Danette Watt: It’s Never Too Late to Get Strong
When Danette Watt turned 50, she decided she wanted to age differently than her parents and in-laws.
At the time, her mother was dying from cancer, her dad was “doing OK,” but her in-laws “weren’t aging well,” said Watt, now 68.
She wanted a healthier future for herself — one where she could stay independent for as long as possible — and she knew fitness would be a big part of that plan.
Finding Her Strength
Watt started with a local bootcamp gym, going to classes first thing in the morning.
Soon after, she found CrossFit and joined Iron House CrossFit in Godfrey, Illinois.
“I loved it,” Watt said.
Then in 2021, she watched the CrossFit Games and was inspired by Annie Thorisdottir’s 200-pound snatch.
“The look on her face was just priceless,” Watt said.
She started following Thorisdottir on Instagram, but at the same time, she felt like she wasn’t doing enough strength training. She knew it was incredibly important as she aged. Her body also felt a bit burnt out, and her WHOOP app “was always in the red,” showing she wasn’t recovering well.
Enter Empower
When Watt saw that Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir were launching Empower, it looked like the exact program she had been waiting for. She signed up right away and started with the Empower Take Off program.
Fourteen months later, Watt is now following the Empower Flight program and is thrilled with the results. Her recovery has improved, and she feels the strength work paying off.
“I recently did a 62-pound push press and felt great. I felt strong, capable, and to be honest, like a badass. I know there are women my age who can do more than that, but for me, that was a PR,” Watt said.
Results That Go Beyond the Gym
Watt recently had a bone density scan and found her bone density had improved by 2.7 percent. While she also takes calcium and Vitamin D, she believes “consistent strength training has been a big factor in my score.”
She also had open heart surgery in 2018 and sees her heart surgeon each year for an echocardiogram. In November 2024, six months into Empower, her heart function had improved from 50 percent in 2023 to 55 percent in 2024.
Watt’s Message: Strength Training is Essential
Watt still sees a lot of women her age focusing on cardio instead of strength training, which she says is outdated thinking.
“If you want to be independent and get off the toilet without any help, you have to squat and lift heavy weights and build those muscles,” Watt said.
She continued:
“For older women like me, I would just urge them to think about the life they want to live in 10, 15 or more years from now. If they want to be able to take care of themselves…they need to get rid of the five-pound dumbbells…You gotta lift heavy shit.”
For Watt, Empower has made that process simple and effective.
“With Empower, you will gain the strength that you need,” she said.
Danette Watt’s story is proof that it’s never too late to lift heavy, take charge of your strength, and build the future you want — one rep at a time.
