For decades, YogaFit® founder Beth Shaw has taught that true fitness isn’t about chasing a smaller number on the scale—it’s about building a body that remains strong, capable, resilient, and independent for life.
That philosophy began long before she founded YogaFit.
Beth started lifting weights when she was just 15 years old, at a time when very few young women ventured into the weight room. While many of her peers focused on dieting or endless cardio, she discovered something far more empowering: strength. She shared with us recently that she thanked her mother for joining the gym after her parents, divorced and taking Beth to aerobics classes, which she didn’t really enjoy, but she took a liking to the weight room and the machine machines.
Beth‘s mother just turned 90 her mother‘s mother lived to 106 so longevity is in her family, but there is a challenge and that her mother had the three strokes and is very skinny. Beth often says she wishes she could get her mother back in the gym at Ninety.
Weight training gave her confidence. It taught discipline. More importantly, it showed her that fitness wasn’t simply about appearance—it was about creating a body capable of carrying her through every stage of life.
Those early lessons eventually became part of the foundation of YogaFit, which has spent more than three decades educating yoga teachers, fitness professionals, healthcare providers, and movement specialists around the world.
Recently, Beth decided to undergo her first DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan. Although she had tracked her body composition for years using InBody technology and other assessments, she wanted a more complete picture of her bone density, lean muscle mass, body fat, and overall health.
The experience reinforced something she has believed her entire career:
Her personal story inspired an important conversation—not simply about DEXA scans, but about the future of fitness, longevity, and how intelligent movement can help us thrive for decades.
again, Beth has been lifting weights since age 15. She worked out with a competitive bodybuilder all throughout her 30s when living in Los Angeles and is a huge proponent of strength training for women, especially young women to gain confidence strength and be able to protect themselves.
Beth shares a lot of these stories on her popular make America healthy podcast where she interviews experts in the field of health wellness and longevity
some of her most popular repeat guests include Dr Barry Sears who frequently speaks about the pros and cons of taking GLP ones and weight loss injectable drugs
Modern medicine has become remarkably good at helping people live longer.
The bigger question is:
This distinction is becoming one of the defining conversations in longevity science.
Lifespan refers to the number of years we live.
Healthspan refers to the number of those years we remain healthy, mobile, mentally sharp, active, and independent.
On her Make America Healthy podcast, Beth has interviewed physicians, researchers, nutrition experts, and longevity pioneers who consistently return to the same message:
Living longer isn’t enough.
The goal is to continue hiking, traveling, playing with grandchildren, gardening, lifting groceries, practicing yoga, and enjoying life well into our later decades.
Unfortunately, many adults spend the final years of life coping with chronic pain, reduced mobility, muscle loss, fractures, and declining independence.
Healthy aging requires preparation—and preparation begins long before symptoms appear.
Like many active adults, Beth had spent years paying attention to her health.
She monitored her workouts.
She maintained a healthy diet.
She had used InBody scans to track body composition.
She regularly completed blood work and preventive health screenings.
Yet one important measurement remained missing.
Bone density.
Along with detailed measurements of lean muscle mass and visceral fat.
The DEXA scan provided all of these within minutes.
The experience was quick, painless, and surprisingly affordable.
More importantly, it established a baseline for future health.
Rather than guessing whether muscle was being gained or lost—or whether bone density remained strong—the scan provided objective information.
As Beth often reminds students and instructors:
“What gets measured gets managed.”
One reason DEXA scans have become increasingly important is that many of the changes associated with aging happen silently.
Two of the biggest threats are:
Osteoporosis
The gradual loss of bone mineral density.
Bones become weaker.
Fracture risk increases.
Recovery becomes more difficult.
Sarcopenia
The gradual loss of muscle mass and strength.
Beginning as early as our thirties, adults may lose muscle each decade if resistance training and proper nutrition are neglected.
Muscle isn’t simply about appearance.
Muscle allows us to:
and like Beth says “muscle allows you to be able to kick some serious ass or at least feel confident that you could if you needed to”
two conditions often progress quietly.
People frequently feel healthy while muscle slowly declines and bones gradually weaken.
By the time symptoms appear, significant changes may already have occurred.
Many people continue to judge health by one measurement:
Body weight.
But body weight tells us very little.
Two people can weigh exactly the same while having dramatically different body compositions.
One may have:
The other may have:
A bathroom scale cannot distinguish between them.
A DEXA scan can.
Instead of focusing solely on pounds lost, healthy aging encourages us to ask better questions.
Are we maintaining muscle?
Are we protecting bone?
Are we reducing visceral fat?
Are we becoming stronger each year?
Those measurements are far more meaningful than the number staring back from the scale.
Long before “strong is the new skinny” became a popular phrase, Beth Shaw believed that women should lift weights. Beth is working on her fifth book
“get stronger live longer”
Throughout her career as a fitness professional, entrepreneur, author, and educator, she has consistently encouraged women to shift their mindset away from simply losing weight.
Instead, she encourages building capability.
Strength.
Confidence.
Resilience.
Weight training stimulates bone growth.
It preserves lean muscle.
It improves insulin sensitivity.
It supports healthy metabolism.
It improves balance.
It enhances quality of life.
These benefits become increasingly valuable after menopause, when hormonal changes accelerate both bone and muscle loss.
Rather than fearing resistance training, women should embrace it as one of the most effective investments they can make in their future health.
Some people assume a yoga organization believes yoga is the only exercise anyone needs.
That has never been YogaFit’s philosophy.
YogaFit has always promoted balanced movement.
Walking supports cardiovascular health.
Resistance training builds muscle and strengthens bone.
Yoga develops flexibility, mobility, breathing efficiency, balance, posture, body awareness, and nervous system regulation.
Functional movement helps people perform everyday activities safely and efficiently.
Together, these practices create a foundation for lifelong health.
Rather than choosing one type of exercise over another, YogaFit encourages people to combine them into a comprehensive approach to healthy aging.
Yoga complements strength training.
Strength training enhances yoga.
Each makes the other more effective.
Many personal trainers understand resistance training exceptionally well.
But clients need more than stronger muscles.
They need:
This is why YogaFit for Personal Trainers® has become one of YogaFit’s most valuable specialty certifications.
The program helps trainers integrate yoga into personal training sessions, creating more complete programs that address not only strength, but movement quality and long-term health.
Clients recovering from injury, older adults, busy professionals, and athletes alike benefit from combining resistance training with intelligent yoga programming.
Movement becomes far more effective when instructors understand how the body actually works.
YogaFit’s Anatomy I and Anatomy II trainings provide in-depth education in:
This knowledge allows instructors to design safer, smarter, and more individualized programs.
Understanding anatomy is especially important when working with aging populations whose movement needs differ from younger students.
Healthy aging isn’t reserved for elite athletes.
It applies to everyone.
YogaFit has developed specialized programs to meet people wherever they are on that journey.
YogaFit for Seniors® helps instructors safely adapt yoga for older adults, emphasizing balance, stability, mobility, confidence, and fall prevention.
YogaFit Therapy® provides evidence-informed approaches for individuals managing chronic pain, limited mobility, and health challenges.
Yoga as Healthcare® prepares movement professionals to work alongside healthcare providers in preventive wellness settings.
These programs reflect YogaFit’s belief that yoga can play an important role in helping people remain active and independent throughout life.
A strong core isn’t about six-pack abs.
It’s about protecting the spine.
Improving posture.
Supporting balance.
Preventing falls.
Reducing back pain.
Enhancing movement efficiency.
YogaFit’s Core & Back® training teaches instructors how to develop these qualities safely for students of every age.
For adults over 50, functional core strength may be one of the most valuable investments in long-term mobility.
Exercise alone cannot preserve muscle.
Nutrition matters.
Beth encourages adults over 50 to pay particular attention to:
Combined with progressive resistance training, these nutrients support muscle preservation, bone health, and recovery.
Instead of asking:
“How much weight should I lose?”
Beth encourages people to ask:
How strong am I becoming?
Am I preserving muscle?
Can I carry my luggage?
Can I hike without pain?
Can I get off the floor easily?
Can I maintain my independence?
Those are the questions that matter most.
For more than 30 years, YogaFit has helped instructors make yoga accessible, practical, and evidence-informed.
Today that mission has expanded even further.
Healthy aging.
Longevity.
Functional movement.
Mobility.
Strength.
Recovery.
Resilience.
Whether you’re a yoga teacher, personal trainer, healthcare professional, or simply someone committed to aging well, YogaFit offers education designed to help you—and your students—move better for life.
Explore YogaFit programs including:
Beth Shaw’s DEXA scan didn’t change her philosophy.
It confirmed it.
Strength matters.
Muscle matters.
Bone density matters.
Mobility matters.
Knowledge matters.
If you’re over 50—or even if you’re planning ahead for the decades to come—consider scheduling a DEXA scan to establish a baseline for your health. Then put that information into action through intelligent strength training, purposeful yoga, sound nutrition, and consistent movement.
Because longevity isn’t simply about adding years to your life.
It’s about adding strength, vitality, confidence, and independence to every one of those years.
To read Beth Shaw’s complete personal story about getting her first DEXA scan, visit BethShaw.com.
Then join the YogaFit community and discover how movement can help you get stronger, live longer, and thrive at every age.
Take your practice and teaching to the next level with our 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training.
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