Hi, I am Karen Spencer, a wife, a mother and a grandma. I am also a Certified Health Coach, a writer, speaker and a teacher.
My mission is to educate, inspire and influence others to step up, dream big and become healthier, happier, and more fulfilled.
I invite you to join our community of supportive, empowered and dynamic individuals choosing to chart a new path and discover their best and healthiest self.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION HEALTH COACH CERTIFICATION
Charting a New Path
by Karen Spencer
I recognize the footprints
on the dusty, rocky trail
the well-trodden path of yesterdays’ missteps
the soles of my shoes wearing thin
walking back and forth; back and forth
always choosing the familiar road
returning me to where I first began
.........but not today
today I will chart a new path
and try another way
.........................................................................................................
Here is how my journey to healthier living began....
As I finished the last pages of a book on mindfulness, I found myself skimming the book’s notes and references. I came across the following description agreed upon by twenty of the country’s leading research physicians who have specialties in geriatric medicine.
Here’s what it said, “There are common changes in appearance that occur during old age. The nose elongates, the eyes seem to dull and become lusterless and often watery. The skin becomes wrinkled and dry and dark spots, moles or warts may appear. The hair turns gray or white or is lost. The shoulders droop. The upper arms become flabby and the lower arms smaller. The hands become thin, and the veins become quite visible.... On the psychological side there are decrements in the ability to learn and remember newly learned information…”
Stop…Stop…stop! Make them stop! Who would write something like that? Seriously! I don’t think it’s necessary to go into that kind of morbid detail about what we have to look forward to, do you? Is there a purpose in using words like elongated, wrinkled, lusterless, moles, warts, drooping, flabby, decrements? I don’t even know what ‘decrements’ means!
I threw the book on the sofa, and I marched over to my full-length mirror and studied the frowning reflection in front of me. No doubt, this idea of aging can get us in a foul mood. We rage at it, do battle with it, cuss it, mourn it and moon it. As the youngsters would say…getting old sucks!
And yet, amazingly there seem to be some people standing at the fringes that actually claim to celebrate aging. Celebrate getting older? People do that? Could I do that? Could I become one of those celebration people?
I stood taller and spoke sternly to the image looking back at me, “Old age…. you are not going to ruin the rest of my life! I have made up my mind; I am going to be a celebrator! I am not going to just wait around, rocking in my recliner, listening for the voice of the fat lady. No tossing in the towel for this woman!
As I walked away from my reflection, I whispered to myself, “Sooo… smarty pants, what then is your plan?” Hmm…I guess I need a plan.
One day, while driving home from a weekend road trip, I tuned in to a radio station that had me quickly focused on its theme: ‘Small changes for big results’. I found myself repeating those words to myself, “Small changes for big results…” hmmm….…small changes. Now this idea seemed to be speaking directly to me. A new concept started flowing through my veins. ‘Small changes for big results’; I liked it! I began to wonder, could I and my life actually become better with each year I aged?
Not only could I pursue this evolving idea of improving with age, but I could become my own experiment? I would do ‘me-search’. I would keep track of my journey on a blog and test this hypothesis: ‘Taking small steps will bring me big results’. And if this hypothesis was correct, and my research project did bring me big results, then perhaps I could motivate others to join in as well.
That was 2011...I am still at it and my research continues.
My growing passion for living a healthier life led me to becoming certified as a health coach and a brain health coach.
I love to support others in their journey of stepping up to the challenge of living their best life.
My mission is to educate, inspire and influence others to step up, dream big and become healthier, happier, and more fulfilled.
I invite you to join our community of supportive, empowered and dynamic individuals choosing to chart a new path and discover their best and healthiest self.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION HEALTH COACH CERTIFICATION
Charting a New Path
by Karen Spencer
I recognize the footprints
on the dusty, rocky trail
the well-trodden path of yesterdays’ missteps
the soles of my shoes wearing thin
walking back and forth; back and forth
always choosing the familiar road
returning me to where I first began
.........but not today
today I will chart a new path
and try another way
.........................................................................................................
Here is how my journey to healthier living began....
As I finished the last pages of a book on mindfulness, I found myself skimming the book’s notes and references. I came across the following description agreed upon by twenty of the country’s leading research physicians who have specialties in geriatric medicine.
Here’s what it said, “There are common changes in appearance that occur during old age. The nose elongates, the eyes seem to dull and become lusterless and often watery. The skin becomes wrinkled and dry and dark spots, moles or warts may appear. The hair turns gray or white or is lost. The shoulders droop. The upper arms become flabby and the lower arms smaller. The hands become thin, and the veins become quite visible.... On the psychological side there are decrements in the ability to learn and remember newly learned information…”
Stop…Stop…stop! Make them stop! Who would write something like that? Seriously! I don’t think it’s necessary to go into that kind of morbid detail about what we have to look forward to, do you? Is there a purpose in using words like elongated, wrinkled, lusterless, moles, warts, drooping, flabby, decrements? I don’t even know what ‘decrements’ means!
I threw the book on the sofa, and I marched over to my full-length mirror and studied the frowning reflection in front of me. No doubt, this idea of aging can get us in a foul mood. We rage at it, do battle with it, cuss it, mourn it and moon it. As the youngsters would say…getting old sucks!
And yet, amazingly there seem to be some people standing at the fringes that actually claim to celebrate aging. Celebrate getting older? People do that? Could I do that? Could I become one of those celebration people?
I stood taller and spoke sternly to the image looking back at me, “Old age…. you are not going to ruin the rest of my life! I have made up my mind; I am going to be a celebrator! I am not going to just wait around, rocking in my recliner, listening for the voice of the fat lady. No tossing in the towel for this woman!
As I walked away from my reflection, I whispered to myself, “Sooo… smarty pants, what then is your plan?” Hmm…I guess I need a plan.
One day, while driving home from a weekend road trip, I tuned in to a radio station that had me quickly focused on its theme: ‘Small changes for big results’. I found myself repeating those words to myself, “Small changes for big results…” hmmm….…small changes. Now this idea seemed to be speaking directly to me. A new concept started flowing through my veins. ‘Small changes for big results’; I liked it! I began to wonder, could I and my life actually become better with each year I aged?
Not only could I pursue this evolving idea of improving with age, but I could become my own experiment? I would do ‘me-search’. I would keep track of my journey on a blog and test this hypothesis: ‘Taking small steps will bring me big results’. And if this hypothesis was correct, and my research project did bring me big results, then perhaps I could motivate others to join in as well.
That was 2011...I am still at it and my research continues.
My growing passion for living a healthier life led me to becoming certified as a health coach and a brain health coach.
I love to support others in their journey of stepping up to the challenge of living their best life.
