Embracing the Senior Years: Improve Your Life and Stay Excited About Aging - My Story

By Ingrid Snellings, BA, Health Coach

“Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” ~Betty Friedan

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” ~Sophia Loren

I am 61 years old and I am entering a new chapter of my life that is exciting, adventurous, and full of opportunities for growth and fulfillment.  My mission is to be an inspiration to others to view nearing their senior years as a time to look forward to.  Let me share my journey and why I am finding this time of my life exciting and energizing in a way that I have not experienced in years!

I imagine, that like myself, many people do not put much thought into what it will be like as they age.   However, as I approach my senior years, I feel the effects of age on my body.  I do not have the strength, agility, or balance that I had through my prime especially when I was exercising regularly.   But there was a period when I was so busy that I did not take care of my health.  I cared for my parents in our home until they passed away.  I raised our kids whom we adopted out of the foster care system that had their special challenges.   The kids were involved in 4-H and we were all involved in church activities.  I homeschooled for several years.  We lived on a small farm where we raised a variety of animals and had a garden.   My focus was on all these activities and getting through my busy days taking care of the needs of others.  I am sure many people can relate to being busy with careers, family, and other obligations and not having the time or motivation to care for their own needs.  During this period, my health deteriorated and I gained weight without noticing it was happening.

When my parents passed away and my children left home, I found myself in a situation I had not planned for.  As I look back at that period, I went through depression as I mourned the loss of my parents and the sudden changes in my life.  I felt drained of energy, I lacked confidence in my ability to go to work as I had been out of the workforce for 18 years, and I did not like how I looked.  It was difficult to find direction or to set goals.  My first decision, after doing as little as possible for a few weeks, was to look for a job. I looked for employment in the mental health field that required the skills, experience, and education I already had.  To my great surprise, I was hired by the first organization I applied to.  Before starting my new job, I was terrified that I could not make it through an 8-hour day, be able to keep up with people much younger than myself, or learn new skills such as the computer work that was required.  I started with a day-shift position, but soon after was transferred to another program that required overnight stays.  I discovered that I was able to work more than 8-hour shifts and to do it well.  This position required creativity and independence as I designed and conducted group activities, and educational groups, and worked with clients one-on-one.  I loved my new job, the ongoing training, and my relationships with both co-workers and clients.  Doing well at work was great for my confidence and the expectations I had of myself. 

A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to move.  We bought our last farm to accommodate my parents and to raise our children.  Our goal was to downsize and live in a more remote area.  We now live on a 40-acre farm in the woods which is about an hour away from a city.  We can hike and explore for miles around our farm. We are surrounded by national forests within a short distance.  I am discovering new hobbies and interests, such as learning about local plants and how they can be used for medicinal purposes and food.  We stay busy with food preservation, farm chores, and gathering wood for winter.  We have learned how to trim our horse’s feet on our own.  It is a different, slower lifestyle and requires a more independent mindset as there are times we might be snowed in or without power.  I have lost weight because I spend more time outside and walk more. The quiet and solitude also provide me with the opportunity to contemplate my life, what else I want to accomplish, and set new goals.

I was not ready to retire but also did not want to travel an hour away to go to work.  I spent time thinking about how I could earn money from home.  How could I apply my education and experience towards a new career?   I researched options and decided to become a health coach.  I went through six months of training last year to become certified as a health and wellness coach.  My next step was to create an online business to offer my services.

I launched my website at the beginning of January, but the work did not stop there.  The next big hurdle has been to learn how to market my business which is new to me.  It is taking lots of research, participating in online courses, and experimentation to figure out how to achieve this phase of business.

Here I am at 61 years old working on getting a business going. I am also working to improve my physical health, spiritual growth, and mental well-being.  Through my workouts, I can feel myself getting stronger, more flexible, and have more balance. In another blog, I will share my workout program. I am committed to reading through my Bible and doing studies. But I am flexible with my schedule as my time is my own. Some days I feel inspired and spend hours working on my business, or going on a long hike. Other days I relax and do not get much accomplished. The only activities I perform daily are farm chores in the morning and evening and Bible reading at bedtime. The beauty of this period of my life is that I own my time and do with it as I want.

I have many more goals than I have mentioned here.  This is a period in my life when I am working on things that I did not have time for when I was busy caring for other people or working full-time.  For example, I had dreamed about writing.  I am now writing blogs that I publish on my website and I have plans for other, more ambitious, writing projects.  It seems like the more I do, the more I come up with other projects to work on.  I also want to learn how to sew, how to embroider, how to do arts & and crafts projects, and how to make homemade bread. It is a very exciting and inspirational process!

My goal is that my story will motivate others with similar backgrounds to set and work on goals of their own.  My mission is to inspire others to participate in improving their physical and mental health so that they can enjoy their lives with more energy, agility, and clarity of mind.  My goal is to motivate others to work on projects that they did not have time to concentrate on earlier in their lives.  I have the training and experience to be a support and motivational partner for those who want to make changes!  It is time to get started on your exciting journey to better living!

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” ~Ralph Marston