At the age of 55, Chandra did something that not many of us would do. Sure, we might take up weight training or pickleball, but ballroom dancing? That is exactly what Chandra did and ten years later she is competing in smooth ballroom dances…waltz, foxtrot, tango, and quick step. “Ballroom dancing is the ultimate full body and mind exercise,” she says.
A Valentine’s Day Surprise
It started with social dancing with her husband and he surprised her with ballroom dance lessons one Valentine’s Day. While he “retired” from dancing, she went full steam ahead. After working with a few different dance teachers, she found the ideal teacher, Ian Folker, and they have been dancing together for the past three years. “Ian has helped me meet my goals and competing was one of those goals. Ballroom dancing is like other sports…first you have to learn the fundamentals and then improve on that skill set with practice and repetition.”
Chandra practices 4 to 5 times each week and competes on a regular basis. “Competing is intense, as intense as any sport!” She also practices restorative yoga to help her dance movement and finds it mentally and physically therapeutic.
Functional and Integrative Nutrition
Least you think that this is her full-time job, it is not. Chandra has a private nutrition practice and has gravitated toward functional and integrative nutrition as a wholistic way to help clients reach their goals. (To learn about her nutrition practice, click here for her website, Nutrition in the Now. Prior to starting her business, she worked in clinical nutrition research at Emory University. “While running clinical trials on the role of different diets in treating breast, lung and colorectal cancer, the medical director wanted everyone working on the project to try the diets. I did and found the lower fat diet felt good for me.” The goal of functional nutrition is to identify the foods and nutrients that function to keep your body healthiest. Chandra reminds her clients that “Food Is Your Medicine.”
Using Foods to Manage Disease
Chandra, the mom of 2 girls, was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during her first pregnancy which is a form of high blood pressure. “I basically had pre-hypertension. I was later diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse. Given these pre-cardiovascular disease conditions, I understood how important lifestyle was in managing my disease risks. I have learned to understand the way sodium and salt affect me and I am very attuned to reading labels to look for the hidden salt.” She eats a whole foods diet with minimal processing, as salt is a main ingredient used to process and preserve foods. Her favorite meal is fresh seafood; something she can readily find when she spends time in Florida or California. “Walking to the docks and buying fresh seafood as it comes off the boat makes for the perfect meal.”
She has also learned to appreciate the role of nutrition in treating disease through her yearly visits to Germany. Her daughter, a neuroscientist, introduced her to a European way of treating disease. “They rely much less on medications, as we do in the U.S., but use herbs (botanicals) and spices and food as restorative, healing agents. That approach may take longer, but they use significantly less drugs than we do and have good results.” We agreed that most Americans are quick to take a drug but slow to change their lifestyle.
Challenges to optimal aging
When I asked Chandra to identify challenges to healthy aging, she said that she is trying to live a life as stress-free as possible. Spending time with her daughters and four grandchildren makes her realize that what is important is relationships, not things. “I am really trying to declutter…we have so much but want more and more and living with less can help reduce stress.”
Chandra’s tips for healthy aging include:
- Have a vision for your life.
- Have a support system to help you reach your vision.
- Live the best you can live and aim for inner peace.
And, while she didn’t name laughter as a tool for healthy aging, we laughed a lot during this interview!
P.S. The photos in the post are from Chandra’s most recent ballroom competition. “The competition was so exciting as well as overwhelming. It was the largest US Ballroom competition this year. For a beginner, I was pleased; of course, a little nervous, however, once I began dancing, I had to remember all my coaching instructions. I competed from 8:30 am and my last competition was at 6:30 pm. I was completely exhausted, hungry and so out of energy. My lesson learned, I have to be sure and fuel the night before and during!”
Copyright © 2019 [Christine Rosenbloom]. All Rights Reserved.
