Aging Gracefully

For many fitness professionals the externally based standard to look perfect is tough even in youth. The mature years complicate the mix with wrinkles, gray hairs and, well, droopy knees. Know, however, that when it comes to aging we may choose to totally succumb, fight "kicking and screaming" or find a middle ground--and age gracefully.

Choosing grace over pressure in a society that prizes external values requires self-awareness and personal development. The following life-coaching exercises, if practiced consistently, will help you transform the way you look and feel. Note that there are no "right" answers. The exercises are designed to help you discover answers for wherever you are in your personal and professional journey.

Aging Gracefully Workout

Are you living a life congruent with your values? Motivational guru Anthony Robbins describes your values as your life's compass; without them, you feel lost. Are you caught up in life's "shoulds"? Do you have to teach 15 classes a week, take sole responsibility for your aging parents, master a headstand and keep a perfectly organized home?

Exercise: Ask yourself "What matters most to me?" Assign your answers to bigger values: freedom, integrity, love, spirituality, beauty, security, order, peace, health, pleasure. Look for values that provide your personal blueprint. Write down your top 5 values, review them daily and live by them.

Strength Training

Do you compare yourself to others or to a self-imposed standard? Do you have the strength of character to model total well-being and self-acceptance in an externally based industry? Forget perfect! W Mitchell survived two life-threatening accidents that left him paralyzed from the waist down, with stubs as fingers and more than 65% of his body burned. He is a professional speaker who changes lives based on who tie is, not on how he looks. He spreads this powerful message: "It's not what happens to you; it's what you do about it!"

Exercise: Look in the mirror. Do you see a flabby inner thigh or a body that has conceived a child; a line on your face or kind eyes with a twinkle? Set yourself free. Make a list of your 5 best traits and review them daily, gratefully.

Flexibility Training

Do you stretch all sides of you? Marian Diamond, PhD, a neuroanatomist from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that "successfully aging" requires "redirecting" our lives through new pursuits and ideas. Filling our lives with new activities stimulates brain growth and keeps us passionate and vibrant. The ...