When Jan Anderson was 61, she had just had a hip replacement and she felt much older than 61. She says she was weak, tired, stuck, stressed, anxious, had too much fat on her, and was unable (and most of the time, unwilling) to do the things she had to and the things she loved to do.

That was a year ago. That was before she decided she needed to be stronger. It was before she started working with Alex Elsberry at Battlecreek a couple of days a week.

A lot has changed in a year. So, how old does Jan feel now?

“Oh my gosh,” she says with a smile. “I feel 40! I feel great!”

This is when she begins to list the things she now does that she was once unable to do. And after each item on her growing list, her smile gets bigger.

“I can manage my mood. Stress and anxiety don’t make me feel a certain way for too long. I’ve cut any meds I was taking in half. And I’m going to get off them completely. I can walk all day for my job. I can go up and down stairs. I have energy. Since June, I’ve lost 10% of my body fat, over 30 pounds of fat.”

“I used to be unable to carry a two-gallon water bucket around to water my garden. Now, I can do that, no problem. I don’t even worry about it. Before, when I sat down after work, I used to stay there. Sitting was my favorite hobby. Now, I get up. I clean. I garden. I do stuff.”

“I can golf. And I love to golf. I bet I can do nine holes without the cart; I will when it gets nice out. A year ago, doing nine holes of golf with a cart would have left me hurting. Not anymore.”

The question arises: Jan, how does it feel to look at a situation and say to yourself, “I can do that. And it won’t cause me pain. It will be fun!”

“Oh my gosh!” The smile gets even bigger. “It’s exhilarating. To know that I can do the things I need to do and the things I love to do…it is just so great! I have the strength. I have the mobility. I live like a forty-year-old who never had a hip replacement.”

Jan starts her Friday morning workout with Alex Elsberry, still smiling.