Let me introduce Anne, and her blog "Healthy and Sane-ish"

Some of you may have figured out that I have a new person helping me with Thrivestry back end stuff. Her name is Anne and we all are lucky to have her!

      
(Here she is doing the CrossFit Open, and back squatting 235 for 3)

Anne is not only one of my wife’s best friends, she is also one of my own… and she was also crazy enough to be one of my first clients over 10 years ago (I think it is more like 12 years at this point)!

After years of working in corporate jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, she was so passionate about training and fitness to leave that world to pursue a career in coaching. She moved away before I could hire her full time at any of my own gyms, but she has been coaching for years and has a unique perspective as someone who came into fitness later in life.

(Anne before training with me and after about 6-9 months). 

One of the things that I am most appreciative of is her experience in working with older clients and dealing with her own aging family members. Anne is passionate about helping people in their ‘twilight years’ and recognizes that this will become a fundamental part of many gym’s offerings. According to experts, the number of people in the US and Canada over the age of 65 will DOUBLE in the next 5-10 years. By 2025 or so, roughly 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 people will be over the age of 65.

  
(Here she is doing some ‘not light’ deadlifts and some 30ish lb weighted pull ups)

Not only is this demographic one of the most important to reach, we should also be thinking about our own retirement as well as preparing to take care of our own aging parents and family members.

In addition to Anne helping me with Thrivestry stuff, she has agreed to start an article series about what she has learned as a ‘more mature’ athlete and what we all need to consider when it comes to our own (and our parent’s) future.

Take it away Anne…

Healthy and Sane-ish

There are a ton of online and offline discussions and information around retirement, 401K’s, social security, etc…

Where to live…What to do…How to live our best lives!?!

But what happens if we get sick?

What happens when our parents get sick?

Surprisingly, their future will likely be tied to yours and are you prepared for it?

I know I wasn’t!  And WOW, has my life changed. 

Healthy and Sane-ish

My new daily mantra to myself is “I’m healthy and sane…-ish!”

When I wake up and don’t feel like getting out of bed, or when I obsess about all of the things I need to do but don’t have enough hours in the day to get it all done…”I’m healthy and sane…ish!!!”

I actually have a really great life beyond these 2 aspects.  I have a career that feeds my soul, I have a wonderful husband, I am financially stable, and I am surrounded by an amazing village.

But also, in my world, especially in my immediate family, these 2 aspects are short in supply.  There’s uncurable cancer, bipolar disorder, and with my dad, heart failure, PTSD and dementia.

As many can imagine, having loved ones who basically suffer in some form daily, can be stressful and overwhelming.  It’s a daily battle to find balance:

How do I help my loved ones and at the same time enjoy life?

How do I enjoy life and not feel guilty that I’m not doing something to assist my family?

Well, I do my best to STAY healthy and sane.  I workout, I eat healthy, I dance.  I spend time with my village, I travel.  I hug and kiss my husband everyday.  Because the worst thing I can do is not take advantage of the gift of being healthy and sane.  The most disrespectful thing I can do is take my life for granted.

So why am I writing about this?  Why am I putting my business out there?

I am a care-giver.  I am often my family’s rock.  I didn’t ask to be put in this role but here I am.  And this role is somewhat lonely.  I was amazed at how little people talk about having this role; how people keep their struggle hidden.  But I know so many people are in my situation.  More importantly, I know that many more people (especially in my age group) will be in my situation.  I hope that by sharing my experience, others will know that they are not alone.  I am going to share my struggles, things I’ve learned that make life easier, and my mistakes.  I will even share what I have yet to figure out because hopefully this is the beginning of an exchange and not just me talking at people.

I mentioned my dad earlier.  He currently lives in a nursing home and I am his medical designee and I have power of attorney.  Three years ago he almost died because his dementia was undiagnosed (more on that in a future article).  But now his condition is stable.  He will never be cured, but for now he is maintaining and that is a blessing.

Most of what I write about will be centered around him and his care.  And how it has affected my life and the lives of my family… how my husband and I have made changes to prepare for our own future, physically, emotionally, and financially.

I’m looking forward to sharing and growing with this experience.

-Anne

 Follow more Anne's journey, and learn more of her lessons on her blog: https://healthyandsaneish.com/ 

Thrive on.

-jj