Australian fitness industry icon, OH! Magazine author and fitness professional, Laraine Dunn, shares with us the key to ageing gracefully. “I feel that I am really blessed to be able to play and have fun.”
“That’s how I make a lot of my decisions,” explains Novocastrian Laraine Dunn, “By getting out of my comfort zone.” She’s explaining the finer details of how ageing with a positive attitude is something she considers the key to living a healthy and happy life – and she’s living proof that it works.
An attitude carried throughout life
Sounding far younger than her 68 years, Laraine’s enthusiasm for life is contagious. Still teaching group fitness classes for seniors and sharing her positive outlook on ageing, Laraine is a big believer in encouraging individuals to get out of their comfort zone.
In 2005 she was the recipient of Australian Fitness Network’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for her achievements as a national and international presenter, educator, author and group exercise instructor. Best known for her expertise and originality in aquatic exercise education and healthy ageing, her joie de vivre has inspired many to get out of their chair and embrace growing old with a healthy and positive attitude.
Married for 37 years to her late husband, Gary, Laraine says that they both tried to live for the moment and enjoy life as much as they could. Valuing the body and taking risks are her ‘big’ philosophies and probably the invisible hands that drive her to do the things she does. “I believe in taking at least 10 risks a year,” she says. Actions can be as simple as doing something new, striking up conversations with new friends, learning a new skill or just getting out of your comfort zone. “It’s this risk taking that has taken me to the edge lots of times,” she says, which is evident from her own adventures.
A life of adventures
It’s hard to keep up with Laraine as she rattles off the exciting adventures she’s undertaken, which is more than most people half her age. She lists jumping out of a plane over Namibia’s Skeleton Coast as the scariest. “It was a tiny little plane in a third world country and the guys who ran it looked like they had just stepped out of a bar,” she recalls. “It was amazing – all you could see was desert. Jumping out was great but what was more outstanding was the 360s the plane was doing – after the third one I had to ask them to stop!”
Approaching each adrenalin fuelled escapade with a ‘no fear’ attitude keeps Laraine calm and stops her from backing out (not that that is an option), whether it is hiking Mt Kilimanjaro, swimming with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef, trekking New Zealand’s less-travelled trails or white water rafting down a crocodile-infested Nile river. “I don’t offer that option of having a rest because they are going to have it if they want to.”
Challenging our bodies and minds as we age
Inspired by adventurers like polar pioneer Sir Ernest Shackleton, Laraine says that we as modern day explorers have it easy with all the technology and gadgets available to us. Although she sees herself as a traveller, she admits we have everything we need to make our adventure comfortable compared to early explorers who didn’t have much at all.
What Laraine has discovered through her own ageing and teaching experience is that individuals have far more capacity for challenging their bodies through exercise than they think possible. “We don’t know how strong we really are because we never put it [our bodies] to the test,” she explains, saying how probably 95 per cent of the older population never really push themselves. Teaching 60 to 70 participants a week with a variety of health conditions and limitations, Laraine insists that classes for seniors and older populations should include a floor component so individuals can practice getting down and up from the floor. “If they fall down on the floor, 50 per cent of people who can’t get up – die,” she says.
Stepping out of the comfort zone: The key to ageing well
So what works best with older populations? “If you have a choreographed routine it doesn’t allow for all the capacities and you can’t always work on function and range of movement,” she explains, and “Getting your older clients to know what an exercise feels like and what it really is to push yourself is important.” Adopting a form of interval training, teaching correct technique and form and encouraging them to work harder are her methods to bring out the best in participants.
Much like in any life stage, she says that it’s important to decide what you want from your life, and what you need to do in order to achieve it. “The best advice I can give is to actively participate in your own life. It can feel hard to age actively with chronic conditions, so ask yourself – how can I do this?”
On her own ageing, Laraine says “It’s a whole new world and means evaluating where I am at, working out what I want for my future, and how I can achieve it all. It means taking steps to maintain my health and happiness, and to make that happen.” Her parting advice is to “Find like-minded groups with similar goals to yours, as this helps you stay informed and motivated and often also opens up a whole new world of opportunities to be more active.” Her message comes across loud and clear – “Be inquisitive and never lose that curiosity and joy of living.”
Laraine’s tips for active ageing:
- Look after your body.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Think positive thoughts.
- Eat healthy.
- Surround yourself with positive people that stimulate and inspire.
- Keep learning.
- Be the best you can be.
- Live outside your comfort zone.
- Live in and appreciate the moment.
- Have fun and try to enjoy every moment.
Check out these articles:
Is Biohacking The Next Frontier in Client Engagement?
Biohacking is so popular that there’s an entire subreddit devoted to it these days. What is it, and how can you utilise it as a fitness professional to help your clients achieve their goals? In the noisy fitness landscape, trainers are always looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, so is the rise
Corporate Escapee Helping Others Find Balance From Burnout
James Zammit was inside a float tank, prepping for an upcoming interview when he decided he’d had enough of his corporate career. Fifteen years of long hours and what he described as a “toxic environment” had been taking its toll on his health and wellbeing. “I just decided, I’m not doing this anymore. I’m opening
Can Sauna Therapy Help With Anxiety and Depression?
Millions of people deal with mental health issues like depression and anxiety every day. Many of them look for different ways to relieve stress, whether it’s from work or just feeling overwhelmed all the time. Among these, sauna therapy is becoming more popular due to the positive effects it may have on mental health. In
A Pilates and Recovery Franchise Opportunity For Investors
As demand for recovery modalities continue to rise and the popularity of Pilates keeps growing, entrepreneur David Altamura saw a gap in the health and wellness landscape. His successful studio, Wildsoul Wellness, is now available for franchising and opens up a real opportunity for potential investors and business owners to step into the Pilates and
Good Mood Food: Seven Foods To Boost Mental Health
A healthy, balanced diet can go a long way to improving your mental and physical well-being, but sadly it’s not a cure-all for the millions of Australians suffering from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Judy Phillips is an Aussie foodie, personal trainer, and mental health advocate who has written two cook books
Launch Of National Eating Disorder Recommendations For The Fitness Industry
InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders and peak industry association Ausactive have launched recommendations for the identification and support of those living with eating disorders in the fitness industry in Australia. Eating disorders have low detection and intervention rates, gyms and fitness clubs are at-risk settings for the presentation of eating and exercise disorders, and as
Take A Mid-Year Resilience Check Up
Heed this timely advice for your clients and members (and yourself), from the Resilience Institute. If you started the year off positive, energised and ready to kick goals, only to be dragging your feet to the end of the financial year, fear not. Set aside a few minutes and take a mid-year resilience check up.
An Alternative Way to Manage Stress With Access Consciousness
Article updated October 2024. It’s Mental Health Month, so we thought we’d revisit this article we first published years ago to share an alternate form of therapy that has helped many people with managing symptoms of stress, anxiety and overwhelm. As always, there are different strokes for different folks – we’re of the opinion that
How’s Your Emotional Flexibility?
You may spend a lot of time on your physical flexibility, but emotional flexibility is just as crucial in order to live a healthy, well-rounded life. Margie Warrell explains… When I went to the Australian Open this year, I found it inspiring to see top seeded players like Victoria Azaranka and Andy Murray move about