Susette Hsiung jokes that she’s reached the lounging-in-a-hammock stage of her two-decade-long yoga journey. Aerial yoga, where you perform poses in silks, is her newest workout. It has helped her juggle her television career while raising a son with special needs.
“In a world where we are always seeking perfection, yoga has taught me that you can only be the best you can be today,” she says.
Ms. Hsiung has tried different styles of yoga over her 34-year TV career as she climbed to become the executive vice president of production for Disney Channels Worldwide in Burbank, Calif.
Iyengar, an alignment-based style that uses props, allowed her to keep moving throughout her pregnancy. “Blocks and bolsters made me feel comfortable in poses even with a big belly,” she says. When she learned that her son, Dylan, would struggle with motor skills and learning, she says her mat became her emotional and spiritual outlet.
“I needed a place for inner peace,” Ms. Hsiung says. “Through my practice I was able to learn patience, with myself and my son.”
As her son grew, she needed more strength to assist him, so she got into vinyasa, a more powerful, energetic form of yoga. She also took up Pilates. “I always knew my upper body wasn’t as strong as my lower body,” she says. “Pilates helped me discover my lats. Now that I can engage those muscles so many things are more accessible, like holding plank pose.”
At the start of yoga class, the teacher asks students to set an intention. Ms. Hsiung’s always involved her son. “As a parent of a special-needs child, I was always worrying how we will get through each day,” she says. Five years ago, she set a new intention: Enjoy every moment of class. “I finally realized I didn’t need to worry about Dylan all of the time,” she says.
Her son, now 19, recently started college and Ms. Hsiung, 55, has started dabbling in aerial yoga. “I’m having fun embracing my inner child,” she says.
The Workout
Ms. Hsiung helped start a complimentary yoga program at the office. She attends office yoga on Wednesdays and a power-yoga class near her Studio City, Calif., home on Saturdays. She tries to attend aerial yoga when it fits her schedule. She takes a one-hour private machine-based Pilates class Friday evenings.
She combines family time and exercise whenever possible. On Sundays, while her son joins friends at the community pool and her husband soaks in the Jacuzzi, she does a water-aerobics routine. She wears short flippers and uses the kickboard for 20 minutes. “I can feel the little muscles in my ankles engaging,” she says. She then does 15 minutes of upper-body work using water weights. “I walk around the pool making a breast-stroke motion and then reverse the direction,” she says. “I go slow and really focus on engaging my muscles.”
She rides her folding bike from work 5 miles to meet her husband out one night a week. “My husband and I can grab dinner and watch football, and then we drive home together and share stories about our day,” she says.
When the family walks their golden retriever, Grover, Ms. Hsiung joins on a kick scooter. “I wanted more of a workout, and this works my core, legs and balance while still allowing us to be a family together,” she says. “It also shows Dylan that exercise can be fun.”
The Diet
Ms. Hsiung has yogurt topped with blueberries, flax, chia and hemp seeds for breakfast. She brings a salad for lunch, usually topped with cheese, beans and nuts. She avoids meat but will eat seafood and eggs, both dinner staples, along with vegetables. She snacks on fruit throughout the day. On weekends, she “cheats” and indulges in butter-smothered bread and french fries. “I believe red wine and super dark chocolate are key to success,” she says.
The Gear & Cost
Ms. Hsiung pays $18 per yoga class and $29 per aerial-yoga class. Her private Pilates sessions cost $60. Use of the community pool is free. When it comes to workout apparel, she’s no-fuss. “I like things that make me smile, like my striped leggings from Lands’ End,” she says. Ms. Hsiung has a Townie bike for easy riding, a KHS folding bike for city riding, and a Monodeal kick scooter.
The Playlist
Ms. Hsiung listens to podcasts including TED Talks, “Hidden Brain” by NPR and “Aspen Ideas to Go.” Recent audio books include “Rebel Talent,” by Francesca Gino, “Option B,” by Sheryl Sandberg and Misty Copeland’s biography, “Life in Motion.”
Crunched for Time? Exercise With Your Children
Fitness commitments are often the first thing to fall by the wayside for busy parents. They should get in the habit of exercising as a family, says Dani Johnson, a physical therapist at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program in Rochester, Minn.
“By maximizing your time, you can work toward your own fitness goals while setting an example for your children,” she says. The next time you take your children to the playground, don’t be a benchwarmer. The playground isn’t just for children. “Do pull-ups from the monkey bars, climb the fireman’s pole or do step-ups on a nearby bench,” she says. “If you push your kid on the swing, do squats between pushes.”
Many parents sit on the side while their children are at the pool. She suggests hopping in. “If you don’t want to swim laps, run in the shallow end for low-impact, aerobic activity,” Ms. Johnson says. Try spend time outdoors with them regularly. “Taking a walk or hike in nature is a great way to get exercise and also to talk without the distraction of electronics,” she says.
Bikes are a smart family investment. “Make a habit of biking to dinner once a week,” she says. Plan vacations in destinations that encourage outdoor activities, like skiing, hiking, surfing or rock climbing, she says. “Families bond while trying new activities,” she says.
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