Feel Young, Strong, and Sexy for Life with Wellness Coach Renata Joy
Show Snapshot:
January check-in: How are your fitness resolutions holding up? Today’s show keeps you on track (and boosts your grit) as wellness expert Renata Joy coaches us on how to be young, strong and sexy for life. Renata shares ideas for COVID-friendly workouts, strategies for squeezing exercise into a busy schedule, and offers practical, supportive ideas for fine-tuning your fitness habits. Plus, she talks pivoting from an Emmy-award-winning TV career to build a wellness business.
In This Episode We Cover:
1. Why ailing parents motivated Renata to prioritize health and wellness from childhood.
2. Strategies for balancing a healthy life with a busy one (i.e. navigating the competing priorities of work and fitness).
3. Why preparation is key for building healthy habits that stick.
4. How 9/11 motivated Renata to rethink her career.
5. Creating workouts that spark joy.
6. COVID-friendly, inexpensive workouts that virtually anyone can do, anywhere.
7. Ideas for nurturing community in your fitness routines.
8. Why to add weight training to your fitness mix.
9. How—and why—to offer yourself compassion.
10. Find joy in your trips around the sun – why to celebrate your birthday.
Quotable:
What if we planned our health the way that we plan our careers?—What if you put that same thought and energy into taking care of yourself?
There's nothing we can do about our chronological age, but there is something we can do about our attitude about it. I decided I'm going to say loud and proud. I am the new 60, strong and sexy.
For me, every year I am on this planet is a celebration. And I want everyone to celebrate with me.
Snackable Smarts:
People think they don't have time to prioritize fitness, but a big, busy life doesn't need to get in the way.
The key is figuring out how to take care of yourself before you start taking care of other things.
I get my exercise done first thing in the morning before anything else gets in the way. I do food prep on Sundays, so that I make sure that I know what I'm going to be eating throughout the week. Nothing is just by chance. Everything is planned out.
I was in downtown Manhattan on 9/11 and witnessed the second plane go into the Twin Towers and was horrified. Something about going through 9/11 made me realize if you're going to do something, you need to do it now. I was passionate about exercise. I was passionate about cooking and eating healthy food. I was passionate about being pampered and going to spas and massages and all those things. So, I thought how about starting a business that's centered around all the things that I'm passionate about?
I'm a firm believer that you have to choose an exercise that you really love to do. Otherwise you're not going to stick with it.
I love jump-roping. I've been jump-roping my entire life. So, when COVID happened, and my gym closed, I decided I was going to start this campaign where I'm going to go and jump-rope all the landmarks of New York City.
Another similar low-costs, no-frills, COVID-friendly exercise is walking. And when you walk, it gives you the opportunity to be in the present and look at what's happening around you in a way that you don't get to do when you're doing other forms of exercise.
Women over 50 have to do some level of resistance training, some type of a weightlifting, weight-bearing exercises. It could be your own body weight. It could be with weights. You also need to do some type of some type of aerobic exercise to get your heart rate going. It could be walking. It could be swimming. It could be biking. You need to really work your heart. Your heart is the largest muscle that you have in your body. You really want to work your heart.
Many women are afraid of lifting weights. They believe you're going to get bulky. Lifting weights builds muscle, lean muscle mass and keeps you looking young.
When I work with my clients, we prioritize functional fitness. I want women to be able to be on an airplane and to lift the luggage over their head and put it in the overhead bin. I want them to be able to carry their grocery bags. Looking good is a byproduct but that's not the reason to do it. The reason to do it is so that you can function, that your quality of life is heightened.
For me, sexy is not for anybody else. It's for myself -- that I feel good, that I’m comfortable with the way I feel about my body in clothes and out of clothes. For me that's sexy.
Every day, your best is going to be different. So have compassion for yourself. I would say, that's the number one thing.
Celebrate your birthday. It’s important to own who you are. When you hide, there's a certain amount of shame that comes and it prevents you from elevating yourself into your own power. Every year I am on this planet is a celebration. And I want everyone to celebrate with me. And so, I encourage women not to shy away from the fact that you're getting older, but to celebrate it.
Word of Mouth. Renata Suggests:
There's a book called The Four Agreements that I encourage every woman to get and read. It talks about be impeccable with your word. It talks about being your best. Knowing that your best is going to be different every single, solitary day. To show up every day, being our authentic selves, our beautiful, powerful selves.
Transcript
Katie Fogarty (00:15):
Welcome to A Certain Age, a show for women on life after 50 who are unafraid to age out loud. I'm your host, Katie Fogarty.
We are midway through January, a time when New Year's resolutions often go poof, and we return to our sedentary, chocolate-eating ways. Throw in an unending pandemic, closed gyms, and marathon COVID-baking sessions, you may be feeling like 2021 is not going to be your year to get fit and feel fabulous. But it doesn't have to be that way.
I am thrilled to welcome a guest today who is an expert at balancing the demands of a crazy, busy life while living a healthy one. Renata Joy is a fitness author and the founder of Pure Joy Wellness, which offers custom fitness, nutrition, and self-care coaching to women at every stage of fitness. If you're ready to feel young, strong, and sexy for your entire life, keep listening. Welcome, Renata.
Renata Joy (01:10):
Wow. What an intro. I'm going to have to take you with me everywhere I go.
Katie (01:16):
I love it. Renata, modern life is busy. Really busy. We also have a pandemic and it's just a crazy, crazy time in so many people's lives and it would be easy for people to think they don't have time to prioritize fitness, but you are living proof that a big, busy life doesn't need to get in the way. I would love it if you could set the stage, tell our listeners a little bit about your early career, how you fit fitness into your life and why you transitioned to wellness as a business.
Renata (01:44):
Somehow I knew as a kid that health and wellness was something that was really important. And I think probably because I grew up in a family where my parents were both ill. My mom had polio when she was younger. She learned how to walk again, but died of colon cancer. My father had kidney failure and was on dialysis and there was something about them being ill and the way they spoke about it like it was an every day kind of thing. Like if I would say, Katie, "Hey, let's go get a mani-pedi." That's how they talked about being sick. And I just always felt like there was something really wrong with that. And I did not want to grow up with that same fate.
So, as a child, I studied everything about nutrition and exercise. And I exercised every single day. I wouldn't eat the food that they ate and they all thought I was this crazy kid, kind of weird kid who had been dropped off at the wrong house. Like, "Who is this person? What is wrong with her?" Now that was back in the fifties and sixties when women just weren't exercising or anything like that. Now I don't know how I knew. I just knew. I just knew. I didn't want my fate that to be my fate. And that I believe that our health was a direct link to our lifestyle.
Katie (03:13):
You were ahead of your time. You were totally right.
Renata (03:17):
I put that together; I put that together. And so, my entire life, I have always lived a healthy lifestyle. Now, I was a television producer for 22 years. And what I learned about television, it's a very stressful business, but I felt like it was really unhealthy. The food that people ate was really unhealthy. And to me, being healthy was so important. Living that healthy lifestyle was so important because I always believe that my quality of life was directly affected by my lifestyle.
Katie (03:54):
When we talked earlier, you told me you were working 16-hour days, you worked for some of the biggest names in TV. How did you manage to fit fitness and healthy eating into that kind of pressured lifestyle? Because a lot of people, you know, feel like, "I've got too much going on. I can't, I can't work it in." How did you navigate it?
Renata (04:12):
Oh, here is my schedule. So, I'm an early riser. So, I'd get up at 4:00 AM in the morning. I go to the office, I'd work for two hours. I'd go to the gym. After the gym, I'd go home. I'd take a shower. I’d pack my food and I'd come back to the office. So, I made sure that I was in control of what I was eating. I got my exercise done. First thing in the morning before anything else really got in the way. And I think that's kind of key, figuring out how to take care of yourself before you start taking care of other things, that that's like a key thing. First thing in the morning, for me...
Katie (04:51):
That's such a good idea because what happens for me if I do yoga in the morning, it gets done. If I'm thinking, "Let me do it after work" it often gets derailed. So, it's really smart to put fitness front and center on your calendar.
Renata (05:06):
But I also think it's important to prepare what you're going to eat. Like, I do food prep on Sundays so that I make sure that I know what I'm going to be eating throughout the week. Nothing is just by chance. Everything is planned out. And I think that's the key with anything else. I saw this article the other day and a woman was talking about, "What if we planned our health, the way that we plan our careers?" And we looked at it that way, the amount of energy and the amount of thought that goes into your career. What if you put that same thought and energy into taking care of yourself?
Katie (05:49):
We'd all be healthy. We certainly... America would look a lot different.
Renata (05:56):
Oh my goodness. And what would happen with COVID if we were all really taking care of ourselves?
Katie (06:01):
It's true. Because you know, some of these co-morbidities are making it harder for people to fight off this horrible disease. So, when did you make the transition? Because I know you worked with Barbara Walters and some of the biggest names in TV. When did you make the transition from that career and pivot into health?
Renata (06:21):
After 9/11. I was actually downtown Manhattan and witnessed the second plane go into the Twin Towers and was kind of horrified by what I was witnessing and the experience that I had with 9/11. It was almost like the sound went away and all I could see were images. And what I saw were images of, people holding rosaries and people praying and people running. And there was something about going through 9/11 that made me realize that, "Hey, if you're going to do something, you need to do it now."
And the thing about television—I like television and I was very successful at it—but health and wellness and fitness were what I lived, what I breathed. I loved it. So, I wanted to create a business that included all of the things that I was passionate about. So, I was passionate about exercise. I was passionate about cooking and eating healthy food. I was passionate about being pampered and going to spas and massages and all those things. So I said, "How about if I start a business that's centered around all the things that I'm passionate about?" And one of the things that was really important to me was that the name had the name of my business, had to include my last name.
Katie (07:58):
You have a pretty awesome last name so that makes a lot of sense.
Renata (08:01):
I wanted to include my last name because, I wanted people, and particularly women, to think of taking care of themselves as something that was pleasurable. Something that brought them joy, something that brought them happiness. And so that's how Pure Joy Wellness came into existence.
Katie (08:22):
I love it. And it's also because I think that sometimes we're conditioned to think exercise is something that you do in gym class, and it's a lot of burpees and it's calisthenics and it feels rigorous and not that much fun. But I have found for myself that I really love different aspects of fitness now. That I do derive joy, that I do derive a sense of pleasure, accomplishment, satisfaction from doing yoga, from doing Bikram Yoga, from learning new things. Like I picked up tennis again as an adult. I've learned platform tennis as an adult. And it is joyful. It is joyful.
Renata (09:00):
Here's what I tell people. Because I have clients and they go, "Well, I don't like running" It's like, "Well then. Why are you running? Why are you running?" I don't get it. So, I'm a firm believer that you have to choose something that you really love to do. Otherwise, you're not going to stick with it. I had a client who came to me and she's like, "Well, I don't really like to exercise." So, I was asking her, well, what do you like to do? And she's like, "Well, I like to salsa dance." I'm like, "Then go salsa dancing because dancing is a form of exercise." And she never thought that dancing or that something that she loved was something that was exercise. So I'm like, “Grab your girlfriends and go social dancing a couple of times a week. That's going to get your heart rate going. But not only that that's going to make you feel good because you're happy doing it.”
Katie (09:56):
Yeah. And you'll stick with it. So Renata, in preparation for this session, I went down the Instagram rabbit-hole, which I do even when I'm not preparing to talk to podcast guests, but I was on your fabulous Instagram. And there are a lot of jump roping pictures of you. And I have to say I was knocked out. Because I ordered a jump rope during COVID when my yoga studio closed. And that stuff is no joke. That is really, really hard. Tell me why you're jump-roping. And are there other kinds of, you know, COVID-friendly activities like that, that we should know about? Because a lot of gyms are closing.
Renata (10:32):
Yeah. The gym that I went to it closed and I was horrified. Because I'm like, "Oh my God, what am I going to do?" So, COVID happened. And I love jump-roping. I've been jump-roping my entire life. And I'm thinking, "Well, what can I do to be active?" So, I decided I was going to start this campaign where I'm going to go and jump-rope all the landmarks of New York City.
Katie (10:58):
Renata, before you continue, you have to let people know your age too.
Renata (11:02):
I like to say, I'm the new...I'm 64 years old.
Katie (11:05):
So Renata is 64 and jump-roping all over New York City. So, anyone who is listening, by the way, everyone needs to get on her Instagram and see this in action. Because you are going to be hitting Amazon so hard for your own jump rope, but I've interrupted. You keep going, tell us about jumping….
Renata (11:21):
Like I'm crazy. So, I decided I'm going to jump rope around Manhattan. I'm going to go to all the landmarks. And I bought a little selfie stick and I'm like, "Okay, how am I going to do this?" So, the reason that I jumped rope was twofold. I wanted people to understand that jump-roping is a type of exercise that you can do anywhere, which is one of the reasons why I show myself doing it around Manhattan. But also the thing about jump rope for me is when I was a kid, that's what we did. We'd be out in the middle of the street and we're jump-roping until the street lights came on and there's so much laughter. And the thing for me about jump-roping is it reminds me to be playful. And I think as adults, we forget what it's like to be playful. So, when I'm jump-roping, yes, I'm getting a great cardiovascular workout and it's really, really hard but it reminds me of what it was like when I was a kid, and the laughter and that's something I don't ever want to forget. I love that I get to be playful.
Katie (12:32):
Absolutely. Because then we want to do it. So, what are other, maybe similar low-costs, kind of no-frills, but fun exercises that we could be doing during COVID? Because you know, I don't know about you, but I need to stop baking banana bread and just be a bit more active. What would you recommend to somebody who wants to get up and get going? Who might be sort of starting their fitness journey?
Renata (12:52):
Walking.
Katie (12:52):
Walking.
Renata (12:52):
Walking is very underestimated. And I think if people got out every day and just walked for 30 minutes every day and just get into the habit of moving, I think a lot of people think that exercise has to be this, this big planned out thing. But I don't believe that it really does. I think that if you start a walking practice, you could do it with your family. You could do it with your friends. You can do it with your animals. You can just get out and start moving. That would be the first thing that I would recommend, especially women that are over 50, and especially women who have never started an exercise program. It's something that every single person can do. You can take it at your own pace. You can take it at your own speed. And so, I would recommend that everyone gets out and just start walking.
Katie (13:57):
And it's got that great, kind of low impact quality to it. That's good for your bones. And our previous guest talked a lot about the importance of bone health as you age too. So, those kinds of even jump roping, that kind of impact activity is so good for your bones. And I think it's so good to be outside.
Renata (14:20):
But the other thing that walking does is you see things that you didn't see before. Like I've noticed things in the city that I never noticed before because I'm walking. Because we're doing this fast-paced thing all the time. And so much of it, we're not really paying attention to what's around us. And when you walk, it gives you the opportunity to be in the present. Look, what's happening around you in a way that you don't get to do when you're doing other forms of exercise. The other thing would say if you were going to do, if you have a bike, I would go biking.
Katie (14:54):
Another great activity. And these are not...you don't need a Peloton bike. You don't need a fancy gym membership. These are the sort of low barriers to entry, right? You know, you just need a pair of lace-up sneakers and perhaps a bike helmet, and a bike to get going.
Renata (15:11):
And you can, you know, you can rent a bike around different cities and things like that. So, I think that you know, if people think about it, just ordinary things that that you can do. It doesn't have to be something that's formulated, but I do think it needs to be something that you really enjoy doing. Like you were mentioning before about playing tennis.
Katie (15:36):
Totally. Because it makes you stick to it. And I shared my episode last week when I talked to Dr. Wright that I really had been playing tennis for the last 10 years, which I really love. And when my yoga studio closed because of COVID, I picked up platform tennis, which for people who aren't maybe familiar with it's kind of like mini-tennis in a cage. There are screens that you play off of and it's an outdoor sport. So, it feels very COVID-friendly. I'm getting vitamin D and I'm learning something new, which has been the most fun. Because sometimes we just do the things that we're good at and we don't try new things and we can be surprised by how much joy we get by learning a new skill. It's been a blast.
Renata (16:21):
I'm all about, you know, whatever that thing is that brings you joy.
Katie (16:25):
I love paddle and tennis because they're social. You can't do it by yourself. So, you have to be with other people. And I find that the sort of, one of the hardest things about COVID, is the isolation and the loneliness. I mean, don't get me wrong. I have a husband and three kids and they are always with me because we're all together. But I feel like this has been a really lonely time. I'm not seeing my good friends the way I used to. It's harder to see my parents. We're behind masks, we're trying to keep it outside and not in each other's homes. And there's sort of sadness to this period of time. And if you can walk with a friend, or if you can play a sport with a friend, or go hit your like public basketball courts with a friend, or just go bike with a friend…
Renata (17:10):
One of the things that I did during COVID is I started a walking challenge. I have a Pure Joy Wellness community, a Facebook community, and they were expressing to me the loneliness and all of that. So I said, okay, "How about if we do this walking challenge?" And the walking challenge is you walk for 30 days just for 30 minutes, but the key is you have to document it. You need to send videos, you need to send pictures and they started posting them. And what was really amazing about that whole experience is you have all these women in different areas of the country, but they were sharing their videos and their pictures. You, they felt like they were walking with each other.
Katie (17:55):
I love that. The connective tissue…
Renata (17:58):
And you could see the landscape of the country because people were in different cities and different towns. And what I did is every week, I would virtually walk with someone and we would do it via Facebook Live, or we do it via Zoom and so they got to see me virtually walking with someone, and that brought our community together as a group, that they could do that together in this time of isolation, where they didn't feel like that they were alone.
Katie (18:37):
Oh my gosh, I love that. And that's such a fun way to use Zoom because I think we're all getting a little sick of it.
Renata, I want to ask you, do you have any fitness or nutrition rules? Like, would you say, you must walk X times a week? Or do this many calisthenics or this much aerobic activity? What's a parameter that you would want to see listeners doing each week as they start to elevate their fitness for 2021?
Renata (19:02):
Well, one of the things I think is really important, especially for women over 50, I think you have to do some level of resistance training.
Katie (19:11):
And what would that be? Is that like rubber bands or ...
Renata (19:15):
I would say that would be some type of weightlifting, weight-bearing exercise. It could be your own body weight. It could be with weights. And I say this because you want to keep lean muscle mass, but you got to think about your bone density. And so I think that's important.
I think you need to do some type of aerobic exercise to get your heart rate going. That could be walking, it could be swimming, it could be biking. Whatever that thing is, you need to really work your heart. Your heart is the largest muscle that you have in your body. You really want to work your heart. So, I think those two things are really important. But again, I think that what's also important is to find that thing that you are going to stick with. So again, if you're going to do anaerobic exercises, make sure it's something that you enjoy doing. If you're going to do resistance training, I would suggest that you do that at least twice a week.
Katie (20:18):
And what about weights? Because when I got on your website, I was like, "Who is this gorgeous woman with those free weights? And then directly underneath it, it says, "Vogue Magazine says, Renata has at 57 has the physique of a 27-year-old.” And I was like, I am sold. I want to have the physique.
Renata (20:37):
So, I've been lifting weights since I was 30 years old. And before that, I was this... Grew up, I was this really skinny kid and I always wanted to gain weight. I hated being skinny. And when I was 30, I was working at a television station and there was this guy at the station. He goes, "You know, you would really do well lifting weights." I had never heard of lifting weights before. So, he invited me to this gym, and keep in mind, this was back in the early eighties. So women were not going to the gym. And he took me to this gym where there was nothing but big wrestlers and bodybuilders. And I was the only person in the gym. The moment I felt those weights, it transformed me. There was something very powerful about the weight. So, I started lifting and I started lifting really, really, as heavy as I could. Now, I lift weights in a way that most women would be like, "There's just no way I'm doing that.” I mean...
Katie (21:47):
That would be me.
Renata (21:51):
Most women are afraid of it. They believe you're going to get bulky. You're going to get this. I am...I truly believe that the way that I look today, besides my lifestyle has a lot to do with the fact that I lift weights.
Katie (22:04):
So, if we're kind of late, jumping on the weights bandwagon, what would you recommend? Just like a couple of...Help me out. Because I need to get going. Tell me more.
Renata (22:14):
There's no late jumping on the weight band I don't believe that to be true. I think that there have been studies that show that older people starting lifting weights, can gain muscle mass. The main thing with lifting weights is you don't want to lose muscle. You want to keep lean muscle mass. That's what's going to keep you looking younger. You just don't want to lose that. So, it could be something as simple as, you know, every day you're going to do 10 pushups. Now those pushups can be from your knees. They can be from your toes, but you're doing pushups. You know, every day you're going to do some squats. It doesn't mean that you have to have heavy weights to do it. It just means that you are going to be working your muscles in a way that is going to cause them not to lose muscle mass. So, I can say I am 64-years-old. And most people, when they meet me, they think I'm 30, 20 to 30 years younger than I actually am. And I really do equate that with lifting weights. I think you cannot underestimate what weight training does.
Katie (23:35):
All right, I'm sold, I'm definitely doing this. I want you to check back in with me next month and see how much progress I've made, but you've convinced me. And I actually read a book ages ago and I've forgotten the name of it. But it was saying that everyone over 50 should incorporate weight training of some sort because you do lose that lean muscle mass, and you want everything else to work and your muscles are what's keeping your body up and active and moving and grooving and doing all that fun stuff. So, you've convinced me.
Renata (24:03):
I would say what's also important is keeping your mobility, keeping your flexibility, and keeping your balance.
Katie (24:12):
Right? Because this is not just about looks. Even though, we all do want to look our best and feel our best. And that's important to most people. And it’s—I know that it's important to me—but what's more important and more motivating is that I want to be able to get up and out of a chair when I'm a certain age.
Renata (24:35):
I started because I used to see this little lady and she was all hunched over and she couldn't get up. And my whole thing when I first started was like, "All I want to do when I get older is to bend down and be able to stand back up." Women should be able to be on the floor and be able to get yourself off the floor, that's important. The other thing that's important for me in terms of strength training and what I do with my clients is I want them to be functional. I want women to be able to take that when they're there on an airplane and they have their luggage, I want them to be able to lift the luggage over their head and put it in the overhead bin. I want them to be able to carry their grocery bags. This is functional things. Now the byproduct of that is that you might look a certain way, but that's not the reason to do it. The reason to do it is so that you can function. And as I said earlier, that your quality of life is heightened.
Katie (25:43):
Absolutely. It's better. Exactly. It's all part and parcel of the same thing. So, Renata, I know you've written a book and it’s, The Seven Secrets to Staying Young, Strong, and Sexy for Life. Let's talk about sexy. What does that mean to you and how does one keep that going? If that's a goal? And I think it should be. Because we all want to feel sexy and desirable and beautiful. Tell us more. What's your philosophy and how do you practice this in your own life?
Renata (26:10):
In my own life? For me, sexy is not for anybody else. It's for myself that I feel good, but that I'm comfortable with the way that I look. I'm comfortable with the way I feel about my body in clothes and out of clothes. That I'm comfortable with that for me. For me, that's sexy.
Katie (26:35):
I love that. Of course. And it is for you. Because if you feel good about yourself, then you're going to be sexy to other people too. I mean, it all works together. So, what would be some tips for women who are not feeling particularly sexy right now after COVID? And maybe feeling that their exercise routines have been thrown. Or they're looking to just feel better and more desirable and sexier in 2021? Where would you recommend they start?
Renata (27:01):
I would start by having compassion with yourself.
Katie (27:04):
Okay. I love that. Beautiful. That's so true.
Renata (27:11):
Seriously. I had a conversation with a woman the other day, and she's saying to me, "You know, look, I'm drinking diet soda and all these things." Okay. We have been through unprecedented times, right? It's hit, everybody. And so you gotta be kind to yourself. And you have to be forgiving with yourself. And you have to understand that this is something that we're all going through, it's something new. We've all got to have compassion and not judge ourselves and not be hard on ourselves because we've gained some pounds. Because you're not exercising the way that you were before. None of us are, not even myself. Okay. So, I would say the first thing is, stop judging yourself. Have some compassion and understand that right now, you are doing the best that you can do.
Katie (28:16):
This is such great advice.
Renata (28:17):
Every day, your best is going to be different. So, have compassion for yourself. I would say, that's the number one thing, you know, it's been hard. It's been hard for me. Let me tell you something. I have been sitting. I'm a very active person and COVID hit. And I find myself sitting in a chair for like eight to ten hours a day. I never sit in a chair, eight to ten hours a day. All of a sudden my right hip got really, really tight. I'm like, what is that?
Katie (28:56):
Our bodies are experiencing this trauma, this a sedentary lifestyle. You know, I haven't been in an elevator since last February. I mean, that's crazy. I grew up on the 19th floor of an apartment.
Renata (29:11):
Yeah. So, I'm saying, cut yourself some slack. Okay. You can't judge yourself the way you judged yourself before.
Katie (29:21):
That is a perfect starting point. And the second one is, as you said, is to get moving, to get active, to walk, to do something you enjoy.
Renata (29:29):
So that means, okay, "I can't do what I was doing before." So, go out and walk for 30 minutes a day and do that. At least you're and be proud of the fact that you're moving. And go, "Hey, okay, I'm applauding myself. I walked 30 minutes today, as opposed to just sitting in a chair and feeling bad because I can't go to the class that I was doing before."
Katie (29:55):
Yes. That is a great starting point. And to be compassionate and to give yourself props for what you're doing. Speaking of which, I want to switch gears for a minute. Renata, when I was on your website, you did two things that I absolutely loved. You said your age, and then you also said that you're a mother and a grandmother. And I thought this woman needs to be on my show. I love that on her website that she's talking about that she is 60-plus, and that she's a grandmother. You're doing something that I feel is so important. You are owning your age and you're owning it out loud. Do you feel that you've always been comfortable and confident claiming age like this? Or do you feel it's something that evolved?
Renata (30:36):
I think that like most women, our society has taught us that once we pass 40, we're not supposed to talk about our age because we're going to be discriminated against. We're going to be labeled a certain way. We're going to be all those things. So, when I was starting this business and I was looking around and seeing all the other health and wellness people out there, and I started thinking, "Well, what's the thing that sets me apart?" The thing that set me apart was my age. And as I spoke to women, women were sharing with me over a certain age that they felt invisible, that they didn't have a voice, that they were afraid to say how old they were. I'm like, "What the heck is that?" So, I decided I'm going to say loud and proud. I am the new 60, strong and sexy. And once I did that, everything changed. Everything changed because I wasn't hiding. I wasn't ashamed. I wasn't going what you're saying that I can't do this because I'm what… “What are you talking about?" So, I want every woman to claim, don't be ashamed because when you think about it, truly, there's nothing we can do about our chronological age, but there is something we can do about our attitude about it.
Katie (32:10):
Absolutely. And you're so smart to lean into this because it's actually something that's became almost like your superpower. I mean, you were in Good Housekeeping Magazine because of your age. You were in Vogue because of your age. You were given this opportunity because people recognize you as being a leader in the fitness and wellness space for a woman at a certain age. Whereas if you had just tried to be like everybody else, that might not have happened.
Renata (32:34):
Yeah. That was not happening until I claimed it. And when I claimed it, it was like, "Okay, I'm going to give women a voice. "I'm going to say here it is. I'm 60 something. I talk about what it was like for me to go through menopause. I talk about what it was like for me when I went through menopause and lost my libido and what that was like, how that impacted my relationship. And what can we do about that? I think we need to be as women, we need to be having those conversations and we need to be supporting each other. And we need to change the conversation about what it means to age.
Katie (33:17):
This is exactly what we're doing. I love all of these conversations.
Renata (33:22):
And aging for me personally, as I've gotten older, I've gotten a hell of a lot more powerful.
Katie (33:31):
Yes, yes, yes, yes. And more yes. I'm so sad that we're nearing the end of our time here, but I do want to ask you something before we start to wrap up. I see that you take birthdays very seriously. I have been on your blog and you talk about the importance of celebrating them. You talk about the importance of claiming your age. Tell me a little bit more about that. Got those gun shy, birthday people here. I know that they're probably listeners who aren't embarrassed, but who don't celebrate it. There's a big difference between acknowledging your age and celebrating it. You celebrate it. Tell me why?
Renata (34:08):
I do. Because I think it's important. I think it's important to own who you are. I think when you hide, there's a certain amount of shame that comes to it and it prevents you from elevating yourself into your own power. Right? So, for me, I want to say yes, every year I am on this planet is a celebration. And I want everyone to celebrate with me. And so I encourage women not to shy away from the fact that you're getting older but celebrate it. It's such a liberating. I mean, I have gotten so much smarter, so much more confident, so much more powerful as I get older. And I celebrate that every single day. And if I had one message to give to women that are ashamed of aging, I would say lean into it, own it. You would be surprised what's going to happen when you do that.
Katie (35:19):
Oh my gosh, that... We are ending right there. Because that is perfection. Lean into it. Own it. Celebrate it.
Renata, I have absolutely adored our conversation. You've shared many wonderful ideas. I'm going to link to your book. I'm going to link to your Facebook community. I will link to your website in the show notes. But before we wrap up, I want to ask, is there something else that you want to tell our listeners about or leave them where the tool or resource that you think might help them as they embark on their 2021 wellness?
Renata (35:46):
Well, I wouldn't say this is a wellness journey. There's a book that I read a while ago. It's called The Four Agreements. I encourage every woman to get that book and read it.
Katie (35:59):
And why? Tell me why.
Renata (36:01):
Because it talks about be impeccable with your word. It talks about being your best. Knowing that your best is going to be different every single, solitary day. I think it's just a standard to live by. Knowing that, don't pay attention to what other people say to you, because it's about their agenda, not yours. And if we can all live by honoring ourselves, our true selves and not being afraid of who we really are. And if other people don't accept that, so be it. That's on them. That's not on you. But to show up every day, being our authentic selves, our beautiful, powerful, I mean women over 50 are the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen in my life. We really are.
Katie (37:05):
There's so much wisdom. Let me tell you, they have all been on my show. So, I am with you! And on that note, I have to say goodbye. And I'm going to be directing my listers to PureJoyWellness.com. Renata, I have so loved our conversation. Thank you for being with me today.
Renata (37:27):
Thank you so much for inviting me.
Katie (37:30):
This wraps A Certain Age, a show for women over 50, who are aging without apology. If your midlife mojo needs an adrenaline shot or an encouraging hug, join me next week when I talk with Amy Schmidt, a podcaster, author, and TEDx speaker, who did it all after 50, and after years as a stay-at-home mom. Amy is going to help us "cannonball" into midlife with confidence, grace, and humor. Special thanks to Michael Mancini Productions who composed and produced our theme music. See you next time. And until then: age boldly, beauties.