Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: It Started in the Apple Trees
I’ve been thinking lately about why bouldering feels so natural to me. Why climbing a rock wall at seventy‑plus feels like slipping into a familiar rhythm instead of learning something new. And I finally realized: it started in the apple trees.
When I was a kid, our orchard was my training ground. I climbed those trees to evade Ma, to get a better view, to reach the ripest apples, or simply because the branches were there and my legs knew what to do. I didn’t know it then, but tree‑climbing teaches the same things rock‑climbing does:
diagonal strength
cross‑body reach
balance on unstable surfaces
quick weight shifts
grip confidence
spatial intelligence
the ability to move without fear
I learned all of that as a kid.
And here’s the funny part: your nervous system doesn’t forget. You can forget names, dates, recipes, and where you put your glasses, but you don’t forget how to climb. Not if you learned it young. Not if you lived it.
So, when I step onto a bouldering wall now, my body doesn’t say, “Oh no, this is new.” It says, “Oh yes, I remember this.”
It remembers the orchard. It remembers the branches. It remembers the scramble, the reach, the pull, the balance, the joy.
It remembers being alive.
And that’s the secret to Grandma Ninja movement: some of the best things start young.
The orchard taught me to climb. The farm taught me to haul. The Army taught me cadence. Caregiving taught me speed. Life taught me resilience.
And now, at this age, all of it comes back when I need it. I don't climb apple trees and only occasionally have the opportunity to boulder, but I certain climb store shelves to reach things up high--most hobbit-sized people have to do that.
Further, I don’t stand still. I don’t warm up slowly. I don’t move delicately. I move like someone who learned early that the world is meant to be climbed.
So, if you see me at the gym lifting my leg onto the treadmill rail for a pre-run stretch, or doing micro‑calisthenics while waiting for the RO faucet to fill a gallon jug, or scaling a rock wall with more confidence than grace, just know:
I’m still in the apple trees. I never really came down.
Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary is the inspiring true story of a septuagenarian grandmother who dared to dream big—by training for American Ninja Warrior. Teaming up with her coach and trainer, she embarks on a three-year journey to build strength, resilience, flexibility, balance, and endurance—starting from scratch.
While COVID and two disabled adult children moving home permanently put a kibosh on those American Ninja Warrior plans, she continued to train -- a little more modestly but regularly -- and maintain the ninja strength and flexibility she had developed prior to these changes in life circumstances.
Told in a dynamic mix of diary entries, coaching insights, and behind-the-scenes reflections, this book chronicles the ups and downs of late-in-life athletic training. From gym workouts to rock climbing, yoga to injury recovery, sleep to mindset—every aspect of the transformation is explored with honesty and humor.
Grandma shares what she’s learning; her coach explains why she’s right—or wrong. Together, they offer a realistic, encouraging look at what it takes to pursue an extraordinary goal at any age.
Part training manual, part motivational memoir, Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary is packed with practical tips for readers over 50 who want to improve their fitness, health, and confidence. You’ll also get insights into strategies for balancing real life with ambitious goals and hard-won wisdom about success, failure, and the joy of simply showing up.
To read more precerpts from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary, click HERE.
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