Dianne Bailey didn’t intend to be running a business to train others to teach Tai Chi. She graduated with a degree in finance and accounting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Working in the financial services industry was satisfying and in 1984 her then 8-year-old son put her on a different path. As Dianne explains, “My son declared that he wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I took him to the local Taekwondo studio, and he started his journey to earn a Black Belt (although he never did become a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!) I had a choice when I took him to class. I could sit and watch, or I could join the grappling class in the back room. I chose the latter – and so began my career in the martial arts. I continued with Brazilian Jujitsu and then added Taekwondo. Along the way to my 4th degree Black Belt, I also studied Krav Maga, American Boxing, and Tai Chi. Ironically, I didn’t like Tai Chi at first because I really liked punching and kicking things!”
When life hands you lemons, become a personal trainer and martial artist
But her world changed in 2002 when she lost her job in financial services. “Since I had been teaching some classes in martial arts (Taekwondo classes and Kickboxing classes), I decided to completely change careers and become a personal trainer. By this time, physical activity was an extremely important part of my life and I wanted to help other people make that choice as well,” says Dianne.
Her focus was martial arts. Her company tag line was “completing the artist as an athlete.” It wasn’t long before she noticed that the fitness industry was targeting the fit 20- to 40-year-old. “Well, there are a whole lot of people outside those parameters that need fitness to live the best life they can.”
In 2006, Dianne opened The Conditioning Classroom, a private personal training studio focusing on the mature adult. “We provided individualized training in a safe, comfortable environment to empower older adults to add fitness to their lives.” At the same time, she took a renewed interest in Tai Chi because, “I innately understood that this softer form of exercise was very important, especially with aging. The fitness industry is all about harder, faster, quicker. I realized that Tai Chi gave my body the break it needed as I got older so that I could continue with the harder forms of exercise that I still enjoyed.”
Older adults enjoy Tai Chi as a gentler form of exercise
She offered Tai Chi classes to her studio and was delighted that many people were searching for this kind of gentle exercise. At the same time, “I realized that there were not many opportunities for people to learn Tai Chi because there weren’t very many instructors. The martial arts community has kept it closed off and made everyone believe that one must study for years and years with a master from China before one can ever consider teaching. I decided that fitness professionals were in the right place to offer Tai Chi class so that more people could begin to benefit from this wonderful form of exercise. I created the Open the Door to Tai Chi system. We train the fitness trainers on how to teach Tai Chi. We now have over 800 professionals all over the world teaching Tai Chi in their communities.”
Dianne has also done something she never imaged, she has authored three books, Eating Simply, Open the Door to Tai Chi . . . Tai Chi for the Everyday Person, and Healthy, Happy and Fit: Exercise for your Best Years Yet. (You can find her books on Amazon).
What do you do to try and eat healthfully? Do you try to follow any specific eating pattern or just try to watch certain foods?
My business partner is my younger son and when we wrote Eating Simply, we wanted to give our clients a look at our philosophy of eating. We tell our clients that we are not the food police, nor are we nutrition experts. We believe that eating well is a lifestyle choice, not a diet that starts and stops. The preface to the book states: “Eating should be pleasurable. Eating should be flavorful. Eating should provide nutrition to your body. Eating should not take excessive amounts of your time. Eating should support your goals. Eating should not be stressful. Eating should be simple.” We want people to eat as healthfully as possible and eat well 80% of the time. No one should feel the pressure to be perfect!
What challenges have you faced as you’ve aged?
My biggest challenge is managing stress. Running a business at any age is stressful, so I am extremely grateful for my Tai Chi practice. It not only helps balance out my body physically, but it gives me an enjoyable outlet to allow my body to handle and manage stress.
What 3-4 tips would you offer for healthy aging?
- Make movement a priority. Make it a habit so that life doesn’t crowd it out. Find something you love to do or just realize that exercise will help you continue to do the things you love to do!
- Find something to help you deal with stress. Tai Chi is wonderful and is proven to help lower anxiety and even lower blood pressure.
- Don’t forget social support. Take a class. Learn something new. Be with people so your brain and your heart are always working.
Dianne is married and has 2 grown sons and 4 grandchildren. She and her husband live in Colorado and enjoy hiking, cooking, Tai Chi and eating! For more on the benefits of Tai Chi for older adults click here and here.
Chris Rosenbloom is a registered dietitian and nutrition professor emerita at Georgia State University. She is co-author of Food & Fitness After 50 and writes a blog on healthy aging. Click here to read and subscribe to the blog.
