"Stop, Listen, Feel Your Life" Joy Prouty

1. Joy talked about the importance of always learning. She believes it keeps us young, it keeps as curious, and keeps us engaged in life. As you know recently I have begun to study how to be a DJ. As frustrating as it sometimes can be, it keeps me in the moment, in flow and my brain engaged. Are you involved in learning something new that allows you to stretch your comfort zone? Is there is something you have been wanting to try but have not gotten around to it because of either a lack of time or because you are afraid of not being able to do it perfectly? Can you take one step this weekend that will move you back into the learners seat? Maybe it’s going online and seeing what resources are available to you. Perhaps it’s asking a friend if they be interested in joining you. Or maybe it’s going to the library and doing some research to see what it would take to pursue your new passion. This weekend I invite you to take one step that could reignite your curiosity.
2. Joy talked about keeping good community around us at all times. I’ve also witnessed the power of strong friendships. Reflect upon the people closest to you. Are they all they all the same age? Do they have varied interests? Do they live close to you, or do most of them live far away? This is a good time to check in with your heart and the strength of your social relationships. More importantly the relationships that happen face-to-face and heart to heart. Many times we can feel connected online but in reality we actually have very little day to day physical interaction, this can leave us feeling both alone and lonely. What is one thing you could do expand and strengthen your relationships, both old and new?
3. Joy and I both talked about never being too old to start something new. Yet sometimes it can feel as though it is too late to try something that we have never done before. Is there a dream or a goal you have been putting off because you feel it is too late or that you are too old? What if your goals were really your dreams but with a timeline attached. Imagine what you would do if you knew you would not fail. Remember FAIL – stands for first attempts in learning. You cannot learn if you do not try.
4. Joy talked a lot about luck. Oprah said that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. In my opinion Joy has created a lot of her own luck both in her life and in her career. Joy mentioned flying herself down to meet Gin Miller before she knew that was a real opportunity, and I have be known to fly myself to meetings just to get face time with the person I am hoping to work with. Is there something you could do to create more of your own luck? Is there someone you could reach out to? Is there someone you could mentor with? or is there someone you could ask to help you? We can never fulfill our dreams without asking for help. And when you ask for help you may get some no’s, but who knows when the next person will say yes. Today I invite you to put on your cape of courage, and make that call, send that email, take that trip to get that face-to-face time, and move one step closer to creating more luck in your life.
5. Joy talked about the importance of knowing who you are and to not with those around you. I often talk about the importance of knowing our strengths, and when we work from our strengths while still knowing the areas we still can improve upon – we will do our best work. When we look to others for inspiration and motivation, but the only comparison we make, is comparing our yesterday to our today, we can collaborate expand and grow.

"It Was Love At First Step" Joy Prouty

We recorded this on Valentine's Day at the Zumba headquarters in Florida. Please enjoy the background atmosphere at no extra charge:)

What a privilege to grab an hour with my mentor and fitness icon Joy Prouty. In this episode Joy gives me a history lesson in fitness. I begin the conversation reflecting on when I first met Joy, it was before I was even teaching fitness. A few years later it was Joy who certified me in the Reebok programs.

We go back to when Step Reebok first began and how Joy was working with Reebok before the first fitness sneaker was even created. She shares her memories of being a part of the fitness revolution before Step Reebok was developed, and how she flew herself to meet Gin Miller in Atlanta to secure a position as part of the first Step Reebok Team.

Joy shares how she began her dancing career as a back up dancer in Pittsburg and how she quickly soared to stardom as a Rockette at The Radio City Music Hall in New York City. After two years in the city she knew her first love was teaching versus performing. She transitioned to teaching fitness based movement classes which included running ran a super successful program at Elizabeth Arden. Shortly after, Joy took the leap and opened her own studio in West Palm Beach.

Fast forward a few years and Joy became a part of the Reebok family. Alongside the likes of Gin Miller, Tamilee Webb, Ken Alan, Linda Shelton and Josie Gardner she helped create fitness history. We move into how Joy began working with Zumba and that often times she would take the leap and then figure things out. In 2006 Joy and Josie met the owners of Zumba and shared the importance of creating a program for seniors and over a handshake deal - Zumba Gold was born.

Joy is almost 77 and is as vital as most 30 year olds. She shares how everyday she feels grateful for the day ahead of her and she believes in the importance of strengthening and training our happiness. Joy shares her morning ritual which includes meditation and movement. She believes in always staying the student and being a forever learner.

We talk about there being a time for everything and that we are responsible for creating our powerful future. Knowing when it is time to step away from the past, let go and move joyfully into the future. We talk about how to age well in an industry that favors the young. Joy talks about the importance of celebrating the people around you, without trying to compete with them. The joy and freedom comes with celebrating who we are today, not who we were a decade ago goes a long way in helping us stay young.

We talk about the importance of being true to who we are and Joy encourages us all to stay young at heart, stay curious and to find community that will help you flourish and thrive.

Connect With Joy Online

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More About Joy

Joy Prouty is the Director of Education – Programming and Training for Zumba Fitness LLC. She is also the Co-Developer of the Zumba Gold Program, and was featured in the Zumba Gold Live It Up Consumer DVDs. Joy is a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette. She is an internationally renowned fitness instructor, trainer and educator and has been known for her innovative teaching style and program development for over 40 years. She served on the American College of Sports Medicine’s Summit Committee for 13 years, and was a member of ACSM’s Certification Committee for 7 years. She was also a member of the Reebok University Development Team for 8 years focusing on Program development and International instructor training. She and Josie Gardiner have co-authored several books, and 4 Harvard Medical School Special Health Reports, as well as choreographed and starred in over 25 video/DVDs. Joy also co authored the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Fitness Plan and a 12 week Getting Started Program for Breast Cancer Survivors and used by the YMCA Pink Program. Prouty is certified by ACSM as a Health Fitness Director and Health Fitness Instructor, by ACE, AFAA, AEA , and Welcoaches.

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"Aging Well is about Enjoying What Is, Instead of Focusing on What Was" Dr. Kerry Burnight

1. It’s time to diversify your social portfolio: I loved this idea of not only diversifying our finances, as we get older but also our friendships. Dr. Burnight encourages us to make sure we have a circle of friends that include people who are younger than us, older than us, live close to us and also live far away. How strong and diverse is your social network? Can you reach out to someone younger than you and perhaps someone older? How are your relationships with friends who may no longer be living in the same town as you? Maybe this is the time, to spend time, nurturing and strengthening your circle of love, joy and friendship.
2. How do you envision your older self? Dr. Burnight encourages us to really think about, reflect upon and plan for our future self. Not our younger self – but how we would envision living in our 60’s and beyond. If your partner is older than you, how would your life look without them? If you no longer were working would you have enough in your retirement to allow yourself to enjoy your golden years? Do you see yourself working into your seventies? Do you want to travel the world or start a new career when the one you are in right now comes to an end? Imagine yourself in your later years and then ask yourself: Who do I want to be with? What do I want to be doing? Where do I want to be living? And how do I want to feel?
3. How do you want to be remembered? I love the saying by Mahatma Gandhi, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, Learn as if you were to live forever” What do you want your legacy to be? How can you leave the world a little better than when you found it. We often think we can wait till next week, or next month to start living to our fullest, but time does not wait for anyone. Perhaps think of one thing you can begin today that will make the world a little better tomorrow.
4. Beauty comes from enjoying what is instead of wishing for what was. Dr. Burnight shared that her most joyous elders are the ones who are at peace with their age, and are living their today as if it is their best day. I know as I move into my fifties and on the days when I have aches and pains I can sometimes feel wishful for my younger self, but this only wastes precious time. I invite you to notice over the next few days if you find yourself wishing for things of the past, simply notice and then gently and kindly bring your presence and attention back to the present moment.
5. Do you have a lot Of POOF’s in your life? Dr. Burnight spoke about the importance of removing as many poofs as possible P.O.F – Points Of Frustration. I know there have been times in my life when something has really bothered me but I have neglected to do anything about it. Is there something in your life, something that you do have some control over that you find frustrating? What is one thing you could do tomorrow to shift either your perspective on the situation, or take an action step that could change the situation for the better? We often make the excuse of not having enough time, but the time we spend to make a situation less frustrating will be time very well spent.

"To Age Brilliantly Diversify Your Social Portfolio"

Dr. Kerry Burnight

This interview is one that we all need to listen to. Whether you are in the early stages of contemplating how you want to live your life as you move into your second stage, or whether you have a parents who are now in their later years, Dr. Kerry Burnight discusses many of the important topics that often go unaddressed due to our faulty relationship with aging.

A big ah ha moment for Dr. Burnight was when she asked a group of fourth graders "what happens to us when we get older?" and the response was "you get ugly." Recognizing that there was much work to do, Dr. Burnight has made it her mission to redefine what aging looks and feels like.

Dr. Kerry likes the term pro-aging, as anti-aging sets the tone for us holding onto the past. She encourages us to age brilliantly, beautifully and on our own terms. It is when we can accept and be thankful for what is versus what was, that the beauty opens up. Aging well is about being the best you that you can be, where you are and at the age you are today.

We talk about some of the "false truths" that come with getting older and it is only when we talk about dying that we can live our life to the fullest. Dr. Kerry talks about first imagining yourself as an older version of yourself. Who would you be with? Who do you want to be? What type of life do you want to live? She encourages us to think about someone we know, who is older and who we respect. What are they doing well that we can replicate? Dr. Kerry also talks about the importance of diversifying our social portfolio, so that we have people in our inner circle who are both younger and older and live both near and far away.

Dr Burnight talks about how we can use technology to help us stay connected, especially as we get older. She also shares the importance of how we have to make sure that the technology of today can be used easily and without frustration with our aging population. She is part of the team who has created the wonderful systems behind The grandPad, which is specifically designed for people who who want to age brilliantly. You can find more information about The grandPad here:

Dr. Kerry shares the importance of removing as many poofs as possible. POF - Points Of Frustration. and as our loved ones age and as we get older, how can we design our life to keep our enjoyment while limiting our frustrations as time passes.

In this interview we talk about the challenges that can come when dealing with loved ones. Dr. Kerry encourages us all to be mindful of how we speak to our elders. Just like us, they are looking for autonomy, dignity and respect. She gives many simple tips that we can use immediately - one being to speak in lower tones as the first thing to go with our hearing is the higher pitch tones. She invites us to consider that perhaps our loved ones do not have hearing problems, but rather we have speaking problems. She also gives us tips and strategies to make sure our elders are protected whenever they are online or on the phone. A wonderful conversation to help us all age brilliantly.

Connect With Dr. Burnight Online and Social Media

grandPad

grandPad on Twitter

Dr, Kerry on LinkedIn

More About Dr. Kerry Burnight

Dr. Burnight served as a Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the University of California, Irvine for 17 years. She is also the Co-Founder and Director of the nation’s first Elder Abuse Forensic Center, where she wrestles with the county's most difficult cases of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Her mission is to tackle Senior loneliness and how we have to honor and pay attention to our seniors because feeling disconnected and lonely is actually a health risk and taking lives. As a top expert in the nation on aging, she has shared her work at the White House, Money Matters, the Doctors, CBS news, and the Dr. Phil Show. Passionate about improving the lives of millions of seniors, Dr. Burnight joined Silicon Valley engineers to create a cutting edge solution to the toughest problems we face as we age. She serves full time as Chief Gerontologist at grandPad.