Norah O’Donnell: 7 things I learned from trainer Kira Stokes

Since I started working out with Kira Stokes 12 years ago, my knowledge about health has expanded, and my personal health and happiness have improved. She taught me to treat movement as medicine for both your body and mind. 

Kira has been in the fitness industry for three decades and has dozens of certifications. She is the founder of the Stoked Method with award-winning workouts.

Here are some of the things I’ve learned from Kira:

Lift heavier

When I started working out with Kira at age 40, she encouraged me to lift heavier weights. I was resistant. I liked muscles but was more focused on being toned. That’s when she taught me that muscle and strength training is an insurance policy for the future. I was stunned to learn that women lose between 3% and 8% of muscle m*** per decade after the age of 30 if we don’t challenge our muscles and build strength.

It does get harder after 50, but it’s also even more important

At age 52, I’ve found that maintaining and building muscle has gotten harder. That’s because of the hormonal shift and decrease of estrogen in menopause. Kira says that’s why it’s even more important to strength train as we get older.

In addition to muscle loss, women lose up to 20% of their bone density in the five to seven years after they hit menopause. Muscle, however, provides hormone regulation and protection for your bones. Kira says it offers you the freedom of movement and will allow me to get on the ground to play with my future grandkids and keep putting my carry-on in the overhead bin on an airplane, without help!

Bone loss is reversible

One of the big wake-up calls in aging is reading the data about how devastating a bone break from a fall can be – it can even be deadly. That’s why the exercises you do in your 50s and 60s can help make sure that if you fall, you’re not going to break something that leaves you essentially immobile. Kira is big on reminding people that it’s never too late to reverse that.

Balance: Use it or lose it 

A lot of the workouts I do with Kira include exercises on one leg. That’s because functional movement is movement you can apply to life. Balance is something that comes from your core and helps improve your quality of life down the road.

Movement is therapy

If I don’t move and exercise, I start feeling sad and stressed out. Exercise is just as important for my physical health as it is for my mental health. 

Kira was a psychology major in college. She says the way you connect to other people and the way that you can truly talk about your feelings is through movement. Half of our workouts are talking about family, friends and challenges. But you don’t need a trainer for that. Go on a walk with a friend and you’ll find relief physically and mentally.

Posture and good form rule

Kira is big on form and good posture to prevent injury. She says your setup and your success start before the first rep. It starts with body awareness and understanding how to perform a movement properly. 

Every movement counts

One of the most common questions I get is: “How do you make the time to exercise with such a busy schedule?” Sometimes, I don’t – that is the truth we all face. 

Since working with Kira, I’ve started prioritizing my health. She also taught me that “movement snacks” are just as important as a big workout. If I have 5 minutes, it’s enough time to add to my movement bank with squats on a chair or bicep curls with whatever heavy object I have in my office. She’s helped me see a bench in the park as a piece of exercise equipment.