Body image for the young at heart
How do you continue to (or begin to) love and appreciate your amazing body as the years shift your physical appearance, and you no longer see a young woman in the mirror?
I recently wrote a post about body shaming, and received a wonderful comment from one of my readers, Ingrid, who wondered why I don’t write with tips specifically for women 50+. I answered as candidly as possible, that the only reason I don’t focus my topics for more mature women is that I am 35, and deep in the throes of balancing body, babies, parenting and business-building. The topics I write about are close to my heart and within my personal experience as well as my professional expertise, so I feel I am in a good position to give comment that would help. With this feedback in mind I would LOVE to cater for all those women who enjoy my work and would like to see their experience more accurately represented in the pictures and advice I offer.
So I went to the person who I respect the most and is my role model for joy, self-acceptance and looking after your health as the years go by: my Mum, Tricia. Luckily my Mum is a fabulous writer and I asked her to write a piece on her experience of body -acceptance through the years. My Mum has been an incredible role model for my insatiable love of learning, kindness (especially to animals and planet), and appreciating the small moments of beauty all around us. My Mum will literally stop and smell the roses.
I believe in our Western Society, there is not enough respect and appreciation of the wisdom that comes with more time on the Earth, and that the idolisation of the young, pert, and super-slim to the exclusion of all else is a big problem and a very important discussion (but that’s for another post).
Here are my Mum’s thoughts on her body image as she moves gracefully past 70 years… Kylie 🙂
Here we are together at the Lord Mayors NYE Ball at the Opera House where I was singing in 2010.
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Body image for the young at heart.
by Tricia Penny.
Age does things, over which we have no control,
and it is the time when we ‘reap what we have sown’
My 73 year old body is doing OK. Age does things, over which, we have no control, and it is the time when we ‘reap what we have sown’, whatever that was. We can modify it and help reduce and repair some of the ‘damage’, but it is what it is. My body was doing better in younger years when I was able to work it harder and longer than I can now, but overall, I am still able to do what I want with no real pain or lack of strength. It’s shape or size is not who I am, nor does it define what I can do.
Age comes with some great benefits. Time is the BIG win!!! with wisdom a close second… When the workload is reduced, we can spend time thinking how best to use this reward period in our life. Taking our health as a serious issue is the MOST IMPORTANT way to ensure this time is spent in pleasurable pursuits.
Not having a timetable, and being able to keep our own hours, gives flexibility to the day. Family, garden, friends, charities, clubs, etc can all benefit from our input. Having goals to achieve, or taking on some of theirs, gives purpose to the day.
Not needing so much sleep is a bonus I have recently discovered. Rather than lie in bed, I have been catching up with books I don’t get the chance to read during the day. A warm milky beverage with a dog curled up beside me, can see me read till the wee small hours…… and I don’t have to get up early!!!! What bliss!!
Knowledge acquired through our life can be used to help others learn and achieve their goals. The wisdom we bring to any task is part of the passing on of skills to the younger generation. Being a part of contributing to their expertise is a satisfaction not to be missed.
Insight about what is REALLY important comes almost unnoticed. Things that used to stress or give us grief, seem, somehow, not to matter so much. Life has taken on a new rhythm and the ‘waltz’ goes on in a new direction. All the experiences we have lived through, the people who have been a part of it, the love we have shared and, yes, the mistakes we have made, are all verses of this new ‘dance’. It sings a new song without the crash of deadlines, appointments, targets and all the other trappings so necessary to succeed in business and family raising.
Being out of the ‘rat race’ does wonderful things to the mind. It slows down, and notices the little things we rushed past before. We have time to sit and let the world go by. The scents of the garden and trees can waft in, bringing the peace and enjoyment of the moment with it. The serenity that is there for all of us who seek it, is all around us, and now we have the time to find it……….
What a time it is!!!!
“We couldn’t recommend Kylie highly enough.”
“Having ongoing training is essential for our team and our business. It’s important to look after the people that look after others. Kylie has the experience, professionalism and knowledge to engage with our team and help them understand about human behaviour and why people do what they do. In the wellness and health industry it’s a different sales and service delivery and it’s imperative to keep on top of these understandings to perform at our best to help others. We couldn’t recommend Kylie high enough.”
- Amanda Bracks - Owner Soulful Fitness (2019 Fitness Australia Boutique of the Year)
“She’s the best speaker they’ve ever seen.”
“I have worked with Kylie over many years. She has helped me as a Business Mindset Coach, as a motivational speaker for my gym clients at both Vision Personal Training & now at Flow Athletic. I bring her in to train my Personal Training teams in mindset, communication and how to coach our clients better and excel in our own personal mastery as fitness leaders. At my recent Fitness Business event, my gym owner colleagues were blown away by her talk, saying she is the best speaker they have ever seen. After every event we always get rave reviews about her talks and training. I highly recommend Kylie’s work as a coach & speaker.”
- Ben Lucas - Founder & CEO, Flow Athletic
“So many things are just falling into my lap.”
“I finished the Spiritual Awakening Course yesterday and I found it truly amazing. An incredible next step after our coach training. I feel so much more enlightened and “opened-up”. It has really opened my eyes to the power of the universe and the energy flowing in each of us. I loved it – thank you.
I am feeling so lucky at the moment. So many things are just falling into my lap. I visualise it and set my intention to manifest it and it comes. Things such as getting more clients, needing help to put my business online, not knowing how to get known in my local community etc. Courses / insights / clients have just fallen into my lap at the right time.”
Of course I am still learning and growing, but the course has really helped. Thank you”
- Katharine Williams - NLP Coach, Limitless Growth
“I have never been this happy or powerful.”
“Before I signed up with Kylie I had a busy PT business… I was exhausted and on the brink of burnout and no matter how hard I tried, I had reached a ceiling in my income that I just couldn’t break through. After completing my NLP Coaching certification, I found my true voice and the energy of my business has been completely transformed. I’ve created an online program, up-levelled my entire business and totally smashed my previous income goals. I make decisions more confidently and I can help my clients create change in their life even faster. On a personal level, NLP gave me the inner strength to leave a toxic situation and rebuild myself which lead to me discovering the love of my life! Today I am living the life that I’ve always wanted – but just hadn’t been able to put into words. I have never been this happy or this powerful. If you want to manifest the life of your dreams I would not hesitate to reach out for help from Kylie.”
- Danni Vee - Women's Health Coach, My Fit Tribe
“I’ve noticed big improvements in my finances and client retention”
I signed up with Kylie because I knew that to have a bigger effect as a PT I needed to improve my understanding of how the mind works. Through NLP Coach training I now have great coaching techniques that break through all sorts of negative behaviour patterns. I’ve noticed big improvements in all areas of my life including my own personal finances and my client retention. This has allowed me new freedom to work on scaling my business and helping even more people with less one on one time from myself. The coach training has given me the ability to fully unlock the power of your mindset and those that don’t have this skill are only tapping into a small amount of their potential.
- Blake Worrall-Thompson, Performance Coach & PT
“Magick happens every time!”
This morning I had a kick-ass coaching session with Kylie Ryan. We’ve been working together for a couple of months, and she’s the perfect person to help me integrate the rapid transformations I go through regularly. I’d been getting this vision of my fully mature creative and entrepreneurial self. His discipline, commitment, and command of wealth was 10x what mine is now, but it wasn’t really about money for him. Our coaching sessions usually roll with me saying, “Kylie, I want to be, do, and have EVERYTHING” and Kylie helping me find the archetypes and parts that aren’t integrated and bringing them together. MAGICK HAPPENS EVERY TIME.
- Dane Tomas - Creator of The Spiral
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