jo burgess hannon

fit for today, fit for life

What’s old is new again

by Leave a Comment

One of the things I really enjoy is working with older people.  The upside when you are an orphan (can I say that when I lost both my parents by the time I was 50?) is that I love the nurturing, caring side of those I share my life with each week.  In addition to cardio and strength classes, I teach active older adult fitness classes. Yes, it is about exercise.  However, a big part of aging well is having a community you can connect and spend time with. I like to think I provide that each week for my seniors.

wedding chalkboard
re-purpose

 

The downside is that people age before your eyes. I realized a few years in, that I would see them come. I would see them go.

 

re-use, re-purpose
re-use, re-purpose

 

And, then what I came to appreciate is that aging is good.  The life lived can teach me.  The stories told can make me laugh.  The aging, yet hard, can help me accept my own mortality.

 

re-use, re-purpose, use again
re-use, re-purpose, use again

 

Mostly, what I have learned is that at any age I can re-invent, change, make a difference, have an impact.

How high are your heels?

by Leave a Comment

Being 5’ 2”, I have had visions of myself taller with longer legs. When I was young I thought my feet were too big. It was a sad day when I could no longer fit into my Mom’s size 5 ½ pointy toe pumps.  As a teenager I used to cram my feet into shoes too small because of a number on a box. Ah, youth.

My daughter around age 2
My daughter around age 2

 

So the first time I heard “Jo, I want to look like you”, I was surprised. It was a comment from a participant in a fitness class I was teaching. The student was referring to my fitness level and muscle tone. I admit I was flattered. Though my feet looked even bigger in fitness shoes, I realized I had become a role model.

teaching a group fitness class at the Y. (photo credit Romeo Sanidad)

 

My stylist tells a story of the client who brings in a photo wanting her hair to look like a celebrity. The hair in the photo looks easy to achieve. However, it’s a red carpet moment, where the star has spent hours before with a team of professionals to cut, color, highlight and style her hair. And probably 5 different styling tools were used and as many styling products.

 

Mother of the Bride--It takes a village (photo credit Folk&Lore)
Mother of the Bride–It takes a village (photo credit Folk&Lore)

 

So here’s what I have learned. We are all unique individuals and not meant to be clones. We are meant to be our best self. Someone who uses another as a fitness model has to recognize that similar to being runway ready, most likely much work, time, professional advice, tools and whole foods has gone into the achievement. And, we will never look identical to the picture.

One of the biggest joys I get teaching classes is looking across a room of people and seeing diversity: different height, weight, body composition. This is my picture of perfection.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I also get to wear the most comfortable shoes ever.

changing lives one class at a time (photo credit Romeo Sanidad)
Here’s to looking at you!
(photo credit Romeo Sanidad)

 

Time flies when you’re having fun

by Leave a Comment

flag pavillion on Liberty Island
flag pavillion on Liberty Island

 

Good morning.  I was hoping to say that yesterday and share a few highlights from a recent trip to New York City.  Instead, I arrived home late Sunday night tired and stuffy and staring at a pile of laundry and mail.  Writing a blog post fell down the priority list.  I went to bed with my suitcase full of dirty clothes, only removing my glasses.  I figured with the time change, I would wake up early and have it complete before the rest of my Monday took over.

Then the morning snow balled.  I won’t bore you with stories of blank PDF tax files and mysteries of Adobe and windows 8 and hours spent solving these mysteries. I will instead offer a check in to let you know I understand that life can derail your plans. And maybe offer a little encourage to stay flexible during times of frustration, long lists and runny noses.

New York, New York.  More on that later.

 

 

What I am loving February 2016

by Leave a Comment

Did anyone watch the Academy Awards last night? Did any winners surprise you?

seedless satsumas

I really enjoy the red carpet season and the Academy Awards seems to be best in show when it comes to fashion.  One program I love this time of year is the Fashion Police on the E network.  It is a fun re-cap of Hollywood’s best and worst dressed. Though I miss the humor that Joan Rivers brought, it is still enjoyable with her daughter Melissa taking over hosting duties. I have to give an honorable mention to my DVR for recording everything so I can fast-forward through all the commercials and long winded acceptance speeches and categories I have no interest in.

And speaking of Academy Awards, next on my list is a last year’s Best Picture nomination, the Imitation Game. Somehow I missed seeing this movie until just recently. It is about a brilliant mathematician in the fifties who helped crack Nazi codes. Like Bridge of Spies (one of last month’s favorites) I was again reminding that following your path, staying true to your plan, can lead to having a positive impact. It also gives pause for reflection on history of women in the workforce and gay rights. I’m pretty sure Honey might have slept through this one, too had we watched it together. With lots of talking and not a lot of action, it is one of the tamer war movies as far as battle scenes.

Moving on to the next item. This time of year, fresh fruit, locally grown, is hard to come by. I often find myself reaching for seedless Satsuma oranges. They are sweet, delicious and add great flavor to my morning smoothies. I try to buy US grown produce and when possible pick what is in season from my area. Do you have a favorite winter fruit? Is it grown in the US?

SaveSave