All entries tagged with “fifty”
FITosophical Living
Be mindful. Every day, you can catch eudaimonia. There is no cure for it. In fact, once you’re infected, your brain feeds upon it, your body reacts to it, your actions change from it, and you become more of who you were made to be because of it. Literally brace yourself! Once you catch it, you begin to foster its continued growth, and spread it amongst your family, friends and associates too. You’ll find life is better with “eudaimonic” symptoms and manifestations. WT… is she talking about? Let’s get philosophical before we get physical, shall we? Put some thought into our action. Let’s exercise the gray matter between our ears and then pump the heart muscle before we tone the over 600 other muscles in our bodies. Let’s live FITosophically! Aristotle used the Greek word eudaimonia to describe “the state of having a good indwelling spirit, a good genius.” He taught of an ethical, practical way to live that fosters self-realization and well-being. Achieving eudaimonia is a practice that creates a better way of being. How do we enhance our well-being? Discover something new every day. When we learn something new, our brains thrive upon the stronger synaptic connections we make. We are literally super-charging ourselves and fine-tuning our body’s drive mechanism. As fellow philosopher Socrates said, “The beginning of wisdom is wonder.” One of my common FITosophical refrains: Always remain in a state of wonder about what you can do, and keep creating and discovering more about YOU in the process. On May 16, 2013 I turned 51derful. Humor me. I have been a committed yogi for a number of years and have been dedicating my time to training and teaching various traditions of the practice I love. Yesterday I broke out of the studio setting for a personal training session with John Bowie, an extraordinary athlete/trainer whose NFL career includes the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Oakland Raiders. In a smiling state of wonder, I looked at contraptions I had never used before as my fitness protocol was revealed. Long, heavy braided ropes for my arms to create wave patterns with, TRX hooked me at the ankles, a mountainous platform to leap over and more than J-Lo squat down to(!!), 5lb dumbbells in hand for the journey, and some elliptical, lunge-stepping patterns to complete along the way. Happily, or rather, “eudaimonically,” I feel all of my 51derful years BEHIND me! I absolutely loved every new challenge presented to me and feel the hunger for more discoveries of all that I can do begin to grow – again. Learning a new word with age-old meaning, understanding etymologies or even making words up to describe, encourage, and affirm yourself creates revitalization and motivation for your physical work-out. We are masters of ourselves. We can empower ourselves more effectively than anyone else can. Choose good words for yourself and create a philosophy to not just live by, but become more YOU by! We are physical beings. We are made for action and mobilization. We are driven by our hearts and our heads both physiologically, intellectually, and esoterically. Create your own FITosophical way of being and rediscover all you can be every day. Catch eudaimonia, and infectiously grow younger, stronger, happier and more wonder-full every day! By: Karen Cutrona, ERYT-500/RYS Founding owner of Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness,Inc., FITosopher, and Self-proclaimed Age Retardation Specialist
My 50-Sense Worth on being Fit and Fabulous
I remember turning 20 and lamenting the fact that I would never again be a teenager. Had I done everything I could with those teen-age years? Had I been reprimanded enough, grounded enough, humiliated enough, mischievous enough, daring enough, and learned enough, mostly through trial and error, how to responsibly approach my 20’s and move on into legitimate adulthood? Hence, the I-phone self-portrait at 50, in a hot pink bikini, serves as my answer to these questions...
A fit and fabulous mind is shaped by good thoughts. Every day that I get to wake up, as waking up is no longer something I take for granted, I recognize there’s a purpose and plan for me to be here. Before stepping out of bed, I set an intention to make the most out of the next 24 hours. There is a sense at 50, that everything I am, is not all about me. I’m a part of a bigger scheme. Participate in your life’s schematic. Endeavor to discover more about you in all that you do. At 50 I have discovered it’s all about what I CAN do, as opposed to what I can’t. And, with the things I can't do anything about, I CAN still apply faith. One of my favorite quotes sits framed on my desk – “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can." – John Wesley. A fit and fabulous mind leads to a fit and fabulous body. Our bodies need care and maintenance. The concept of longevity makes sense now, more than ever, at 50. My response to my younger clients who ask how I stay in great shape is this - I’ve had a longer time to work on the equipment to look like this, but I’ve also maintained over the decades, a lifestyle of moderation in all things. We will wear our history in and on our bodies. Our health will become a display of what we’ve taken in and how we’ve taken care of our divine machines over time. It’s never too late to start a better maintenance regime. Fuel your body with the best possible energy sources. No one would think of putting leaded gas in their car’s fuel tank these days, much less expect it to run without gas, right? Likewise, treat your body to the premium fule-source options. Think, one-ingredient-foods, and your body will respond with a sleeker, healthier appearance. We were made to live off the land! Again, I've learned at 50, that it's is all about what we CAN do, and feeding ourselves appropriately is not denying ourselves of anything we “can’t” eat. It’s not about restrictions, it’s about proper consumption. Jonny Bowden’s “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth” is a favorite one-ingredient "recipe book" of mine. From beets and spinach to oatmeal and brown rice, to apricots and avocados, to free-range poultry, grass-fed beef, wild salmon, tuna, and eggs, 150 options to fuel your body are listed with all the healthy benefits you can consume. Turn your pantry from a laboratory science project into a farmer’s market! Create a bountiful storehouse with foods containing only ingredients found in nature for a strong, vital body. Extended shelf-life in any "food" item = extended shelf-life on your body. How can our bodies break down anything that appears as if it could survive nuclear fall-out? When you can’t pronounce any of the words on an ingredient list, don’t eat it! Laboratory creations should not be considered "food" for your body. Being fit and feeling fabulous means eating right and staying active. Move your arms and legs. Breathe deeply as often and as much as you can. Walk, run, lift weights, do crunches, bend and stretch. We were made for mobility with over 600 muscles and over 200 bones and joints in our bodies. Move in ways that use all of your equipment, and you'll keep yourself in good working order. Do everything you CAN to stay mobile and in motion. My 50 sense-worth is once you stop, game over. You’ve just gotten good at being old! Don't ever take yourself out of the adventure of the game of life! Keep passing GO and getting better along the way! For half of a century, I can appreciate all that my spine has endured throughout my life just holding me upright and still, let alone the extending, bending and bowing it’s done for me throughout the decades. So, at 50, appreciation for my back and recognzing the need to keep my spine supple is so important. It's also even more important now to get your head below your heart and your feet above your head as often as you can. Not only will this bend and stretch your spine, but this moves your lymphatic fluids around helping to remove toxins from your bloodstream. Your lymphatic fluids do not have a pump to keep moving through your body. Your body movements are the pumping force. The more you move and upend yourself, the more you will detoxify your body. The older we get, the more we need to move. Again, it’s all about what we can do. In any physical activity you participate in, work it to the point of challenge within your body, vary your movements to include inversions, and you will continue to regenerate your muscles and bones and revitalize your body. Fit and fabulous is an attitude and lifestyle choice. Foster a spirit of gratitude so that even moving and breathing becomes something you’re thankful for each day. Have an adventurous spirit, and an open mind to try new things. Your spirit conveys your attitude toward life. Participate in your life! Don’t let it pass you by. Take your body out. Stimulate your mind with new ideas to create color in the gray matter between your ears. Stay interested and become interesting. Enjoy living! We don’t know how many days or years we have in our lives, but we can put a lot of life into every day and year we’re given. Put yourself out there. Before you know it, half of a century has passed. Smile today at yourself and say, “I’m all about discovering all I can be!” For me, staying fit and fabulous in mind, body and spirit way beyond 50 is what it’s all about. It’s my 50-sense-worth that life just keeps getting hot-pink better, on the other side. Be happy. Live healthy. Fifty is the new thirty. Karen Cutrona, Owner, instructor/trainer at Blue Moon Yoga and Fitness, Ormond Beach, FL.
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The 20’s brought college graduation, marriage, and by 30, four children into my life. As the 30’s and 40’s brought life changes and various career opportunities, I can say, at 50, I have some sense of what life’s all about. It’s a balancing act between the mind, body and spirit. It’s a practice of stimulating all three, mixing it up, sorting it out, and finding balance - only to shake it up all over again. Every day becomes a new balancing act, and that’s what keeps my world rockin’ and keeps me feeling fit and fabulous.
