I’d Like To Be Your Personal Trainer

by Susan Cross | Posted: February 9th, 2012 | No Comments »

At VIB we often talk about growing old. How a healthy lifestyle can add life to your years, and years to your life.

As a baby boomer (1947-1966), the oldest amongst us is already considered a senior citizen. This population of senior citizens will be the fastest growing population in history. Our country is expected to more than double its number of citizens over the age of 65 by the year 2030. That’s a large number. Are we ready?

We are living much longer. One hundred will hopefully be considered the new eighty. With healthcare on the decline, how do we make it to our golden years, while remaining active, strong, happy, and vital?

Of course it’s with lifestyle changes. As a boomer, most of my friends have parents who are now in their late 70′s. Many of them are experiencing health issues. I’ve shared my own parent’s health issues; my father had his first heart attack at 48 and died of a massive heart attack at 68. My mother experienced a stroke and an aneurysm a few years ago. She lived through it and we consider her healing a medical miracle.

If you plan on living to be quite old, I’d like to help you. This year I am becoming certified as a personal trainer. I’ve decided to specialize in senior care. To combine my passion of nutrition and exercise to help our future seniors stay healthy for a long, long time. It’s my mission to create a new paradigm in aging.

I grew up overweight, I ate a lot of processed foods and was not sporty at all. My grandparents were an integral part of my life. They gave me unconditional love, a foundation for spirituality, a respect for elders, and an enjoyment of being around the elderly that has never gone away. We live in a culture that is so focused on youth that we have forgotten our elders. There is so much wisdom to be found from this population.

When I first moved to Manhattan I would volunteer weekly at a Manhattan nursing home. This was my favorite night of the week. It was sing-a-long night and we just had fun. I would hold their hands, sing with them and relieve their loneliness for a little while each week. But guess who else was being relieved of their loneliness? That’s right. Me. I started out doing it for them, but I think I kept returning for me. They offered a sense of community to a young woman alone in Manhattan, and each night I spent with them felt like I was paying homage to my beloved grandparents.

As I learned about the power of nutrition and exercise, I healed myself from several ailments. I have never felt stronger or healthier in my entire life. I love letting women know that their best years can still be ahead of them and that you’re never too old to become fit. I didn’t begin formal exercise until my 40′s! I say formal because in NYC we walk a lot.

One of my favorite quotes is “You don’t have to be great to begin, but you do have to begin, to be great.”

It just feels right to give back and be around a community of people that has given so very much to us, and who we have so much more to learn from. It’s selfish really. The longer they live, the more we learn. So to our mothers, our grand mothers, and our future, I thank you.