A few months a go there was a huge controversy over the text
on a fitness photo of a mother, Maria Kang, and her three children, as shown below. Frankly,
she inspired me. After three kids and still having that banging physique – you go
girl! Not to mention the work of the photographer, Mike Byerly, it was a great
shot.
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| Maria Kang and her children. |
Flash forward to yesterday, when I was teaching my 9am
Metabolic Effect class at The George Washington University. As I surveyed the
room to take attendance (it’s a for credit course), I took note of the one
participant in the front row. She comes to class religiously, and she is not a
student. She is Dr. Loretta DiPietro, a 56-year-old mother of two, professor,
department chair, who is involved in just about every campus initiative, the GW
club field hockey coach (who plays as well), works at the USDA, and still makes
it a priority to come to my class every week.
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| Loretta DePietro at her Metabolic Effect workout. |
As we approached our one-minute sprint, I pointed to Loretta
and barked to my class (in good fun), “Do Not Let This Woman Beat You In
Burpees!” They all knew I was kidding (partially J
) but they love working out with her. She brings an aura and an inspiration to
the classroom. These students are in their late teens and early twenties; they
look up to their elder with respect and conviction. Conviction that they too
can live a healthy and active lifestyle, no matter how old they are.
Loretta could easily be a member of the “VC”, as JillColeman has taught me (Victim Club) stating a myriad of reasons (or excuses)
why she doesn’t have the time to workout. Trust me, if anyone has a million
reasons to say how busy they are, this woman does. But she doesn’t have a
single one, not even her age: 56. She is not a personal trainer for her career
and she doesn’t spend hours at the gym. She gets in her 30-minute high
intensity Metabolic Effect workout and then heads to the office.
Why do I bring
this up?
One, for inspiration. I look at Loretta and have a role model for
my life at that age. I am turning 29 tomorrow, this woman has 27-years on me!
Two, our actions speak
louder than words. As much as we say want something, if we don’t make it a
priority it will not get done. (Even for me, keeping up with my blog – I say I
want one, but I struggle with writing consistently). This holds true for
anything, not just getting to the gym. It could be a career you’ve dreamed
about, a vacation you’ve wanted, that blog you’ve wanted to create.
Three, age is a
number. Yes the body ages, but that doesn’t mean it has to stop you from
moving. Find your niche for exercise and get it done. Use age as a privilege,
your experiences in life give you greater insight and knowledge.
Let’s channel the Loretta in us, and make living healthy a
life long process.
As always, I love hearing from you! Tweet me @KelleyVargo.
Xo,
Kel
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