Joan Lunden Part Four – Tips for Healthy Living

Joan Lunden is a journalist, author and television host.  She was the co-host of ABC’S Good Morning America from 1980 to 1997.  I met Joan Lunden when I attended her fun-filled week-long retreat, Camp Reveille in Maine.

**Be sure to check out the Make Life Special review on Joan’s new Twiztt Cookware:       Twiztt Cookware Review  **

Here is part four of the Make Life Special interview with Joan Lunden.  Here Joan offers several tips for creating a healthy lifestyle.

Joan:  I went through a complete transformation when I turned 40.    I had been raised by a mom from the Midwest – you know – meat and potatoes, put some sauce on it and it will be just fine.  My mom never owned a pair of sneakers…. So I had to learn how to be a fit and healthy person as an adult.  That’s hard to do.  All of a sudden I’m forty and I had to change all of my habits!

A lot us in my era had to do that.  Fortunately, my daughters were young teenagers when I was going thru that .  They benefited from it and certainly now,  I think the greatest gift I can give my little ones is that sense of growing up healthy and eating healthy foods.  I don’t want them to have to learn it as an adult.  I want them to create lifestyle  choices…. Instill good choices in them now as young children.

Vickie:  I think what you’ve touched on  is something that I’ve told my girls – and they look at me with this dazed look because I’m a very active person.  But again, that’s something I had to learn.   Because, I can never remember my mom ever exercising.

Joan:  Me either!

Vickie:  Not  walking, I mean not even to go for a walk.

Joan:  That’s right!

Vickie:  I think it was just that whole era that women just didn’t do that.  So, we were not exposed to that.  And now, we realize how important that is and so now our children watch this activity and they are incorporating it in their lives .  I don’t know about you, but my mother never exercised — ever.

Joan:  My mom only owned one pair of sneakers in her life and that was when she was 50 or 60 and they were gold sequined sneakers.  They were not to walk in!  Ha Ha!

Vickie:  And certainly not to exercise in!  Ha Ha!

Joan:  Yeah, I mean they just never exercised.  I think the first time my mom has ever exercised is she is turning 94 – I’m planning her 94^th birthday party for her right now – I got a video of her exercising in her chair!  Along with the other  older people….they said “Move over Zumba! “ Ha Ha.  Its important for them to stay a little flexible and to get their system going a little bit.

It’s hard as an adult to learn how to do this.  I went through a huge transformation – learning how to live healthy.  Shop healthy…and cook healthy,,,and put fitness into my life.

Vickie:  And I’m just going to touch briefly on this point.  Because you and I are close to the same age.  I think we are the first generation to have aging parents in their 80’s and 90’s;  to have teenagers still at home;  to have kids in college;  and to have grand kids!  I have all of that.  …And you do too!

Joan:  We are the first generation to have that.  Part of it is because women also postpone getting married and having children.  They are having their children later.  And they still have kids in high school or certainly financing them in college when all of a sudden they are also in charge of the care of their aging parents.  It’s a lot…. It’s a lot for any woman ….I’m very involved in that care giving  phase.  If you go to my website – you’ll see that.

Vickie:  I am too..And that’s an important priority for me.

Joan:  But we are also a generation , for the first time, we have gone through a lot — this generation.  We are the first generation to say. “ I’m going to learn the healthy way to do it…”  People aren’t willing to put up with toxic plastic baby bottles ….we are primed….we came for not really caring about anything to going through a real health stage.  Now we are kind of to the “get rid of all the bad stuff in our life”  because there is just so much around us that can hurt us.  This baby boomer generation wants to live longer—-but who wants to live longer if you’re not going to stay healthy!

Vickie:  We want to live linger and stay healthy….and keep our minds!  Ha Ha  That’s important!

Thank you Joan for sharing all of your wonderful tips with us.

 

Note:  Be sure to check out Joan’s new line of cookware called Twiztt!  Click here to read my review on this cookware:  Twiztt Cookware Review