When you take a class at a yoga studio, it’s likely that many of the instructors are in their twenties. It’s not every day that you can take a class from “a proud grandmother to a beautiful baby boy.” That’s what Judy S. Schnoebelen, E-RYT 500, Instructor at YogaSix, a national chain of yoga studios, has to say about something in her life that fills her with a great deal of pride.
The northern Virginia native has successfully completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training program, and in addition to regularly teaching yoga, she’s looking forward to hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon later this year. Always seeking out new physical challenges, she continually keeps her body guessing, and that’s very likely the secret to her fitness success.
Overcoming Challenges in Her Past
While genetics have gifted her with a small frame and trim body, as Schnoebelen says, it has also dealt her “a bad hand” when it comes to her spinal health.
“I’ve endured three spinal surgeries to remediate stenosis, herniated discs and a broken cervical vertebra,” she shares. “I consider it a great achievement to be almost as physically fit now as I was before these surgeries.”
Although aging has presented challenges to her fitness, her interest in exercise began when she was young, in her twenties to combat the “freshman 15” she packed on during her first year of college.
“Gone were the days when Big Macs and late-night pizza did nothing to impact my weight,” she says. “So began my foray into running. A Walkman attached to my hip, I grooved my way through many miles before my back finally rebelled in my early forties.”
Schnoebelen continues to make exercise and healthy eating a priority. “I feel stronger now than I did in my thirties and forties,” she says.
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Discovering Yoga
“Thank goodness for yoga!” Schnoebelen emphasizes, saying that around 15 years ago, she abandoned her gym routine and gave hot yoga a try. She was instantly hooked.
“Today I practice several times a week at YogaSix in Burke, Virginia, a heated studio where I also teach,” she says. “I love a powerful heated vinyasa flow, and Sculpt and Flow classes are an incredible way to incorporate weights and cardio into my routine. Restore classes give me a chance to slow down, bring my practice down to the floor and open, stretch and release the tight muscles that result from more strenuous exercise.”
Schnoebelen also attributes her improved mental health to yoga. “The beauty of yoga is that it offers mindful movement while also holding space for stillness and breath,” she says. “My body needs movement to achieve a calm mind, release pent-up energy and alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression.”
Related: ‘I’m 67 and in the Best Shape of My Life—Here’s What a Typical Day of Exercise Looks Like for Me’
What Judy Schnoebelen’s Workout Routine Actually Looks Like
Active movement
Apart from her regular yoga practice, Schnoebelen says that she aims to schedule at least one hour of “active movement” into each day. “I don’t always make it to a class, but I can enjoy a brisk neighborhood walk or a hike in the Blueridge Mountains with friends, my husband and my dog,” she says.
Embrace variation
While listening to her body, Schnoebelen says that she strives to make her weekly fitness routine as varied as possible, taking into account what will best support her mental and physical health.
“By selecting a variety of activities within a week, I can target various muscle groups and be sure to support the joints in my body that weaken with age, like hips, shoulders, knees and spine.”
Strength training
At least twice a week, Schnoebelen adds weights to her practice.
“Safely adding weights requires stability and alignment,” she says.
She says that some of her favorite moves with weights include bicep curls (stand straight with feet shoulder-width apart, hold dumbbells in each hand with your arms fully extended and slowly lift the weights toward your body by bending your elbows) and triceps kickbacks in the chair pose, which brings together weight-lifting and yoga. To do this, you’ll bend your knees and lower hips as if you’re sitting in an invisible chair, hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing inward, and while holding the pose, straighten your arms behind you by extending your elbows.
Supported crunches
Schnoebelen prioritizes movements that target her anterior and posterior core to provide support for her hips and spine and has been through several surgeries. She particularly loves supported crunches, with feet down and knees bent, or “Legs Up the Wall,” where the hands are placed behind the head with the elbows remaining straight up during the lift and lower. Both moves can strengthen the core.
Related: ‘I’m 70 Years Old and In the Best Shape of My Life—Here Are the 5 Workout Moves I Swear By’
Low bridge lifts
“Low bridge lifts strengthen my posterior core through glute activation,” Schnoebelen says. To do this, you’ll lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your arms by your sides. Press through your heels and lift your hips off the ground until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Then slowly lower your hips back to the ground.
Chaturangas
Chaturangas are mainstay moves of most any yoga class. They are considered yoga’s version of a push-up, and Schnoebelen does them to build both shoulder and anterior core strength.
“To support my shoulders, I often come down to my forearms in plank and my knees first in chaturanga,” she says. “I move slowly from high to low push-ups to fully activate my core as I work against gravity.”
Words of Wisdom
“Working out regularly makes fitness a healthy habit,” Schnoebelen says. “Regular workouts of any intensity improve strength, mobility, balance and flexibility, which support ease of movement and prevention of injury as we age. ‘Motion is the lotion’ for healthy joints and muscles as well as the huge network of fascia, a web of connective tissue, that surrounds our joints and muscles. Finally, working out gives you a purpose, and having a purpose can contribute to improved mental well-being and longevity.”
Next up, discover the absolute best workout for heart health if you’re over 50.
Sources
- Judy S. Schnoebelen, E-RYT 500, Instructor at YogaSix.
