While some people find solace in sports and follow them avidly throughout their lives, Nancy Carter has a different, down-to-earth take.
“I was never good at competitive sports growing up, so I didn’t like them!” she shares. “But I did enjoy swimming and loved riding horses.” And once she was introduced to strength training in her twenties following a chronic illness diagnosis, there was no turning back. “I had to advocate for and heal myself, which meant finding natural and holistic ways to support my recovery,” including exercising with resistance, she says.
Another step in her healing journey was when she secured her RYT 200 certification, a foundational credential for yoga teachers that requires 200 hours of practice, in 2009. It’s just another way she’s helping to change the face of fitness and affect attitudes surrounding age and one’s abilities.
“By valuing strength and healthy aging, I’m showing that fitness is about confidence and empowerment at every stage of life—it’s about longevity, strength, and taking ownership of the future,” explains Nancy. “I am redefining women’s fitness by uniting mindful movement—like yoga and Pilates—with smart, structured weight training.” Instead of choosing between flexibility, balance, or strength, she says that ideally, she strives to build all three simultaneously.
“I want to support women through perimenopause and menopause by improving joint stability, muscle mass, bone density, mobility, and nervous-system regulation. It creates bodies that feel strong and centered, capable and calm.”
“By valuing strength and healthy aging, I’m showing that fitness is about confidence and empowerment at every stage of life.”
It’s this holistic, hormone-aware approach that Nancy believes will truly change women for the better. Instead of extremes, she teaches that aging well means growing into your power and confidence with intention. In fact, it’s how she reached her sixties with vitality, with optimism, and feeling stronger and more capable than ever. Her routine of training four days per week, along with one or two Pilates or yoga sessions and up to 10,000 daily steps, helped get her there—and keeps her there.
“As far as nutrition goes, I’m very aware that what I eat makes me feel good—or doesn’t!” she says regarding her standard diet. “Whole, unprocessed foods and balanced meals with enough protein to maintain my training work best for me. That, and the occasional fabulous dinner out!”
With a clear path forward and a zest for the things that make life worthwhile, Nancy is setting the stage for a long, injury-free life, full of enriching and memorable experiences.
“I’m training not just for now, but for the future version of me who deserves a strong, vibrant, and healthy life,” she concludes. “And through my work, I want to empower women to honor their unique daily rhythms, trust their bodies, and embrace strength as
a dynamic, evolving journey.”
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