Welcome to another installment of the Women Who Inspire Wellness series! Today, we get to learn a little about my new friend, Gina Badalaty. I had the pleasure of meeting Gina recently through a Facebook group, and I’m better for it. She is the mother of two girls and has spent years focusing on being a mother and ensuring the health and well-being of her daughters. At age 50 though, she joined a gym and began to change her own life. Proving, that you really can get healthy in your 50s.
Gina’s Background
Gina is a fully-recovered stroke survivor and the mother of a child with Mosaic Down syndrome and a hole in heart, and an autistic child. While raising her girls, she has learned that “organic eating and creating a less toxic life can help children thrive and can give moms the energy and stamina they need to see their families through good times and bad.”
Gina is my kind of people.
She is a long-time blogger. Since 2002, Gina has been sharing the story of her family with tips and advice along the way for families of disabled and autistic children.
Inspiration from a Dear Friend
Recently, a friend of Gina’s, Laura, passed away unexpectedly. Laura had been the kind of person who shared joyful, inspirational bits of wisdom daily that had helped Gina through her tougher days. She was a kind soul, and Gina hopes to inspire others the way that Laura inspired her. She deeply misses her.
Every Choice Works Together
The most important lesson that Gina has learned since beginning her journey toward a healthier lifestyle is that everything and every choice works together: mind, body, spirit is impacted by what you eat, see and choose. She demonstrates this with a self-care routine that includes regular workouts, nightly reading and prayer, and eating healthily (including choosing healthier treats).
She doesn’t eat according to any particular type of “diet.” As a general rule, she avoids dairy, soy and gluten and finds that is what works well for her.
What is Health?
When I asked Gina what health means to her, she said “it means your mental and physical state. It can be good or poor, or somewhere in the middle.”
Great answer!
So often, when we think of health, we think only of good health. What we forget is that every person has some type of health. Some of us need to improve our health, and some of us need to maintain our good health.
It’s Never Too Late to Start Something New
Gina says, “it is NEVER too late to start something new.” At the age of 50, she joined a gym and started regularly attending. Just a year and a half later, she won member of the month. Now, she does regular bootcamp workouts 4-5 times a week. It’s one hour of intense cardio and body work, warmup and cool down. She’s also about to complete her B.A. and is embarking on an exciting new business. “Age is how you FEEL, not a chronological number!”
You Can Get Healthy in Your 50s Too
Gina says she only wishes she had known before her journey began what she knows now about food. Then, she could have made better habits a lot sooner. I spent some time on her website, Embracing Imperfect, where she explains a little more background on how food has affected her family and what a powerful tool it can be. All in all, Gina is the type of person who can help others through their difficult times. She is the type of woman who shows by example that you can get healthy in your 50s. And, she is the type of woman who inspires wellness.
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