This article was originally published on ShoutOutLA.com
We had the good fortune of connecting with Gretchen Zelek and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Gretchen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In my fifties I started a fitness products company designed to provide support for the knees, wrists and neck. I presented the topic “Exercise Tools for Baby Boomers” at fitness conferences around the country and met fitness professionals who had clients over 50 who wanted to stay fit and healthy. I was one of them and I imagined aging to be a whole lot different than what my parents and grandparents experienced. It was one thing providing people with the tools to workout, but I wanted to be a real part of how to continue to live a happy, healthy, fun and fulfilled life. I became a Functional Aging Specialist and Certified Group Fitness Instructor and, with a friend who was a personal trainer, we started the website DonutsandPieFitness.com. We share interviews with national fitness, health, wellness and lifestyle experts about innovative ways to age enthusiastically. It has been eye opening, incredibly inspiring and, most of all, really fun.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I have interviewed the most amazing people: a woman who started a successful clothing line at 60, a man in his 50s who became synonymous with an award winning wine, a fitness icon still working out in her 90s, and many more people who graciously share innovative and fun ways to age enthusiastically. My business could not be more different from other baby boomer sites because often they focus on the limitations about what the future may present, or they reminisce about the past and are nostalgic while yearning for younger times, but we are, instead, looking forward to our next birthday. Through fitness, health, lifestyle, brain health, nutrition and entertainment, we are poised to offer you the newest, most fun and innovative ways to live your life to the fullest. I am really proud of the caliber of the people I have interviewed. They are nationally recognized experts who really make you think and could change how you decide to navigate the rest of your life. Donuts and Pie Fitness is a work in progress. I would love to share with more followers and subscribers, but it takes time and with each interview I add to an amazing library of aging enthusiastically knowledge. I am fortunate to know a diverse group of people in the world (and especially LA) and I have never have a shortage of ideas or interviewees. I have learned when I ask the people I interview how they plan to age enthusiastically, almost everyone of them mention how being grateful has changed their path. They appreciate all they have, rather than what they desire or don’t have. It is not about stuff but about being mindful and aware and loving what surrounds you. I want people to know that I really am all about aging enthusiastically. I have fun, I make ridiculous mistakes, I learn, I laugh and I make friends along the way. It’s all about the fun filled path you can choose to take. I mean, come on, we are called Donuts and Pie Fitness.
