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Broken Down at 43. Stronger Than Ever at 53.
At 43, Stefanie Ackermann’s body started sending her a message she didn’t want to hear.
A breast cancer diagnosis. Multiple surgeries. Autoimmune disorders.
Joint disorders that left her unable to lift her arms above her head.
Two hip surgeries and a total hip replacement.
Bulging discs in her lower back that would go out without warning — leaving her flat on the floor, unable to get up without help.
For ten years, she fought. And for a long time, she quietly accepted it.
“I kind of just decided that that was the way it was just going to be,” Stefanie said. “I couldn’t run anymore, couldn’t do the things I like to do. But I’m still here and kicking, so I wasn’t going to complain about it. Just keep moving forward.”
Today, Stefanie is 53. She is cancer-free — ten years and counting.
She is stronger than she’s been in years. Her back pain, once a daily nightmare, is barely noticeable.
She can carry a full cart of groceries by herself, clean her house without it wiping her out, empty her car without thinking twice, and fly to Japan — and she has, multiple times — and step off the plane feeling fine.
And she has a message for anyone who thinks they are too old, too broken, or too far gone to start:
“It’s never too late.”
THE ATHLETE WHO NEVER STOPPED BEING ONE
To understand Stefanie’s story, you have to understand who she was before the diagnosis.
She was an athlete. A college cross-country and track and field competitor who ran for years and defined herself, in large part, by her ability to move. When that was taken from her — first by cancer, then by the cascade of health challenges that followed — the loss was as much mental as it was physical.
“As athletes, you do something you do all the time. That’s who you are,” she said. “When I wasn’t able to run really anymore, that was hard for me because that was such a big part of my day-to-day. I would get stressed out and run and walk, but it wasn’t the same thing.”
For nearly a decade, she managed. She adapted. She kept moving forward in the way that people who have been through serious illness learn to do — one day at a time, without complaint, but also without any real expectation that things would get significantly better.
Then her son started talking.
“MOM, YOU GOTTA GO TO POWERSTRENGTH”
Stefanie’s son, Oatis, plays football and had trained at PowerStrength through high school and college — and had seen firsthand what the coaching and programming could do. Read Oatis’s PowerStrength story here.
He kept telling his mom the same thing:
“Mom, you gotta go to PowerStrength. They’ll get you right.”
Stefanie wasn’t so sure.
“I kept thinking, he’s crazy. I’m too broken to be right.”
But eventually, after years of pain and limitation, she arrived at a simple decision point.
“I just finally thought, if I’m going to be in pain, I might as well be a little bit stronger and in pain,” she said. “I hurt a lot. My joints all hurt. Everybody’s got stuff. But I thought — I could either be hurt and weak, or I could hurt and be strong. So I decided to try to be stronger.”
She walked into PowerStrength in November of 2024. Intimidated. Uncertain. And, by her own admission, feeling like she might be too far gone for any of this to matter.
She hasn’t looked back.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHE STARTED
The first thing Stefanie discovered was that PowerStrength’s coaches didn’t just hand her a program and wish her luck. They listened. They learned exactly what she was dealing with — the back that could go out without warning, the hip replacement, the shoulders that couldn’t get above her head — and they built around it.
“They’ve been able to just work around it, which I didn’t think you could do that, but you can,” she said. “They got me doing squats and things that I never thought I would do.”
For her back specifically, the coaches modified exercises and eliminated anything that could set her back. In a year and a half of training, she has not had a single back episode.
“I used to get up every day, and it was hard getting out of bed for the first couple of steps. The first probably hour of my day was super sore,” Stefanie said. “And now I can get up, and I don’t even notice it. Night and day difference.”
The changes extended far beyond the weight room. Things that had become surprisingly difficult in her late 40s — carrying groceries, cleaning her house, emptying her car — stopped being a problem. Long flights, which used to leave her stiff and miserable, became manageable.
“I had a really hard time sitting on planes because I’d get so stiff and sore. But I can travel far. I’ve gone to Japan a few times, and I can sit on the plane. They’re little wins, but they’re big.”
And then there was the moment that stopped her in her tracks.
“I actually hung. It wasn’t very long, but with my arms above my head — which was crazy because they don’t usually work that way.”
THE MENTAL SIDE NOBODY TALKS ABOUT
Stefanie is quick to talk about the physical changes. But spend a few minutes with her, and it becomes clear that what PowerStrength has given her mentally may matter just as much.
“I just feel better. I just don’t feel as washed up,” she said.
For someone who spent a decade defined by what her body couldn’t do, that shift is enormous. Being able to push herself again. Being around people who are working toward something. Having coaches who know her name, understand her history, and hold her to a standard — it has restored something that ten years of health challenges had slowly taken away.
“Coming in here, being able to get a good workout, being able to be around other people, having fun and pushing myself to do things that I never would attempt to do on my own — it’s been great for me.”
She has also built real friendships inside the gym — something she didn’t expect when she walked in feeling intimidated.
“Getting up every day and coming in here and doing something together. It’s fun. I really enjoy it. I have a lot of good friends in here now.”
FOR ANYONE WHO THINKS THEY’RE TOO FAR GONE
If you are reading this and you have aches and pains. If your back goes out. If your joints hurt. If you had a surgery — or several. If you look at a place like PowerStrength and think, ” That’s not for someone like me,” — Stefanie Ackermann has something to say to you.
“I was intimidated. I hadn’t done anything in years. And I came into an environment where I was very intimidated. Nobody has been judgmental. You get every age and every size, and it’s just a mutual respect. It’s a great place.”
For anyone telling themselves they’re too old, too banged up, or too far gone….
“It’s never too late to start. It’s never too late to start working out. It’s never too late to start using your body.”
And what if – you could feel like yourself again and even enjoy the process?
“It’s fun. It’s fun, and it’s engaging, and it’s helpful. It’s done so many things for me. So I’m a fan.”
She isn’t the only one in the family who found their way here. Her husband, Chad, has his own PowerStrength story — you can read it here.
READY TO MAKE YOUR NEXT 10 YEARS YOUR STRONGEST EVER?
Men and Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who want to get stronger and have more energy can join the Personal Training Program at PowerStrength at any time. No previous workout experience is required as each program is customized to the fitness and ability level of each individual.
Multiple personal training sessions are offered in the early morning, mid-morning, late afternoon, and evening. Find your nearest PowerStrength location – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield, Holland, or Byron Center.
Click HERE to learn more program details and schedule your risk-free consultation.