no failures if you look at a potentially negative situation as an opportunity to learn and grow.”

I love it when Margaret reminds us, “We are redefining what it means to be 40, 50, and older. I believe we will always have the opportunity for self-improvement, devoting more time to developing our bodies and our minds.” Margaret Richard will help you regain your figure, life, and vitality, no matter what your age or fitness level. 

There is nothing that I can put into words as well as my workout hero Margaret Richard. “You’re only as old as you let yourself be and never too old to enjoy the best days of your life.”

She’s now over 50 and Fabulous as always.

I can’t wait to hear your remarks! How are your travels on the road to fitness? Did Margaret Richard get you in shape too?