Patricia Greenberg, The Fitness Gourmet: 5 Things You Should Do To Optimize Your Wellness After Retirement
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Take a good hard look at your financial situation and live below your means. That will give you the wiggle room you need put away for emergencies, or a once in a lifetime trip.
As a part of my series about the “5 Things You Should Do to Optimize Your Wellness After Retirement”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Patricia Greenberg, The Fitness Gourmet.
Ushering in a new era of bite sized livable health, nutrition and fitness solutions, Patricia Greenberg, Aging Well Coach, is an expert in all aspects of living life to the fullest at any age. As the creator of Eat Well, Live Well, Age Well she consults, teaches, and hosts a weekly show, and speaks at seminars nationwide. She has a special interest in enhancing the education of the general public, and providing accurate health information to today’s consumer.
Passionate about wellness for life, Patricia completed 20 marathons and 115 half marathons, and loves the sport of tower climbing, having conquered buildings all over the country. Married with a grown daughter, in her downtime she is an avid reader and knitter.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I was a chubby and unathletic child and teen. After high school I decided to take control of my health and got a degree in nutrition, worked as a dietician and became a fitness pro. Now I have morphed into an expert on Aging Well. I am certified as a Aging Well Health Coach, Nutritionist and Trainer specializing in fitness as we age.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Yes, I was teaching nutrition and wellness to culinary students and I was approached by Random House to write a cookbook. It sent me on a path to a whole new career in writing and I have since written 4 books with a fifth on the way.
Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?
When I first started out in nutrition and food service , I went on a job interview for a position as a corporate manager of menu development. When I arrived at the facility, I went to the cafeteria assuming that’s where I was supposed to meet the HR person. The manager there thought I was coming to manage the food service and offered me a job! After all was said and done I learned never to assume anything. No matter how embarrassing, always ask for directions!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
When I first met my husband, he wasn’t interested in getting married so he put me off. I was writing my first cookbook and I was testing the recipes and dropping the leftovers at his office where my friend worked. One day I left a pumpkin Tofu Cheesecake. That night he called and asked me out! He has been my biggest supported for 27 years!
What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?
Step away from work at least one day a week. A walk on the beach, an afternoon movie, reach out to friends you haven’t seen in a long time. Anything that gets you out of business mode, even if it’s for a few hours. Mindless activity is actually good for you! To regroup and regenerate!
What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?
Take the time to listen to everyone. Employees and colleagues want to be heard and you never know where the next great idea will come from.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview.
From your point of view or experience, what are a few of the reasons that retirement can reduce one’s health?
One of the unrecognized problems we face in retirement is an almost instant lack of purpose which leads to feeling irrelevant. It wreaks havoc on one’s self-esteem, which starts the downward spiral of feeling worthless, not taking care of one’s self and neglecting the necessary steps to keep us healthy as we age. Retirement should be the stepping stone to a vibrant life in our later years.
Can you share with our readers 5 things that one should do to optimize mental or physical wellness after retirement? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Tips to a fantastic, fulfilling retirement.
- Always remember that you come first. It’s not selfish its self-preservation.
- Reconnect with friends and family that you haven’t seen, especially to repair relationships
- Take a good hard look at your financial situation and live below your means. That will give you the wiggle room you need put away for emergencies, or a once in a lifetime trip.
- Take the time to get your health, both mental and physical evaluated, and act upon it.
- Pick up a hobby that interests you. Maybe you gave up one long ago, or start something you always wanted to learn.
In your experience, what are 3 or 4 things that people wish someone told them before they retired?
What most people regret they didn’t listen to or wish they knew:
Saving money
Taking time away from work
Being open to pivoting in to a job that you love
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story?
There are so many, I particularly like stories that show us no matter what obstacles you are faced with you can always moved ahead. The small little successes add up to the well lived life.
I always maintain it’s the little things that count. A small success will build your confidence and help you conquer the bigger ones.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
My goal in life is to help older adults live their best life. I would like to see the country united in the spirit of radical activism of the 60s to bring awareness to our country that are elders are to be respected and listened to. They are the experts in living, they have been here the longest.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
“When you have nothing, you have nothing to lose”
Many times when I found myself starting over I was afraid to approach people for help, advice or just friendship. In my late 20s I started a business that failed. I was so embarrassed and I had nowhere to turn. Now I realize that no matter how far down you think you are, there is no harm in asking for help, seeking advice, throwing caution to the wind, and putting you self out there. There are endless opportunities the world over.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Jane Fonda
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
FB. Patricia Greenberg
Insta @thefitnessgourmet
Linked Patricia Greenberg, The Fitness Gourmet
Youtube Patricia Greenberg, The Fitness Gourmet
Twitter @fitnessgourmet
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Patricia Greenberg, The Fitness Gourmet: 5 Things You Should Do To Optimize Your Wellness After Reti was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
