Growing Bolder Magazine: Vol. 23

BATTLING CANCER ONE MARATHON AT A TIME  HERE COMES THE 'GERIATHLETE™'

Rebranding Aging®

MOM WAS RIGHT ABOUT POSTURE LEARN THE HAPPINESS EQUATION

MELVIN JUST KEEPS MOVING This Dance Master is Tapping His Heart Out for a Good Cause.

Movin' Melvin Brown

putt

shop

savor create

swim

trim

play

sway

We've Thought of Everything!

Live life to the fullest at Solivita, a celebrated and award-winning active adult community in Central Florida. Each of our 4,200 acres and 150,000 sq. ft. of stellar amenities was imagined and executed solely with you in mind. It’s no wonder that over 7,000 folks from around the area and across the nation have chosen to call Solivita home.

New and Move-in Ready Homes from the high $100s to $400s.

Visit our New Home Sales Center and 10 Model Homes.

We’ve thought of everything.

Call 800.854.2417. Or visit AVHomesInc.com/Solivita 395 Village Drive, Kissimmee, Florida 34759

Pricing, availability and promotions subject to change without notice. Pursuant to the Fair Housing Act, this housing is intended for occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older per home, although the occupants of a limited number of the homes may be younger, but no one under 18 years of age may be in permanent residence. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required or if void by law. Please review the full list of restrictions and disclosures at www.avhomesinc.com/terms-conditions.AV Homes™ and Solivita™ are exclusive trademarks and service marks ofAV Homes Inc. © 2016 AV Homes, Inc. All rights reserved. CBC#1260030 CBC#1254889

CONTENTS MAY/JUNE 2016

FEATURE

TAPPING INTO HEALTH

DEPARTMENTS 5 | FROM THE EDITOR 6 | GROWING BOLDER WITH ...

12 20 | BOLDER HEALTH Overexposure to those radiant rays can be deadly. By Jackie Carlin

Movin' Melvin Brown dances to entertain, stay fit and change the world.

BY JACKIE CARLIN

30 | THE TAKEAWAY To really appreciate your progress, jettison perfection. By Jillian Michaels BATTLING CANCER ONE MARATHON AT A TIME  HERE COMES THE 'GERIATHLETE™'

7 | THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH At 92, she's battling cancer one marathon at a time. By Marc Middleton ®

22 | BOLDER FITNESS Here's a practical primer on proper posture. By Katy Widrick

REBRANDING AGING®

MOM WAS RIGHT ABOUT POSTURE LEARN THE HAPPINESS EQUATION

8 | NEVER TOO LATE ® A filmmaker's dream finally comes true. By Jackie Carlin

25 | BOLDER HEALTH Caregivers must stay healthy for their loved ones. By Bill Shafer

9 | ROAD TO RECOVERY Stand up straight: It really could save your life. By Robert Masson, M.D.

26 | TEAM GROWING BOLDER Let's get moving! Team Growing Bolder hits the streets.

10 | 5 QUESTIONS Neil Pasricha's equation makes positivity predictable. By Jackie Carlin

28 | SURVIVING & THRIVING ® A hole in her heart, then a whole new start. By Bill Shafer

4 GROWING BOLDER

MELVIN JUST KEEPS MOVING This Dance Master is Tapping His Heart Out for a Good Cause.

Movin' Melvin Brown

ON THE COVER: Movin' Melvin Brown knew that his fans left his shows feeling happy — but he wondered how long they stayed that way.

Helping people find perpetual joy in living has been his mission ever since.

MAY/JUNE 2016

FROM THE EDITOR

Editor-in-Chief Marc Middleton Managing Editor Jackie Carlin Associate Editors Bill Shafer, Katy Widrick Contributing Writers Robert Masson, M.D. Additional Photography Ryan Bethke, Erick Regnard, F. Sansalone, Fred Thate Digital Development and Production Jason Morrow, Pat Narciso, Josh Doolittle, Mike Nanus

407-406-5910 One Purlieu Place, Suite 139 Winter Park, FL 32792 GrowingBolderMagazine.com All editorial content copyright 2016 by Bolder Broadcasting Inc. Growing Bolder is a registered trademark of Bolder Broadcasting Inc. Nothing may be reprinted in part or in whole without written permission from Bolder Broadcasting Inc.

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

FLORIDA HOME MEDIA Group Publisher Randy Noles Art Director Jenna Carberg CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Harry Wessel Florida Home Media’s Family of Publications: WHAT DO MILLENNEALS WANT?  BOOMERS EMBRACE EASY LIVING

HOMEBUYER ORLANDO FLORIDA

BEST NEW-HOME MAGAZINE WINNER SINCE 2004

artsLife

SPRING 2016

Inside the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

APRIL/MAY/JUNE APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2016 2016 thefloridahomebuyer.com thefloridahomebuyer.com

SLEEK AND STYLISH The Palmetto by Mattamy Homes in Tapestry.

400 SPRING 2016 | $3.99

Red-Shouldered Hawk

by John Costin

NEW HOMES READY NOW

In Print and Online

NEW-HOME LISTINGS SPONSORED BY:

TRUSTCO BANK Your Home Town Bank R

Our annual education directory, ranging from kindergartens to colleges.

SPOTLIGHT ON SHOWS

MUSIC, COMEDY, BROADWAY & MAGIC. , SUMMER CAMPS • VOLUNTEERS • UNWRAPPED TM LIVE!

407-647-0225 2700 Westhall Lane, Suite 220 Maitland, FL 32751 GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

HERE COMES THE GERIATHLETE ™

B

ack in the good old days, old really wasn’t old. Modern man has been on the planet about 200,000 years, and for 99.9 percent of that time, the average lifespan was 35. In 1900, the average lifespan was 45, so an “old” person was unusual — even rare.

The word “geriatric,” first used in 1909, was derived from the Latin word “gere,” meaning “to grow old.” It was simply a statement of fact, not a pejorative. Indeed, since so few people were fortunate enough to grow old, it was usually a mark of distinction. It certainly didn't carry a negative connotation, nor was it used as a term of derision, as it is today.

Not all older people live in a state of disease, disability and morbidity. Many are active, independent, engaged and vital individuals. Yes, they’re “old”— but only because they’ve been alive for so many years. It would be inaccurate to call them “young” and ageist to call them “young-like,” which would suggest that the qualities they possess are unsuitable for older people.

Why do I care about the semantics of aging? Because we need age descriptors that are value-free. We’ve allowed our youth-obsessed culture to ascribe a negative value to all words that mean a person is no longer young. Growing old is a good thing, with the potential to be a great thing. We should all aspire to be old — and to make that stage of our lives as positive, meaningful and joyful as possible.

We need to reclaim the terms of aging that have become negative. We’re beginning with the word "geriatric" and using it as the basis for a new word of our own — GeriAthlete™.

You don’t have to participate in sports to be a GeriAthlete™. All you have to do is make movement and the fitness derived from movement — functional fitness — part of your daily life. If you do that, you’re a GeriAthlete™ — and that’s a very good thing.

Speaking of very good things, we’re excited to announce the expansion of Growing Bolder® and Surviving & Thriving® to WESH-TV and WESH.com in the Central Florida market. Growing Bolder will begin airing on WESH’s MeTV every Saturday morning at 7​​a.m.​b​ eginning May 14. The three-time Emmy Award​-nominated Surviving & Thriving will begin airing on WESH this summer. Check out GrowingBolder.com for more information.  Marc Middleton, Editor-in-Chief marcmiddleton@growingbolder.com GROWING BOLDER 5

GROWING BOLDER WITH

JUDI SHEPPARD MISSETT

71

Fitness Innovator

“People hear ‘Jazzercise’ and think we’re still the same workout phenomenon that became popular in the ‘80s. We’ve been around for nearly 50 years, and every decade we’ve made a major transitional change. It’s not easy to change; people don’t always like change. But in business and in life, you have to reach out and make sure you’re serving people as best you can. Much like Growing Bolder, Jazzercise is all about empowerment. I think we’re still here because, at our core, we’re centered on making people feel good, helping people get healthy and giving back to the community.”

Judi Sheppard Misset started Jazzercise in Chicago in 1969, when she was still a student at Northwestern University teaching jazz dance classes to non-dancers. She simplified the process, basing the workouts in dance but with easy-to-follow routines. Today, more than 8,000 instructors around the world teach Jazzercise classes. Sheppard remains the CEO of the company.

STELLA PARTON

66

Entertainer

“I’ve been through divorce. I’ve been through domestic violence. I’ve seen horrible things happen to very good women. I feel like I need to be an advocate, and use the bad things that happened to me as positives. I wake up every day and try to inspire somebody else. You know that old saying about turning lemons into lemonade?

Well, I make lemon pie, too. I teach at the New Opportunity School for women at Berea College in Kentucky, where I take all the things I’ve learned over the years and help other women. I have a cosmetology background, so I try to teach women how to do their hair, makeup or dress themselves when they don’t have a lot of money. It’s not about how much money you have; it’s about how creative you are.”

Stella Parton is a singer, songwriter, actress, author, speaker, philanthropist, and yes, Dolly Parton’s younger sister. She’s released 16 albums, charted numerous country singles and has notched appearances on TV, Broadway and in film. Her latest album is Mountain Songbird: A Sister's Tribute.

LEE BRISTOL

67

Humanitarian “I’m retired, and now is the time to give back and, more importantly, to do what I really want to do. I love Haiti and Tanzania, and to go there and be able to do something useful is very satisfying. I’m a hippie from the old days, and I first got interested in alternative technologies back in the ‘70s.

I would love to inspire more retired people to make a difference. I need volunteers who can use the skills they developed during their working lives and aim them in this direction. I think there’s a lot of people who want to help; they just need to find the right fit.”

Through his company, Global Solace, Lee Bristol is bringing renewable and reliable energy to the places and people that need it most — the 2 billion people living in energy poverty in the developing world. He’s on a mission to implement solar systems and add computer networks to rural schools and health clinics in countries such as Haiti, Tanzania and South Africa.

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our entire Growing Bolder Radio conversations with Judi Sheppard Missett, Stella Parton and Lee Bristol.

6 GROWING BOLDER

MAY/JUNE 2016

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH 

RECORD-BREAKER At 92, She's Battling Cancer One Marathon at a Time.

BY MARC MIDDLETON

photo BY Ryan Bethke

H

arriette Thompson is an unintentional trailblazer who, at 92, became the oldest woman in history to finish an official 26.2mile marathon.

What makes Thompson’s story especially inspiring is that she doesn’t consider herself an athlete — and she never ran at all until she was in her late 70s.

Her motivation to run was very personal. “I’m a three-time cancer survivor, and I lost both of my parents, my three brothers and my husband to cancer,” she says. “I started to run marathons to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.”

Thompson only runs one marathon a year, and it’s always the San Diego Marathon. She’s run it 16 times so far, raising more than $100,000 for cancer research.

“All of the money raised goes to the

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which is why I chose the San Diego Marathon,” she says. “There are always so many people who have pledged so much money. Thinking about their generosity keeps me going and puts me over the finish line.”

It took Thompson 7 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds to finish her historic marathon, and she enjoyed every difficult and painful moment of it. “Young people run by me and say, ‘You’re the reason I’m running,’” she says. “It makes me feel so good to know that at my age, I can still do something to help and inspire others.”

Thompson is currently undergoing radiation treatment on one of her legs, and has been unable to train for this year’s marathon on June 5. “I still have a wound on my leg from the radiation, but if it heals and I can train a little, I’ll compete again,”

Harriette Thompson, a cancer survivor, became the oldest woman in history to finish an official 26.2-mile marathon.

she adds. “I think I can break my record.”

A little bit of training may be all she needs, because Thompson doesn’t train like a typical marathon runner. “I don’t run or even walk very far,” she explains.

“I save myself for the race itself. But I do exercise every day.”

Thompson likes to swim, practice yoga and take exercise classes. She also does some strength training with weights for her arms and legs. “At my age, you have to keep moving,” she says.

Harriette Thompson is an ordinary woman who has accomplished something extraordinary — reminding us all what’s possible.

“My advice to others? Think positively, keep moving and find a way to help others,” she says. “I would have never imagined, in a million years, that I would be a marathon runner in my 90s, raising money to help fight cancer. But that’s exactly what I am.” 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our conversation with Harriette Thompson and to learn more about her fundraising efforts for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

GROWING BOLDER 7

NEVER TOO LATE  Grossman (right) says he hopes his example will inspire others to pursue their dreams. In The Boat Builder, actors Christopher Lloyd and Tekola Cornetet play a curmudgeonly mariner and a frightened orphan.

FRESH NEW FACE A Filmmaker's Dream Finally Comes True.

BY JACKIE CARLIN

I

t’s never too late to achieve your dream, even if your dream is to direct a feature film. Just ask the filmmaker who's helming his first movie in his 80s.

Arnold Grossman is the writerdirector behind a new independent film, The Boat Builder, starring Christopher Lloyd of the Back to the Future series and Jane Kaczmarek from the hit TV show Malcolm in the Middle.

Grossman wasn’t a stranger to film sets, having written commercials and even an episode of The Love Boat. He had also directed several commercials and documentaries. But his unfulfilled dream was to direct a feature film.

“At that time, I hadn't heard of Growing Bolder, but I could've said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to approach it as boldly as I can,’” he says.

The Boat Builder tells the story of a curmudgeonly hermit mariner, played by Lloyd, and a frightened young orphan, played by 12-year-old Tekola Cornetet. As they work together repairing an old boat,

8 GROWING BOLDER

they soon discover that they have more in common than they could have imagined.

Grossman says the film, which was released in 2015 to positive reviews, reflects the advice of his college creative writing professor, who urged aspiring storytellers to write about what they know and what they feel strongly about.

A few years ago, Grossman heard about a troubled orphaned boy who was routinely bounced from one foster home to another. The boy was soon faced with being sent to an institution, which terrified him.

At the same time, a relative’s father was experiencing a similar problem, fearing that because of his age he would be sent to an institution as well.

“He was a man who valued his freedom above everything else, and he saw it being threatened with each passing year,” Grossman says. “I had the idea to put the two of them together in a story, and that became The Boat Builder.”

He says it was a theme both he and the 77-year-old Lloyd could immediately relate

to, and he thinks it helped them bond despite the fact that Grossman was a first-time director working with a Hollywood legend.

In fact, at their first meeting, Grossman offered to step aside and offer up his script to a more seasoned director if that would make Lloyd feel more comfortable.

Recalls Grossman: “He gave me that wonderful Christopher Lloyd look and said, ‘Wait a minute. Did I not sign a contract to work with you? Yes. Did I not know I’d be working with a first-time director?

Yes. Then what are we wasting our time for?

Sit down. I’ll have your back.’”

Lloyd, Grossman adds, “has a wonderful sense of humor about everything, and he did have my back throughout the entire shoot.”

Grossman says he hopes other people, particularly those who think they’re too old to pursue their dreams, will be inspired by his example. He admits that it’s easy to get intimidated when trying something new.

“But if you show you’re intimidated, you’re going to have problems,” he says.

“Just do your best to keep moving forward.

Honor the past, learn from the past, but by all means, start living in the present and in the future. That’s what guides me.” 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our full Growing Bolder Radio conversation with Arnold Grossman. Plus, we’ll tell you how you can see The Boat Builder.

MAY/JUNE 2016

ROAD TO RECOVERY Editor’s note: Katy Widrick, NASM-certified personal trainer and AFAA group exercise instructor, offers simple exercises to correct FHP and improve the overall quality of your life on page 22. muscles and can lead to premature death.

That’s why sitting is being called “the new smoking.” If you spend all day at a desk, you might want to experiment with a stand-up desk. If you can’t work standing up, make an effort to interrupt your sitting frequently.

Strive to get up and move around several times every hour throughout the day.

POSTURE

Masson says poor posture and sitting too much can cause spinal problems and other health issues.

MOM WAS RIGHT Stand Up Straight: It Really Could Save Your Life.

By Robert Masson, M.D.

I

t’s been said that one of the keys to a healthy life is a healthy spine, and I can’t disagree. Unfortunately, 80 percent of us will experience spinal problems in our lifetime. The good news is, maintaining good spinal health and overall fitness can prevent most problems.

There are two areas, in particular, on which we should all focus every day — GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

minimizing the time we spend sitting and optimizing our posture.

Gravity keeps our tissues strong by exerting continuous forces on our bodies — but it can be extremely damaging if our alignment or posture is poor. And, unfortunately, for most of us, they are.

We’re all born with differences in the way our feet, hips and pelvis are connected. We all have a slightly different curvature of the spine. Alignment issues, faulty body mechanics and excess weight have conspired to create an epidemic of poor posture, which is the leading cause of back pain and worse.

Further, our daily lives are now filled with texting on smartphones, typing on laptops, playing video games, driving cars and lying on the couch.

This has resulted in a rapidly increasing incidence of Forward Head Posture, or FHP, which raises your risk for fractures and can lead to headaches, low bone density, neck and shoulder pain, impaired nerve function, decreased lung capacity and even depression.

I’m a surgeon who believes that surgery is best avoided whenever possible. My first prescription is always the same: improve your overall fitness.

A great place to start is by reducing the amount of time you spend sitting, overcoming your alignment deficiencies and improving your posture. This minimizes the negative effects of gravitational forces that stress our structure and hamper our ability to navigate life. 

SITTING Are you sitting down as you read this? Prolonged sitting increases your risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and blood-vessel problems.

It lowers your metabolism and energy level, puts pressure on your discs, fatigues your

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to watch more of Dr. Robert Masson’s Road to Recovery Minutes.

GROWING BOLDER 9

5 QUESTIONS Neil Pasricha is one of the most popular TED speakers of all time.

Author's Equation Makes Positivity Predictable.

By Jackie Carlin

10 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

MAY/JUNE 2016

photo BY Fred Thate

The Formula For Happiness

neil PASRICHA

is a New York Times bestselling author. His first book, The Book of Awesome, has been published in 10 countries and sold more than 1 million copies. Pasricha is also one of the most popular TED speakers of all time, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He became director of the Institute for Global Happiness after a decade running leadership development inside Walmart. One of the world’s leading advocates of positivity and simple pleasures, Pasricha is now presenting a formula for a happy life in his new book, The Happiness Equation.

Did you wake up happy today?

Actually, no! I’m on a book tour and my first interview was at 5:20 a.m. But that’s sort of the point of the book — happiness is a choice, and you need to invest in it. So I did my daily 10 minutes of meditation, and then I was happy. It’s just about doing the exercises.

On the cover of The Happiness Equation, you lay out the formula: "Want nothing (contentment) + do anything (freedom) = have everything." How did you come up with that?

Every year for the past few years, I’ve been invited to be a guest speaker at this incredible conference for the highest-potential 15to 17-year-olds in the country. I used to get questions like, “How do I get into a good school?” Or, “How do I make more money?”

Now, they ask me: “How do I reduce my anxiety?” “How do I find balance?” “How do I get more space in my life?” “How do I become a better friend?” Their values are shifting. The equation on the front of the book reflects our shifting values system. We want freedom; we want contentment. Those are the two big things that help our happiness.

In the book, you remind everybody to remember the lottery. What do you mean?

There are 115 billion people who have ever lived. You get to be one of the 7 billion people alive today. That means 14 out of every 15 GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

people who’ve ever lived will never have a bowl of chocolate ice cream again, they’ll never kiss their kids good night, they’ll never see another sunset. You’ve already won the lottery; you get to enjoy any or all of those small pleasures.

We only get, on average, 25,000 sunsets in our lives. So I’m saying, enjoy it. If you make more than $5,000, you’re already exceeding the world average income. If you’re in the U.S., you’re in one of the happiest countries in the world, although I know it doesn’t always feel that way. Remembering the lottery is about taking a step back and remembering how lucky you are to be alive.

You’re not a big fan of retirement.

Why not?

I call retirement “the dream we all have that is completely wrong.” Listen, retirement was invented out of the blue in Germany in 1889 when Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck had a youth unemployment issue. He said, “I have an idea. If you’re 65 years or older, you can leave if you want and we’ll pay you a little bit of money until you die.” Well, the average lifespan then was 67 years old. Now we’re living longer, and we want to retire earlier. The problem is, we don’t actually want to do nothing. We actually want the four S’s — social, stimulation, structure and story. I don’t care if you’re making money, but you have to be doing something you love. The average lifespan in Okinawa is seven years longer than ours, and they don’t even have a word for retirement.

One of the words they do have is “ikigai.” What does that mean?

It’s a Japanese term that means “the reason you get up in the morning.” They have more

100-year-olds in Okinawa than anywhere else in the world. Last Christmas, I gave my wife an ikigai card. It cost 10 cents. It’s a piece of paper folded in half, and you leave it on your bedside table. She’s a teacher, and she wrote down “to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.” As a writer, I wrote down “to spread happiness throughout organizations.” When you open your eyes in the morning, your ikigai card tells you where you’re going. If you know where you’re going, you feel more productive and happier throughout your day.

One bonus question: Where should we start on our journey to feeling more fulfilled?

Start by setting a 20-minute reminder in your calendar. What I see in society is everyone walks around with gym memberships. We all know we need to train our physical health. I’d love to see people take 20 minutes a day and invest it in their happiness. I’d love to hear people say, “Oh, I missed my 20 minutes of journaling at lunch, so I’m going to do it tonight.” Or, you could go for a walk, meditate, write down five things that make you feel gratitude or perform a random act of kindness.

If you invest just 20 minutes a day for 20 days in a row working on your happiness, you’ll be more productive, more creative, and I’ll throw in an extra 3,000 days of life because happier people live, on average, 10 years longer. 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our Growing Bolder Radio conversation with Neil Pasricha and to learn what life-changing event inspired him to write The Happiness Equation.

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 11

12 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

MAY/JUNE 2016

TAPPING

INTO HEALTH Movin' Melvin Brown Dances to Entertain, Stay Fit and Change the World.

BY JACKIE CARLIN

Brown started dancing in school, at age 5, and knew from that point on that he wanted to be an entertainer.

T

What makes Brown happy? “Well, I got up this morn­ing!” he says. “When I get up in the morn­ing, I celebrate that I’m alive. Everything that can happen in life happens from this moment on.”

hroughout most of his 70 years, singing and dancing has taken Movin’ Melvin Brown on an incredible journey.

He’s appeared in movies, worked with legends such as B.B. King, James Brown and Lionel Richie, and performed at Maya Angelou’s 80th birthday celebration at the invitation of Oprah Winfrey.

He’s sung with gospel choirs and doowop bands and written stage shows that cel­ebrate black musical history. In addition, he's been a tireless advocate for the homeless, particu­larly teens and the elderly, near his home in Austin, Texas.

Now Brown has found his greatest passion yet — inspiring others, especially those who think their dancing days are done, to dance their way to health.

Brown has known for his entire life that 14 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

he wanted to entertain others.

“When I was 5 years old, on my very first day of school, the teacher asked if anybody could dance,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘What kind of question is that? Everybody dances.’ Where I came from, when music came on, you just danced. You didn’t even think about it.”

So, of course, Brown raised his hand.

The teacher asked him to demonstrate, and he performed a dance called the Huck-

lebuck. “Everybody clapped and yelled for me,” he says. “From that point on, I was an entertainer.”

When you find your passion, you’re always looking for ways to make it an even bigger part of your life, regardless of your age. That’s how Brown found himself learning to tap dance in his mid-40s.

At the time, he was starting the Change the World Project, dedicated to building a facility where children and elderly people MAY/JUNE 2016

We Practice What We Teach.

We are UCF Health

UCF

Health

College of Medicine Practice

As UCF College of Medicine physicians, scientists and teachers, we’re discovering innovative solutions to today’s medical challenges. And at UCF Health, we bring these advancements to you.

LAKE NONA MEDICAL CITY

Schedule an appointment at 407-266-DOCS or UCFHealth.com

UNIVERSITY BLVD. EAST ORLANDO

who are homeless can live together. He knew that to make the project a reality, he needed to earn more money. But he also wanted to see more of the world, entertaining people along the way.

A friend suggested that he call a promoter in Canada who organized festivals.

“I called him up and said, ‘I’d like to perform at one of your festivals,’” Brown says.

“He said, ‘What do you do?’ I said, ‘I sing …’ and there was this big pause and I said, ‘...and I tap dance!’ He said, ‘Great! We’ve never had a tap dancer before.’”

The only problem was, Brown wasn’t a tap dancer. In fact, he’d never tap danced 16 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

before. “[The promoter] soon called me back and said he had six festivals lined up for me,” he says. “So I had about five months to learn to tap dance.”

As he tells his story, Brown’s most prominent characteristic reveals itself — his booming, infectious laugh. It’s the kind of laugh that makes it impossible to keep a straight face yourself.

Bottom line: Brown became a tap dancer — and a really good one at that. “After the first festival, the promoter came over to me and said, ‘You were great! You must have been doing this all your life!’”

Cue Brown’s laugh. What exactly makes

him so happy? “Well, I got up this morning!” he says. “When I get up in the morning, I celebrate that I’m alive. Everything that can happen in life happens from this moment on.”

Over the past 25 years, Brown has honed his showmanship skills. Today, he travels around the world, from Australia to Scotland, entertaining audiences with old-fashioned song-and-dance shows that feature a little singing, a little dancing, a little comedy and a lot of fun. The shows are also physically demanding, lasting from 90 minutes to two hours, nonstop.

It’s audience response that keeps Brown MAY/JUNE 2016

photo BY F. Sansalone

It's audience response that keeps Brown going. "When people leave my show, they leave happy," he promises.

THE MOST

ACCURATE AMY SWEEZEY | MORNINGS 4:30 AM - 9 AM

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 17

Brown's Change the World project is dedicated to building a facility where children and elderly people who are homeless can live together.

18 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

to question whether he’s qualified to offer advice. “And I say, ‘Well I didn’t go to medical school but I’m an expert on me!’ I want people to become experts on themselves.”

Brown says people need to learn “how to listen to their bodies and know what’s going on inside their heads so they can put their lives into place and be happy.”

Energized by his mission to make a difference and his passion to help others find joy, Brown says he feels that the best part of his life is right now.

Brown’s Change the World project has bought 100 acres near Austin. And he’s raising money to build that much-needed home for children and the elderly through performanc-

es and the sale of his CDs, DVDs and books.

“My energy is up,” he says. “I’ve got unlimited potential for my life from this moment on. If you live in the moment, then that means you’re not thinking about the past or the future, but you’ve got unlimited potential right now, in the present. If you get up and live with that attitude, you can be happy.” 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our Growing Bolder Radio conversation and hear Movin’ Melvin Brown’s infectious laugh for yourself.

You can also learn more about his Change the World project.

MAY/JUNE 2016

photo BY Erick Regnard

going. “When people leave my show, they leave happy,” he promises.

He started to worry, though, whether or not audience members were holding on to those happy feelings even after the shows ended. He then decided that he wanted to help others tap into the zest for life that keeps him dancing.

“I wanted to help people learn some of the things that keep me healthy and happy,” Brown explains. So he wrote a book called Simple Health and Happiness and created a workshop called Tap Into Health, which includes a book and DVD. He says he knows he’s “just” an entertainer, and that fact sometimes causes people

FROM OUR BROADCAST PARTNERS IN JACKSONVILLE AND West Palm Beach

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 19

BOLDER HEALTH

Weinstein shows a patient how unprotected exposure to the sun's rays can impact facial skin.

SUNSCREEN 101 Overexposure to Those Radiant Rays Can be Deadly.

BY JACKIE CARLIN

A

s the weather heats up, the urge to get outdoors and soak in the sun’s rays is irresistible. Sunlight is great for your psyche and is the top source for vitamin D, which your body requires to absorb calcium and promote bone growth.

Of course, as is the case with most everything else, too much isn’t good for you.

The sun is to blame for 90 percent of skin aging, including wrinkles and brown spots. More importantly, it’s directly tied to the millions of new cases of skin cancers that will be treated this year.

In the U.S., the numbers are scary: This year, there’ll be more new cases of skin cancer than the number of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer diagnoses — combined. Perhaps no group is more vulnerable than the 10,000 Americans who turn 65 every day.

“A significant portion of the patients I’m seeing are there for age-related issues,” says David Weinstein, M.D., a dermatologist at UCF Health and a professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.

“And I have one piece of advice that every20 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

one needs to follow: sunblock, sunblock, sunblock. That’s absolutely the most important thing you can do for yourself.”

Weinstein says there’s no longer any denying the large body of research that proves sunblock’s life-saving ability. “Sunblock decreases not only run-of-the-mill skin cancer, but also serious melanoma,” he says.

The Skin Cancer Foundation says that one person dies of melanoma every hour in this country, and an estimated 76,380 new cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed this year. In other words, skipping sunblock is extremely risky.

Of course, sunblock wasn’t always as widely accepted or used. In fact, in past years, it wasn’t uncommon for people to lather themselves up in baby oil before tanning for hours and hours. But if you’re worried that too much damage is already done, you’re wrong.

“Much like it’s never too late to quit smoking, it’s never too late to start protecting your skin from the sun,” Weinstein says. “If you previously abused your skin in the sun, you may still experience some skin cancers down

the road. But I encourage my patients to not be dissuaded by their history.”

By using sunblock from this point forward, Weinstein adds, you’re decreasing the amount of skin cancer you otherwise would have gotten. But if Weinstein finds that patients are unmoved by the health argument, he'll appeal to their vanity.

“I show them pictures of people who use sunblock versus those who don’t,” Weinstein says. “There’s no doubt that sunblock dramatically prevents the development of wrinkles and dark spots.”

The bottom line? Those who’ve used sunblock over a five-year period look younger than those who haven’t, he notes.

Weinstein is excited about advances in the field of skin cancer — particularly Mohs surgery, a different kind of procedure.

“Mohs surgery is tissue-sparing, and allows us to only cut those areas where the skin cancer is,” he says. “And it still helps us to ensure that all of the skin cancer has been removed at the end of the procedure, before we close up the surgical hole.”

Mohs isn’t appropriate for all skin cancers, Weinstein says, but it’s something every patient who's been diagnosed should ask his or her dermatologist about. 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our entire conversation with Dr. David Weinstein.

MAY/JUNE 2016

WITH THE RIGHT LOCATION AND THE RIGHT PRICE, DEL WEBB ORLANDO IS ACTIVE-ADULT LIVING AT ITS BEST!

Yes, we have homes ready now! Move into your new home this Spring.

Abbeyville

Summerwood

$247,850 Available Now

$270,250 Available Now

Taft Street

Summerwood

$225,630 Available Now

$277,210 Available Now

Del Webb Orlando Amenities • 30,800 sq.ft. clubhouse with 30+ clubs & classes • Resort-style pool & spa • Indoor heated pool & spa • TechnoGym fitness center

Taft Street

• Tennis, pickle ball, bocce ball

$225,750 Available Now

• Outdoor firepit & amphitheater

Del Webb Orlando

• Billiards, craft room, and ballroom

225 Ridgewood Lakes Blvd., Davenport, FL 33837 866-671-3330 | delwebb.com/DWO

• Fishing pier & walking trails

• Full time on-site Lifestyle Director

NOT TOO BIG, NOT TOO SMALL, THE COMMUNITY THAT’S JUST RIGHT! At Del Webb communities, at least one resident must be 55 years of age or older, no one under 19 (18 in certain communities) in permanent residence, and additional restrictions apply. Some residents may be younger than 55. This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required or if void by law. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Information subject to change. Contact a sales consultant for details. CGC1515415. ©2016 Pulte Home Corporation. All rights reserved. 3/31/16

BOLDER FITNESS

Normal Posture

2 inches Forward

3 inches Forward

12 lbs.

32 lbs.

42 lbs.

Every inch of Forward Head Posture can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.

HEAD'S UP!

 Gently lean or take a very small step forward, so you start to feel a little bit of tension through your chest. For an even deeper stretch, gently turn your head to the right, away from your bent arm.

Here's a Practical Primer on Proper Posture.

 Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

By katy widrick “Posture is the key to life.”

—Mark Twain

A

fter Dr. Masson’s warning about the causes and long-term effects of poor posture, did you find yourself rolling your shoulders, or perhaps stretching your neck by bringing your ear down to your shoulder to try to get out the kinks?

That’s a great start! But there’s much more you can do to start correcting the muscle imbalances and posture problems that can lead to the multiple health problems Dr. Masson addressed.

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), for every inch your head juts forward from where it should be, your neck muscles take on a load that roughly equals 10 extra pounds.

And if you spend a lot of time on the computer, drive a vehicle for several hours a day, lean over your work (chefs and surgeons, especially) or carry heavy equipment as part of your job, you’re even more 22 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

 Switch sides and do the stretch with your right arm. at risk than the average person.

That’s the bad news. But the really good news is that a few easy stretches and exercise routines can make a big difference.

1

FOAM ROLLING Foam rolling (or self-myofascial release, if you want to impress your friends) can help overactive muscles relax. Using a foam roller (or tennis ball for smaller spots), you can essentially break down the knots and prepare your body for the other stretches.

2

DOORWAY PEC STRETCHES

 Standing in a doorway, place your left forearm on the frame, perpendicular to the ground, so your arm and elbow forms an “L” shape.

 Repeat five times.  Note: if you’re able to do both arms at the same time, even better! Just be sure that you don’t lean so far forward that you fall.

3

FLOOR COBRA

 Using a yoga mat to protect your body, lie down on your stomach with your arms at your sides and palms facing the floor.  Drawing in your belly button and squeezing your shoulder blades together, gently lift your face, chest and hands off the floor.  Hold for two or three seconds before lowering back to the starting position.  Repeat 10 times.

MAY/JUNE 2016

4 BRIDGE POSE

 To strengthen the gluteus maximus and help correct any back issues, try a floor bridge! Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.  With your arms by your sides, engage your core and try to contract or squeeze your glutes.  Pushing up through your heels, lift your hips off the floor until your hips, knees and shoulders are all in alignment, then hold at the top.  Repeat 10 times.

The bridge pose can help strengthen the gluteus maximus and help correct back issues.

hands around your kneecap and keeping your elbows close to your body.

5

 Gently lower that knee, and do the same move on the other side.

 Standing straight, bend and lift one knee toward your chest, wrapping your

These stretches, done once a day — or even a few times a day when you start to

KNEE HUGS

 Repeat 10 times.

feel tight — can make a difference. Plus, they can help counter the mental and emotional stress we face in our everyday lives.  Katy Widrick is an NASM​-certified personal trainer and an AFAA certified group exercise instructor. She's also pursuing her Certified Functional Aging Specialist certificate through the Functional Aging Institute.

• We come to you!

• Available 24/7 • Medications, equipment and supplies provided • A dedicated team of Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers, Chaplains, Hospice Aides and Volunteers assigned to your care Information 866.742.6655 www.cornerstonehospice.org

Cornerstone is committed to caring for all hospice patients regardless of payer source or ability to pay. 100% covered by Medicare & Medicaid

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 23

BOLDER HEALTH

Since undergoing spine surgery, Daniel Deutsch has achieved athletic feats he feared he'd never be able to do. In his late 40s, he says he's stronger and more active than he was in his 20s.

ORTHOSPINE UNIT OFFERS HOPE AND HELP

‘Extreme Recovery’ Approach Leaves Patient Pain Free.

BY Jackie Carlin

A

car accident left Daniel Deutsch in constant pain and barely able to move. After searching for the right medical care to treat his spine fractures and ruptured discs, he found

the help and the hope he was looking for in Orlando HealthHealth Central Hospital and renowned neurosurgeon Robert Masson, M.D. “Once I actually found Dr. Masson, the first thing he asked me was, ‘What are your goals?’ Wow. The other guys were talking about, ‘Well, you’ll be able to walk but you’ll be in pain,’ and, ‘If you do this major surgery, we don’t really know how bad you’ll be afterwards,’” Deutsch recalls.

He soon underwent surgery in Health Central Hospital’s highly regarded orthospine unit, led by Masson and a team of professionals dedicated to “extreme recovery.”

“We pride ourselves on hiring the best and the brightest in the industry,” says Health Central Hospital COO Rick Smith. “One point of failure is one point too many.”

Deutsch could feel the difference immediately after surgery.

“Within the first 90 days, my body fat percentage just plummeted and I dropped 26 pounds. I started feeling so much more energy,” Deutsch says. “One year after surgery, I went from using a walker to lifting almost 400 pounds, which I’d never done before. And I'm 100 percent pain free.”

“Spine surgery doesn’t solve the burdens of fitness, nutrition, prevention or judgment,” cautions Masson. “I stress to my patients that their participation in their own health and recovery is much more important than my role. You have to take responsibility. You have to look to a place you want to be, and then you have to go and get it. I’ve seen it time and time again — that attitude, that adjustment, is critical to the best result.” 

We can replace your joints because you can’t replace:

Take back your quality of life at Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital, the ONLY Joint Commission Certified Total Knee and Total Hip Replacement facility in the Orlando area!

To find an orthopaedic physician near you visit OrlandoHealth.com HealthCentral.org

24 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

Connect with Us:

MAY/JUNE 2016

BOLDER HEALTH

FIT TO HELP

When author and fitness trainer Bethanne Weiss became a caregiver for her aging parents, she realized how important her own physical and emotional well-being had become.

Caregivers Must Stay Healthy for Their Loved Ones.

A

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

1

Discuss care issues with your parents now. My parents and I did not, and I can only hope I’m honoring their wishes.

2

Don’t expect sympathy. No one but another caregiver can really understand what you’re going through.

By BILL SHAFER s a fitness trainer, Bethanne Weiss thought she understood the importance of strength, conditioning and attitude. She’d been teaching it for decades, and even wrote a book about it: Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank.

“I believe we are all meant to move,” she says. “In fact, the 11th commandment should be, ‘Thou shalt move thy assets!’”

With her boundless energy, loud voice and Brooklyn accent, Weiss has been described as the Fran Drescher of fitness.

But she was about to be put to a test — one she never saw coming, and one she never expected would be so devastating.

She was about to become the caregiver for her parents.

Both were in their late 80s when they experienced sudden and significant declines in their physical and mental health.

Weiss stepped up to help, only to discover

Five Life Tips from Bethanne Weiss:

she was completely unprepared.

“Go to the bookstore and you’ll find books to help you through just about anything,” she says. “But there’s not much out there for those who are suddenly responsible for their parents.”

Her mother and father were placed in two different facilities based on their needs, and Weiss routinely rushed from one to the other. There were constant battles with insurance, appointments with doctors and conversations with the nursing centers' staffs.

“I was overwhelmed,” she says. “Every time the phone rang, my heart skipped. I was in a constant state of anxiety. Caregiving takes such a toll that it’s nearly impossible without having your physical and mental strength to fall back on.”

And it’s her commitment to fitness and personal well-being that has enabled her to deal with this challenge. It’s also reaffirmed her commitment to helping others

3

Be as strong and healthy as possible.

Life is going to throw you curveballs.

Be ready!

4

Put the oxygen mask on yourself first. You must help yourself to help those you love.

5 the couch! We were meant to move.

Movement is the key to health. Get off

improve their fitness to better deal with the uncertainties life has in store.

“It’s important to be in shape to help ourselves, but now I know it’s also important to be in shape to help the ones we love,” Weiss says. 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to watch our feature story with Bethanne Weiss and step inside one of Weiss' fitness classes to see how she helps others tap into their potential, too.

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 25

®

Dream. Believe. Persist.

LET'S GET MOVING! Team Growing Bolder was out in force at the Zimmerman Kiser Sutcliffe Winter Park Road Race presented by Florida Hospital. More than 4,000 runners competed, making it the largest Winter Park Road Race in history. The Growing Bolder staff was there to encourage the participants and promote the benefits of getting off the couch and making movement a part of daily life. As always, though, we were the ones inspired by the people of all ages, shapes and physical conditions who were committing to more active and healthy lifestyles. Here are just a few of the many friends we made.

Claudia Laine and Friends

Darla Bennett, 58 One of the top female finishers was 58-year-old Darla Bennett, who never ran at all until she was 39 and recovering from breast cancer. “Running changed my whole life; my eating, my daily habits, my entire outlook,” she says. “Now I run with my children, my grandchildren and my mother.

I’ve trained them all to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle. We have a lot of fun together.”

26 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

Claudia Laine is a mature exercise instructor who brought a whole group of first-timers to the event.

Claudia and her team walked two miles and enjoyed every step. “I love seeing people’s quality of life get better through exercise,” Claudia says. “We don’t have to take all those medicines. Just get started walking and it will change your life. I see it every day.”

Angelo Cusimano, 60 Angelo Cusimano was one of the top finishers among all ages. An elite athlete, Angelo admits that he gets tired and sore — but he doesn’t allow that to keep him from running.

“Instead of trying to give people free medical insurance, we need to give them free exercise opportunities,” Angelo says.

“I have a resting heart rate of about 55 beats per minute, my blood pressure is 100/60, I have about 5 percent body fat and, at 60 years old, I can outrun almost everybody.”

MAY/JUNE 2016

Healthcare starts at home. Growing Bolder is partnering with Track Shack’s world-class coaches and our renowned team of doctors, nutritionists, personal trainers and fitness experts to encourage everyone to get off the couch and get moving. Together, we’re committed to providing the tools and inspiration to help you take control of your health by making the kind of lifestyle choices that will make the rest of your life, the best of your life. For more information about joining the Team Growing Bolder movement, visit growingbolder.com/teamgb​.​

Team Growing Bolder Hits the Streets.

Ann Kahl, 86

Growing Bolder Inspiration Award Winner Ann Kahl didn’t start running until she was in her 50s. Now, she says, it keeps her alive. “You can’t just sit in a chair, you have to keep moving,” she says. “It’s changed my life. At 86, I don’t take any medications. There’s no better health insurance in the world than these running shoes on my feet. If you want to have a quality of life for as long as you live, keep moving!” Ann wore a shirt with a sign on the back that read, “You’ve just been passed by an 86 year old.” For inspiring so many to get moving, Ann Kahl was the winner of the prestigious Growing Bolder Inspiration Award.

Jerry Lardinois, 81 Jerry Lardinois’ mother died when he was 2 months old, and he was raised by his grandfather. “He told me that if you don’t give your best, the only person you’re cheating is yourself,” Jerry says. “He inspired me to work hard, and when I have a great race, I look up and say, ‘See, I’m not cheating, Grandpa!’ I love to get out of bed, put the shoes on and hit the road. Running has really kept me young. And you’re hanging around with young people, which also helps you feel young.”

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic It was great to run into many of our friends in the healthcare industry who practice what they preach, including Sean McFadden, D.O., and his team from Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic.

“The great thing about being out here is not only that you’re racing against the best,” he says. “You’re also seeing people putting in their absolute best effort to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle. We just love being involved with healthy people who love their community. Our patients inspire us all the time.”

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 27

SURVIVING & THRIVING ® With a loving family and many friends, Kimberly Ward had a lot to live for. Now, after surgery, she's more active than ever.

WHOLE-HEARTED A Hole in Her Heart, Then a Whole New Start.

BY BILL SHAFER

K

imberly Ward is a nurse. She takes care of others; it’s her passion and her career. She didn't think others would soon need to care for her.

Only 42 years old, her heart was a ticking time bomb. But she had no idea of the danger she was in; her only symptoms had been migraines accompanied by temporary vision loss.

Ward made an appointment to see her eye doctor, who, after a complete examination, suggested she might be having mini strokes, which could be symptomatic of cardiac issues. She was surprised, to say the least — and also dubious.

“I thought, ‘That couldn’t be possible,’” she says. “So, hoping to wish it all away, in my mind I cursed at the ophthalmologist and

told myself the whole thing was ridiculous.”

Still, Ward was uneasy. “I knew enough to know that denial wasn’t going to get me anywhere,” she recalls. After a few sleepless days of wondering what she should do next, she went to see heart surgeon Kevin Accola, M.D., at Florida Hospital.

Accola’s diagnosis caught her completely off guard. “I realized there was no way I could deny my way out of this,” she says.

Scans revealed a hole in her heart that had apparently been there since birth.

The doctor told Ward that she needed surgery as soon as possible. “I went from thinking there must be some mistake to wondering if I was going to die,” she says.

During surgery, Accola discovered a second hole, and was able to repair them both.

Better still, Ward’s recovery was quicker and less painful than she had feared. She says her energy level increased right away — and she wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“My husband, daughter and even my friends would comment that I had much more color in my face,” Ward says. “I guess since I had it all my life, I never knew how much it was affecting me.”

Today, Ward is more physically active than ever. She lives with a renewed appreciation for life, and is deeply grateful to the eye doctor who alerted her to the possibility of a life-threatening heart problem.

“Looking back, my ophthalmologist saved my life,” she says. Now all that’s left of her ordeal is a scar on her chest.

“I don’t mind,” she says. “I think scars make you stronger by constantly being there to remind you to be appreciative of the things you’ve had to overcome in life.” 

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to watch our feature story on Kimberly Ward's unexpected heart condition​,​and ​ hear ​her doctor share the warning signs about this life-threatening condition.

Surviving & Thriving is our three-time Emmy-nominated show dedicated to shining a spotlight on people like Kimberly Ward, who want to inspire others going through challenges by proving that there’s always hope. A new season of Surviving & Thriving debuts this summer on our new home, WESH-TV in Orlando. Visit survivingandthriving.tv to stay updated on show times and to submit your story of survival, which we may feature on the show or in Growing Bolder Magazine.

28 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

MAY/JUNE 2016

BOLDER EXPERTS

CLEANING OUT

Timely Tips from GreatTRANSITIONS®.

By Paul and Lyn Henderson

'I

need to sell my parents’ house and it is full of stuff, so what do I do?” This is one of the most common scenarios families face. These tips can minimize any frustration: • Remove essential items. If your parents are living, make sure they have what they need at the next place they call home.

• Round up your siblings. Decide who wants what. Use a point system to assign value. Settle conflicts simply, perhaps by flipping a coin.

• Hold an estate sale. Interview at least two estate-sale companies. Ask for references.

• Prepare the house to sell. Get a pre-listing home inspection to identify issues that need prompt attention. Use an SRES®Certified Realtor to guide you through the rest.

Don’t let this task become overwhelming. Learn more at GreatTransitions.com.

Paul and Lyn Henderson are SRES®-Certified Realtors. Drawing on over 25 years of personal and professional experiences, they created GreatTRANSITIONS® to help people transition to the next place they call home.

GROWINGBOLDERMAGAZINE.COM

G R O W I N G B O L D E R 29

THE TAKEAWAY

JILLIAN MICHAELS W

To Really Appreciate Your Progress, Jettison Perfection.

hether we’re just sitting on the couch or out there running marathons, one thing I’ve learned is that we all wish we were doing better. We have a dangerous obsession with perfection. It’s dangerous because it can be motivating — or it can seem so unattainable that it becomes debilitating.

We need to jettison this concept of perfection and focus our appreciation on progress.

Do you know how often people are surprised to learn that when I was 12 years old, I weighed 170 pounds?

If I thought I had to look the way I do today, I would have completely given up.

It’s a mistake to focus on either extreme. Instead, the pathway to success is the area in between. It’s all about progress. All you have to do is watch my TV reality show, Just Jillian, to see proof that I’m still far from perfect.

People ask why I would agree to do a show like that — but that’s exactly why. I want everyone to know that it’s inherently human to struggle and to make mistakes; to have setbacks and to struggle to overcome them.

But if you’re looking at the finish line, you’ll never get there.

It’s the same reason marathons are so popular. Nobody can just go out and run 26 miles. You start by struggling just to do a few.

You celebrate your progress. And after making small but important improvements, at some point you realize you’re ready. It’s that pathway through progress that gives us that sense of pride, accomplishment and self-worth.

I believe a big part of my success is my personal transparency. My life is an open book. I’m not ashamed of my many flaws. I might not be proud of them, but I understand that we all have flaws. The only way to improve them is to accept them.

I believe that if you watch my show, and see how much I struggle and mess up in my life, it'll help you realize that you're probably doing better than you think.

Search yourself to find your true motivation for change. Once you find it, you’re ready for action.

Don’t expect to always succeed — just commit to keep trying.

Like I said, jettison the concept of perfection and learn to appreciate progress.

That’s how I turned my life around. You can, too. 

Search yourself to find your true motivation for change. Once you find it, you’re ready for action.

Jillian Michaels is one of the most successful health and fitness experts of all time. She spent years coaching contestants on the hit TV show The Biggest Loser​. She has also written best-selling books and released wildly successful exercise DVDs and programs. ​Her day-to-day struggles​are documented on her new show, Just Jillian, airing on E! 30 G R O W I N G B O L D E R

GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine.com to listen to our complete Growing Bolder Radio Show conversation with Michaels and learn more about her path to wellness and happiness.

MAY/JUNE 2016