Brenda Champommier is a dedicated FASTer Way Coach who specializes in helping women aged 50 and above achieve their health and fitness goals. With a focus on strategic cardio workouts, full body weight training, and a supportive community environment, Brenda’s approach emphasizes practical and feasible fitness routines tailored to the needs of older women. Her expertise lies in promoting a sustainable lifestyle shift that incorporates smarter exercise techniques and healthier eating habits, ensuring that her clients are not only held accountable but also supported in their fitness journey. Through her guidance, Brenda has successfully empowered numerous women to adopt a more active and vibrant lifestyle, making the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program an ideal fit for individuals seeking to prioritize their well-being as they age.
You are 60 years old and inspiring people all over the world! How old do you feel?
How old do I feel? I don’t measure anything off of age since it’s based on how I feel, and I feel AMAZING! As they say, age is just a number and I truly believe that.
What is your story?
It’s been a surreal experience for me. I feel blessed beyond measure and know that my health/fitness (and Instagram) journey is a “God-thing”, not a “Me-thing”. My story is different than others. I’ve always exercised throughout my life but never knew exactly what I was doing. I would go to the gym and do things without any rhyme or reason on what exercises to do, for how long, etc. Fast forward to my late 50’s when my body started to change rapidly. What worked in the past for me no longer worked and I continued to gain weight. I tried many different diets, as well as fitness programs and my body continued to expand. I thought I was doing the right things by cutting carbs, lowering calories, doing cardio, etc. but all that was no longer working.
I came across FASTer Way to Fat Loss and thought I’d give their 6-week program a try as a “last ditch” effort (September 2022). I remember I felt defeated, sad, and hopeless when I clicked on the button to enroll but I also had a bit of hope that maybe this would work for me. BOY did it ever!
Not only did it work – it changed my body, health and life. By the 3rd week of the program, I was feeling and looking so much better that I was SOLD! I inquired about being a coach but didn’t think through to what that meant. I simply knew that more women needed to know about this program since it was working for me.
I soon became a coach but still didn’t think through all the details involved such as marketing (a key detail – ha!). I had never been on social media and knew nothing about it. I’m a HUGE introvert and very private so the last thing I wanted to do was to be on social media – BUT – I also knew that was a way for me to spread the word on the program.
I started my Instagram account in November of 2022 and taught myself “all things Instagram” by watching You Tube tutorials. I had no idea what I was doing but I was learning quickly. Then in February of 2023, I saw a dance reel on Instagram and thought I could do the same dance so I went on You Tube to learn how I could do a side-by-side reel on Instagram. I then created the dance side-by-side reel and posted it on Instagram, and it went viral overnight. I went from 100 followers to 10,000 then 20,000+ etc. I’ve continued to have many viral reels so within a year my Instagram grew from 100 followers to over 113,000+ followers. I’m not anyone special by any means. I simply think I’ve struck a chord with women who are aging, and they see that I was able to get healthy and fit at 60 so there is hope for them as well.
Lastly, there is a saying that says: “a teacher teaches what they need to know” and I believe that is me. My focus on Instagram is on the FASTer Way program but it’s also on faith, self-esteem, mindset, dance, and health/fitness. I have created an Instagram account that I would personally want to follow since I give women hope and inspire them to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. The items I’m posting are what I need in my life, and it just so happens that other women seem to need them as well.
I never in a million years would have thought I’d be on social media, as well as be a Nutrition/Fitness Coach at the age of 60. I am truly blessed and in awe every day. This is God’s plan for my life – it was not mine. Thank you, God!
What has been the biggest changes in your life since you started?
There are so many, but I would say the first is that I have finally found my purpose. We all search for our purpose throughout our lives, and some are lucky to find theirs and others aren’t so lucky. I finally have found mine at the age of 60. I know my purpose is to help women believe in themselves so they can get healthy and fit as they age.
Another big change is pushing myself out of my comfort zone every day. It’s very difficult for me to be on social media and to meet all these new women so it’s really pushed me to get out of my shell. Another change is simply learning technology. Selfishly one of the reasons I’m also doing social media and FASTer Way is to not only keep my body healthy and fit but also my brain. Learning automation applications to make my business run smoothly has made me use and stretch my brain.
I’ve also changed by learning a completely different industry at the age of 59, now 60. It’s fun learning new things and the best part is I’m using my brain to retain what I’m learning. I love it!
What is an example of a challenge that you have had to face while getting into your fitness journey? When did you begin using social media?
I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced in my fitness journey is simply learning about nutrition, health, fitness, and aging. It’s a completely different industry than my corporate background so I’ve had to learn many different areas in a short amount of time.
As for social media – I learned it via YouTube video tutorials starting November 2022.
What did you think of your current age when you were younger? Did you think you would be the person you are now?
When I was younger, I thought that 60 was old. My parents have been married almost 66 years and they are 87 and 84 and I remember when they were 60. I remember thinking that 60 was 90 back then. Obviously, 60 is now like 45 but I don’t really focus on my age – I focus on optimal health and how I feel each day.
As for the second question – Did I think I’d be the person I am now? Yes and no. From a very young age, I was always on a self-discovery mission. I wanted to find out how “I ticked”. Meaning – if I felt jealousy – I’d analyze why. If I was rude to someone, I’d analyze why. If I was scared to do something – I’d analyze why. I was always intrigued with why one person is negative, and one person is positive. This inquisitive trait or characteristic has followed me throughout my life. In the mid-1990’s, I was trained/certified by Louise Hay, Jack Canfield and Tad James (NLP). It was then that I learned even more. The most life changing thing I learned back then was how powerful our mind was and that our thoughts, words, actions were creating our reality. That understanding changed my entire life and continues to this day. I use the tools I learned around mindset with my clients today, as well as what I share on Instagram. So – I’m not shocked at the person I am today. However, I am shocked at being a Health/Fitness Coach at the age of 60. I never saw that one coming. Ha!
Do you think nutrition and vitamins take a big role in aging healthy?
I think nutrition is “thee” most important ingredient in healthy aging. Nutrition is medicine. What you put on the end of your fork can either harm you or heal you. It’s really that simple. I think we take our health for granted and once we get a wake-up call then we focus on our nutrition. By then – it may be too late. I truly believe that our nutrition can reverse any damage that we have done and repair it. It most definitely can keep us living healthy for longer than we ever had in the past.
As for vitamins and supplements – I don’t use any or suggest/promote any. The reason is that vitamins and supplements can affect people differently based on their health, prescriptions, body make-up, etc. I believe we can use nutrition as our vitamins and supplements.
Is there something that you would like to try to learn how to do now?
Yes – my latest venture is moving to a plant-based diet. I’m studying about it and will start to learn how to cook in that matter. What is great is that FASTer Way has Vegan recipes, so I plan to start using them and just learn about my body while I try eating in a different way. We’ll see how it goes.
What is a goal of yours?
I think my main goal is to try to live by the “Fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23) each day – with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All my goals are inward goals so this will keep me busy for the rest of my life. Ha!
What can someone expect when joining your 6-week program?
They can expect to learn a lot of transformational information pertaining to fitness, nutrition, and mindset. They will learn the key strategies on how to get and stay healthy. Each week is built upon the next like building blocks with the foundation being whole food nutrition. Clients will learn about intermittent fasting, carb cycling, hydration, macros (protein, fats, carbs), 30-minute workouts that are strategically put together to burn fat and gain muscle. Throughout the 6 weeks, I work with each of my clients on mindset and discuss limiting beliefs and how to overcome them. I believe in each one of my clients and I teach them to believe in themselves and that is when the magic happens. I love it!
What would you say is the top 5 tips you have in aging healthy and positively?
- Mindset. A positive mindset with a belief in yourself is the key to success in any area of life. To age in a healthy and positive manner, a person needs to believe they are worthy of it, they are capable of it, they deserve it and that they love themselves enough to put themselves first and prioritize their health.
- EAT! Sounds strange but true. As we age, women limit their food thinking that is the solution to weight loss. As we age, that is NOT the solution, and it will only increase our weight. And, if weight loss does happen by limiting our food intake, it is muscle and not fat that is being lost which is the worst thing we can do as we age. We need to eat healthy, whole food nutrition that consists of protein, fats, and carbs.
- Protein. We need to eat a minimum of 90-100 grams of protein a day. Protein is essential to build, repair, digest and regulate our bones, muscles, skin, and organs. I like to say that protein is the gas in the car. Without gas, the car can’t run. Without protein, we can’t operate at an optimal level.
- Strength training. We need to build muscle as we age and retain it. We lose 3-8% of muscle mass each decade after the age of 30. We lose 10-15% of muscle size and strength after the age of 50, especially if we are inactive. Building muscle is key to longevity.
- Walking. More and more evidence show that walking is our ‘magic pill’. It does so many things that I can’t list them all but will list a few. It stimulates the digestive system, improves cognitive function, conditions full-body muscles, lowers blood pressure, decreases stress/anxiety, supports a healthy metabolism, improves mood, lowers cholesterol, prevents weight gain and MUCH more. I recommend between 7,000-10,000 steps per day.
Do you have any advice you would like to give to someone who wants to get into fitness in their 50+ years, and is afraid they are past the point of starting?
I believe with my entire heart and soul that it is NEVER too late. I tell my clients to take baby steps and to not jump in the deep end. Start walking around the block then gradually walk two blocks, three blocks and go from there. As it pertains to weights, start with your body weight then move to water bottles then to 2 lbs, 3 lbs, etc. Since my background is dance, I also say to do just that. Turn on some music and move around your living room. If you are sitting most of your day, every 20 minutes, stand up and walk around. The key is simply to move your body and start where you are and work your way from there.
The great thing is you will start to feel better, and your entire sense of being will change. You will want to move your body, you will look forward to taking a long walk, you will be excited with how your body is positively transforming, you will be amazed at how your annual blood results will dramatically change for the better.
There is no downside and no age threshold to fitness. It should be looked upon as a daily habit just like brushing our teeth each day. We are blessed to be able to move our bodies, even if we are limited, and we need to be grateful for the gift of exercise/movement at any age.
Brenda Champommier’s unwavering commitment to empowering women aged 50 and above to lead healthier, more active lives through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss® program is truly remarkable. Her holistic approach to fitness, encompassing strategic workouts, supportive community engagement, and sustainable lifestyle changes, has proven instrumental in guiding numerous women towards achieving their health and fitness aspirations. To experience Brenda’s transformative approach firsthand, be sure to check out her Instagram page for valuable insights and sign up for her program to embark on a journey towards a healthier, more vibrant lifestyle in the golden years. As she continues to champion health and fitness for this demographic, Brenda Champommier stands as an inspiring advocate for a more active, fulfilling lifestyle in the golden years.
Responses