Fitness Includes Emotional

When active seniors think fitness, physical health first comes to mind.  But if you are someone who specializes in relationships, counseling, marriage and issues of your mind, emotional fitness often tops the list.  Relationship Skills Center Executive Director Carolyn Curtis is one of those who puts a high level of importance about how you feel about yourself..

She is a PhD and licensed in marriage-family counseling who helps people with senior fitness.  She tells the story of a 75-year old woman who would come to her after having dealt with her husbands death from cancer.  It was in those counseling sessions that Carolyn learned how much values change as we get older and gain life experiences.

For Carolyn the counselor, her “a hah,” moment came after suggesting her patient might want to consider dating again.  And she said: “Oh, Carolyn, you know, I am just learning to live again now, and enjoying that”  In other words dating was way down on her bucket list, if at all.  The point is, not only do our priorities change but we change as people who face their own senior fitness questions.

Counselors learn a lot from their patients, even that wasn’t the original intent.  “I think that is one of the things that’s really wonderful as we grow older is that we become more authentic and more true to ourselves,” says Carolyn.  She finds people are more accepting of others and they are all  in a journey of life together.  “I think that leads to a much healthier and happier life – to love and accept yourself and love and accept other people for who they are and where they are,” adds Carolyn.

Carolyn says, as an active senior, “it’s going to feel like all the rules have changed. You want to take your time and go out and start enjoying yourself. When it comes to senior fitness, it’s an equal part your body fitness and your emotional fitness.

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