EPIC Fitness, LLC

11/29/2025

🌱

11/28/2025

Being Active Improves Outlook on Healthy Aging
New research shows that over two-third of Americans 65 and older say their physical health is excellent or very good.
And about 22% report difficulty in carrying out ordinary physical activities like walking, climbing stairs, and carrying groceries.
That’s according to the Pew Research Center this month. It surveyed 8,750 U.S. adults of all ages in September. You can read more about the findings here.
The report is full of fascinating facts about our aging population; 18% of Americans are 65 or older, with similar numbers in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Older people enjoy community engagement, hobbies, and religious activities, of course. That probably doesn’t surprise anyone. But it all paints a compelling picture of how we view fitness among mature adults when we consider the relationship between fitness and happy longevity.
Joining a gym provides social connections, physical and cognitive opportunities, and a sense of fun that everyone needs.
Strength training and functional fitness help mature adults maintain everyday abilities to take care of themselves and live independently longer.
I’m here to help anyone with all of this. So, give me a call and let’s give the Pew folks reason to improve their next report!

11/27/2025

Healthy Recipe, Non-Alcoholic Holiday Sangria
Refreshing as it is in the heat of summer, a pitcher of sangria fits right in with a holiday spread as well by adjusting the fruits and flavors to the season. This recipe shows how you can easily turn that concept into a healthy mocktail by swapping pomegranate juice for the red wine and supplementing with freshly brewed tea and cinnamon sticks. Vary the fruits to your desires: cranberries, grapes, pears, pineapple chunks. Cranberry juice could be used instead of pomegranate for the base, as could apple juice for a mock white sangria. Mix in ginger beer instead of club soda for extra depth. Served in a clear-glass pitcher, it makes a beautiful presentation with a taste as complementary to the menu as any wine selection. Serves 8-10. – Susan Puckett
Ingredients
• 2 cups water
• 2 black tea bags, or 2 teaspoons loose-leaf tea in an infuser (decaf, spiced apple or other fruit-flavored herbal tea will also work)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 thinly sliced orange
• 1 thinly sliced lemon
• 1 thinly sliced lime
• 1 medium apple, cored and sliced thin or cut into small chunks
• 3 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
Instructions
1. Place the water in a small pot and bring it to a boil. Remove it from the heat, add the tea bags and cinnamon sticks, and let them steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags (but not the cinnamon sticks) and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Allow the spices to steep a while longer in the warm tea if desired. They will infuse the cold liquid as well – just not as quickly.
2. In a large pitcher, combine the tea, cinnamon sticks, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and cut fruit. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
3. Just before serving, stir in the sparkling water. (Or set out a bottle of sparkling water and let guests add their own.) Serve in glasses over ice.

11/27/2025

Happy Thanksgiving!!

11/26/2025

11/24/2025

11/22/2025

🌱

11/21/2025

Super-fit, from Alaska to ‘Golden Bachelor’
Diane Firmani, 71, plays ice hockey, competes in triathlons, and rides her bike on the snow-covered Iditarod trail at home in Alaska.
The super-fit retired librarian found a surprising group of similar women this year when she participated in “The Golden Bachelor” reality TV show, competing for the “heart” of a retired NFL player. Diane applied as a lark, a few years after her husband died.
“All the women were physically fit there,” Diane says. “It was a common thread.”
She shared some other commonalities about staying fit later in life. (More on the show here.)
1. It helps to stay active with friends who will encourage you and share the good times. “And that’s how that bunch of women were, as far as being like-minded about fitness,” Diane says.
2. “My motto is ‘Sign up and show up,’” Diane says. In other words, register for that 5K in the spring – and then do it! “It’s a commitment to yourself and to others who are depending on you.”
3. Finally, enjoy the fact that exercise makes you look better. “It’s more fun to buy clothes, to go places, to have more confidence.” Diane recently attended her son’s wedding in Hawaii, happy with how she was presenting.
Staying active in the cold, dark north isn’t always easy, but neither is fitness for anyone anywhere.
“Everything is a choice,” Diane says. “You can be miserable, or you can get out there and enjoy it.”
💪

11/20/2025

Healthy Recipe, Pumpkin Panna Cotta
The name panna cotta is Italian for “cooked cream,” and the dessert it signifies is little more than that: dairy, sweetener, and a touch of vanilla, thickened into a silky pudding with gelatin. It’s also a blank canvas for all sorts of flavorings and toppings to suit the season. This one incorporates pumpkin puree and autumnal spices, transforming into a luxurious-tasting ending to a holiday feast that’s egg-free, gluten-free, and easy on the carbs. And it comes together in a fraction of the time it takes to bake a pie. Top with whipped cream, candied ginger, a grating of nutmeg, a drizzle of maple syrup or caramel sauce, or however you like. Serve with a gingersnap or two on the side for crunch and you won’t miss the crust a bit. Serves 6. – Susan Puckett
Ingredients
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼-ounce envelope unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup dark brown sugar (or monk fruit brown sugar)
• ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree (no spices added)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• Whipped cream and candied ginger for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. In a small bowl, place ¼ cup of the milk and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Set it aside for 5 minutes, or until the gelatin softens and absorbs the milk.
2. Meanwhile, in a small to medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk, cream, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves until smooth. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Once bubbles start forming on the surface, whisk in the softened gelatin until it completely dissolves. (Be careful not to let it come to a boil or it may not set properly.)
3. Immediately remove the pot from the heat and divide the mixture among 6 ramekins or wine or cocktail glasses. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Cover the tops with plastic wrap as soon as they are completely cool. (The panna cottas may be made up to 2 days ahead of time before serving.)
4. When ready to serve, garnish each with whipped cream and candied ginger, or as you wish.