The butt keeps the score
+ How Mimi Ison, 62, became an Instagram fitness star | The best weighted vests for women?
The butt keeps the score
This doctor says the booty muscle quietly predicts how well you’ll age
When it comes to aging well, there’s no shortage of metrics we should keep in mind. Cholesterol level, blood pressure, bone density, weight — they’re all ready to be tracked. Dr. Michael Hunter MD, a Yale-educated cancer expert, says these numbers are important for sure, but there’s another telltale sign of how well you’ll age: your glutes strength.
“I notice it when someone rises from a chair or turns to leave the room. There is a difference between moving without thinking and moving with quiet negotiation, and it often appears earlier than most people expect,” writes Dr. Hunter. “A patient finishes a visit, places their hands on the armrests, and stands. Some do it fluidly, without shifting forward or bracing. Others lean, pause, or push off with their arms as if they are negotiating with the chair before committing to standing.”
Here’s the TL:DR
Early warning signs aren’t always in your lab results
Aging shows up in movement first — the slight hesitation before stepping off a curb, using your hands to push up from a chair, a subtle sway when standing on one leg. These quiet shifts often appear years before anything shows up on a scan.Why your glutes matter more than you think
Your gluteal muscles aren’t just aesthetic — they’re the functional core of how your body moves. They stabilize your pelvis, protect your spine, and keep walking and climbing stairs feeling effortless. When they weaken, your lower back and knees quietly take the strain instead.Modern life is working against you
Prolonged sitting is the main culprit. When you sit most of the day, your glutes essentially go offline — and the body slowly reorganizes itself around that lower demand. It’s not a discipline problem. It’s environmental.Try this simple self-test
Stand up from a chair without using your hands, then sit back down slowly. If you find yourself leaning heavily forward, letting your knees take over, or it feels harder than it used to, that’s useful information.What actually helps
Squats, step-ups, uphill walking, standing on one leg while brushing your teeth, taking stairs more deliberately. No gym required. Consistency matters far more than intensity — small, repeated signals to the body create lasting change.
You can reverse this!
Your body responds to what you ask of it, at any age. The goal isn’t impressive fitness — it’s moving through your life without negotiating with your own body.
The top 5 cancer-fighting foods
Here’s a mini summary of Mel Robbins’ interview with Dr. Dawn Mussallem, in case you don’t have time to watch the whole thing
Well, this is no fun: Food is the leading cause of death in the U.S., driven by ultra-processed foods making up 60% of the average American’s diet. Luckily it works the other way around: The right foods can switch cancer genes off and protective genes on.
Dr. Dawn Mussallem, DO, DipABLM is a renowned lifestyle medicine physician, four-time cancer survivor, and heart transplant recipient who serves as Chief Medical Officer at Fountain Life. Formerly of the Mayo Clinic, she is a leading expert in integrative oncology, cancer prevention, and plant-heavy nutrition.
The top 5 cancer-fighting foods
🫐 Frozen wild berries are loaded with anthocyanins, a powerful phytonutrient. Just two servings per week can reduce breast cancer survivors’ risk of dying from the disease by 25%. Frozen is just as good as fresh and far cheaper. Probably best to get the organic variety. I buy frozen organic blueberries at Costco on the regular.
🍠 Purple sweet potatoes contain 150% more anthocyanins than berries. Women in Okinawa, Japan — one of the world’s longest-living populations — eat these regularly. Dr. Mussallem eats one every single day.
🥦 Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts):\ contain compounds that help the body fight cancer at the cellular level.
🫘 Fiber-rich beans: Most Americans fall far short of the recommended daily fiber intake.
Top high-fiber beans (per cooked cup):
Navy Beans: ~19g per cup (or 9.5g per 1/2 cup)
Lentils: ~15.5g per cup
Black beans: ~15g per cup
Pinto beans: ~14g per cup
Kidney beans: ~13g per cup
🫛 Edamame/soy: The truth about soy and breast cancer: edamame actually reduces breast cancer recurrence by 25%. Learn more here on The American Institute for Cancer Research.
Aim for five or more servings of vegetables and fruit daily. People who do have a 10% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 12% lower risk of dying from heart disease. It’s the little things — they add up. 🫐
Ruck this way: What are the best weighted vests for women?
I recently turned 40, learned all about perimenopause (the hard way), and went on a big health kick. I started walking with a weighted vest as part of my new regimen and got hooked. It’s honestly been the most enjoyable thing about adjusting to my new “midlife health” routine.
You might have come across the Instagram reels joking about wearing baggy-ass jeans that teenagers told you were cool. Trying to eat protein and creatine like it’s a job, and strapping on a weighted vest for bone density. And while that’s all funny, it’s no joke.
I’ve gone deep researching women’s health and longevity (like reading clinical trials on PubMed, crushing hundreds of hours of podcasts, and ordering the clinician’s guidebook from the Menopause Society). A consistent finding has stood out in terms of how we can live in good health, for longer.
Meet Mimi Ison: Instagram fitness star
“I never did corporate, didn’t land my first real ‘career’ job until age 46, and now I create content. How the hell did I get here?”
Age: I’m an amateur 62-year-old, and an aging person in training.
Location: Los Angeles
Previous locations: My roots are in the (510) East Bay. Short stints in San Francisco and NYC.
I’m in the midst of: Assisting two aging parentals, about to start writing again on my dormant blog (and maybe Substack), learning new editing skills, and navigating thinning brows (tips welcome). Caring for three resident cats and three foster kittens. Cat energy is essential for life.
My income: Moolah fluctuates. Content creation started as a hobby, but now it’s my job. Fortunately, income has increased every year since I started. There’s no roadmap so I’m learning as I go. It’s super exciting and creative, and nothing I ever imagined would happen.
Monthly expenses in a nutshell: Mortgage, taxes, groceries, insurance, retirement accounts, investments, pets, eating out.
I used to be a fashion-obsessed shopper; I followed every trend in clothes, shoes, beauty products, hair, and nails, but since I don’t work in an office anymore, that spending has decreased to a sliver of our expenses.
The most unexpected spending has been insurance, which increased for our home, cars, and health threefold in the last couple of years.
I have multiple subscriptions because I love streaming (current faves: PokerFace, Hacks, Stick, and I can’t wait for Slow Horses season 5). Also coffee. Cannot live without my Nespresso.