Live Well, At Any Age

I refuse to believe that you are a victim of circumstance. If you want to change your life, then you have to change your life.

There are hundreds of tips and tricks to help people feel better but they are hard to find especially for seniors or people with a specific disease or disability.

My name is Sarah Zastrow and I am an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist.

Whoa what does that mean?

An ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologists (EP-C) is a person who analyzes their patients’ fitness in order to help them improve their health or maintain good health. They help patients with heart disease and other chronic conditions, like diabetes or pulmonary (lung) disease, to regain their health and wellness.

All that basically means is that I help people with diseases and disabilities to live a happy and healthy life despite obstacles they may face.

I started a company called Bay Area Wellness in 2016. I found that there are too many people who feel generally lousy but do not know what to do or how to feel better. There are countless tips and tricks to make people feel better and give them the power to take over their own wellness and happiness.

Click on the video below to hear a little more about what I do.

Here’s my story:

I used to work as an EMT for Mobile Medical Response which is an Ambulance company in Saginaw, Michigan. AKA one of the most crime ridden cities in the country. Call-after-call we ran into the same things. Hundreds of people who battled exhaustion, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, digestion problems and the list goes on and on. These people all had something in common. They did not exercise, ate mostly unhealthy foods, and did not care for their own personal wellness. Everything is connected when it comes to your body, mind and spirit.

I started to take a closer look at both my patients and my own life and decided wellness was the missing piece.

What is "Wellness"? Wellness is a state of health where seven dimensions of your life are in sync and thus you feel generally well. The seven dimensions are physical, mental, financial, spiritual, environmental, social, and intellectual. All of the dimensions of wellness are tied together and when one is out of balance, the rest of the dimensions suffer.

How does that differ from health? Health is a state of being free from illness or injury. So the difference is, a person can be well even if they have a disease (or are not healthy), as long as they are feeling generally good, and they can do the things that they want to do, and they can lead a balanced life.

Here's why that matters to me.

The population is aging and there are thousands of people who are beginning to feel the effects of aging. Seniors especially feel like they cannot get a good night sleep, they have general aches and pain, digestive problems, and might struggle with things like diabetes, heart disease, depression, anxiety, cancer, or neurological or memory disorders.

There are things that can help you make the golden years feel more golden and less miserable. That's what I have set out to do. Lessen the effects of aging to help you to feel better every day.

I teach fitness classes that focus on strength, coordination, endurance, balance and I also give daily tips on how to stay well. This becomes increasing important as we age and even more so if we have a disease or disability. Thus I started this blog to help ease the discomfort associated with aging. I will post tips and tricks every week to help us all live a better life.

So tip for today: start to notice how the different dimensions of wellness play a role in your life, and if they change as our lives change.

The seven dimensions are physical, mental, spiritual, financial, environmental, intellectual, and social.

Make today wonderful,

Sarah Z

Created by Sarah Zastrow