President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Tarrant County, TD Smyers, was a Naval officer when he read “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest” by Dan Buettner.
He was fascinated with the idea of living beyond 100.
“It was pretty cool to discover advocating for living a full, measurable life,” he said. “Wine at 5 was a surprise for me, it goes to show how simple it is.”
He retired in 2011 after a tour as Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base and became the CEO for the American Red Cross North Texas Region, then went on to United Way of Tarrant County. He said while the work was incredibly rewarding, it became a bit of a distraction from his own well-being.
During Christmas time 2017, he realized how unhealthy he was and wanted to change.
“I was fat, unfocused at work, my heart rate was up, stressed, and wasn’t getting enough sleep,” he said.
His first step to becoming healthier and happier was implementing the Family First principle by taking on the approach with his wife, Barbara. “We started slow,” he said. “We would take our yellow lab, Trey, for a walk, then we upgraded to running and eventually started doing 5ks.”
Since simplicity is what drew Smyers to Blue Zones Project, he made sure they stuck to that by cooking plant-based meals together most nights. And today, he’s lost nearly 50 pounds.
“I wanted to be a lean person who is healthy, not a lean person who is skinny,” he said.
One important area for implementing the Power 9 principles was at work, since his position as CEO is very demanding. He picks days when he wouldn’t accept appointments on his calendar so he could have time to himself. He also downshifts by spending time alone and listening to music. He especially likes Tom Petty and Jimmy Buffet.
While downshift is easy, he said it’s not something that just falls into place. “It has to be intentional. If you wait for it happen, it won’t.”
These are strategies he carries into his role at United Way.
Smyers was thrilled when Blue Zones Project made its way into Fort Worth, but also admits he had his doubts. “I thought, ‘The city of barbeque and tacos is going to be a Blue Zones City? There’s no way!’”
But with Mayor Betsy Price’s support and proactivity, and all that Blue Zones Project has accomplished in community, he sees it as a reality now.
So maybe living beyond 100 isn’t so far-fetched after all! Join the simplicity and fun by going to livelongfortwoth.com and joining the movement. Let’s do it, Fort Worth!