some Perspectives for a Healthier & Happier Life

Julie E. Bloemeke

Susan Longley is not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but working with seniors in fitness has given her some insights that should prove helpful to anyone turning over a new leaf in 2018.

■ Don’t make a list of resolutions you can’t keep. “I like to encourage people not to make any resolutions, but to rethink. Choose a new life for yourself and figure out what you would have to do to make that life happen, then those can be your daily goals.”

Flourish,” where she’ll interview seniors “who are doing something different with their retirement.”

“This, too, is part of my mission,” she said, “to have seniors talk to each other, inspire each other” and “to change the conversation about what aging and retirement really mean.”

For more information, visit susanlongley.com.

■ Look at the bigger questions. “Value yourself, value your friends, value your fitness and your contributions. See yourself as an elder, rather than an old person. Understand that the younger people in society really need you.” Longley observes that younger people tend to react more, whereas seniors value response over reaction.

■ Feed off the energy of what you want to accomplish. “Know that if you want to try something bad enough, exercise can be a part of it,” Longley said. Maybe that involves travel, a golf game, volunteer work or spending time with grandkids.

■ Learn how to meditate and practice honing that skill consistently. Visualize what you want to happen then take action to make it happen.

■ Be patient with yourself. “If you’re building your fitness from ground zero, which a lot of older people are, recognize that it takes time to learn how to do it.”

■ Find people and friends who value what you value. “If your friends aren’t doing the kind of things that you would like to do, find a new group of friends—not to ditch the old ones—but find a new group of people who are more interested in what you want to do. You might find more people in a volunteer situation, working on something that you value,” Longley suggested. “Become friends with those people so they can encourage you.”

■ Remember that what you eat is part of your fitness. “You know what’s good for you; find a way to eat what’s good for you. Redo your recipe box. If you have a favorite recipe, go online and see how other people prepare it in a way that’s healthier.”

■ Shift your focus. “Once you start moving toward your daily goals, a lot of support comes in. When you meet new people, things will happen that will support you. You may find an article in a magazine about cooking that you’d have skimmed over before—you wouldn’t have even paid attention to it— but once you shift your focus to ‘I want to be more fit, I want to have more purpose,’ then things start popping up in your awareness. I’d love to get that message across.”