“You know, Mom, no one is going to follow you because you’re just not that interesting.”

Rediscovering Social Media Popularity

It’s been nearly a decade since her son said that, and now Pattie Lovett-Reid has upwards of 34,000 followers, all very much interested in her posts about quality time with her grandkids, her personal style (she’s currently shopping her closet), media appearances, and her active lifestyle. “I made the choice to go on social media because I felt everyone was on and I wanted to see what the kids were doing – our adult children – and I thought, ‘I want to master this.’”

Pattie Lovett-Reid’s Diverse Pursuits

Mastering whatever task she’s taken on is how Pattie seems to roll. The financial expert recently retired from CTV and has already taken on a new role as the chief financial commentator for Home Equity Bank, along with her freelance public speaking and personal-finance blog writing. With so much on the go, Pattie says she doesn’t have a consistent routine – other than doing a Peloton ride right when she gets up every morning, followed by another workout, and then racking up at least 10,000 steps a day.

Pattie’s Health Regime

Pattie ties her passion for fitness to her father passing away at the age of 36 from a heart attack. “I was nine, so I was old enough to know, but too young to realize how young he truly was,” she says. She recalls her dad being a little overweight and a smoker, and she didn’t want that lifestyle and has been an avid athlete ever since. “Cardio has always been important to me – I’ve always been a bit of a cardio junky,” she confesses.

But she makes sure to cross-train as well. “One day I’ll focus on legs, next day it’ll be upper body,” she says. She works with a personal trainer twice a week with online programs rounding out her regimen. And those 10,000-plus steps? It’s part of her self-care routine for her mental health. “It’s a great time for me to just think and to go and get the job done,” she says; she uses a few different trails both near her home in Toronto and at her property up north. And even if she’s traveling, those steps get done.

“Some days, I go out and complete 10,000 steps because I’ve been sitting and writing at home and I tell myself, ‘Okay that’s enough, we have got to go!’” Although she says she can often rack up 5,000 steps just motoring around the house, she makes a point of getting outside to gain some balance in her day.

Childhood Influences and a Love for Movement

Getting outside is something Pattie’s mom, now 89, instilled in her at a young age. “She said, ‘You have to get fresh air every day. I don’t care what the weather’s like, I don’t care what the day’s like.” That active lifestyle stemmed back to her childhood as well.  She won Athlete of the Year in high school (where she played volleyball and basketball, ran track and did high jump), although she claims it was more about being passionate than actual skill level. “I love movement!”

As such a fan of movement, Pattie also makes time for recovery. She makes sure to stretch and roll, and it comes as no surprise that she’s got a great support system within her family when it comes to being active. Yes, they’re the kind of family that runs a race together for Father’s Day, and they’re always outside together (now with four grandchildren, with another on the way).

She admits that she is often the one rallying everyone to get out there. “They call me the camp counsellor. We have our cottage in Muskoka and family members will laugh and say, ‘You’re not allowed to get on the bike at least until 7:00!’ and ‘Can we just have coffee before you get us going?’” she shares with a laugh.

The Fuel Behind Pattie’s Energy

To fuel such an active lifestyle, Pattie follows her macros pretty closely. “I have a healthy appetite, to say the least. It’s about 35 percent protein, 45 percent carbs and 20 percent fats, and we do a lot of the meal preparations ourselves, so it’s homemade versus eating out,” she says.

Transitioning from CTV and Embracing New Beginnings

Her day-to-day schedule has undergone a big change since she retired from CTV. “It was a great job and I absolutely loved it, but for a decade I had to get up at 3 a.m. in the morning. It can take its toll on your body and your social life,” she says. After doing it for a decade, she thought she’d try something new at this stage in her life.

Pattie’s Personal Philosophy

Taking on a new challenge at this point might seem impressive, especially for a woman who is in the public eye. Not that Pattie will talk about which stage of life she’s in. “I never talk about age. I don’t because I think it can become a limiting belief. All of a sudden it’s ‘I can’t do this because I’m a certain age, I think that’s kind of baloney. Yes, you can. The only thing that’s holding you back is you.’ She never wants to be thought of as someone who’s fit for her age. “I just want to be fit. I’ve never wanted age to be a qualifier – it’s a personal decision.”

Overcoming Dyslexia and Redefining Learning

Besides not allowing ageism to play a role in her life, Pattie has also managed to not allow being dyslexic to impact her career. She only found out later in life, when she was on television and had to read teleprompters. She came to realize she just learned differently, and that it might take her twice as long to figure out something.

For Pattie, it was a defining moment in her life, when all of a sudden, the issues she’d had all this time learning, all made sense. “[The diagnosis] didn’t change me. It explained things to me, and I’ve never thought of it as a crutch. What I have to do is imprint in my mind. It’s almost like having a photographic memory. So I can see something, look at it, speak about it, then forget about it and move on,” she says.

Striving for the Best Quality of Life

As for where she is right now, Pattie’s focus is doing everything she can to live the best quality of life that she can. “I’m a far better mother, grandmother, colleague and employee by just taking a little extra care of myself,” she says, adding that she doesn’t see this time for herself as selfish. “I have the financial flexibility in my life to do the things that give my life more balance and meaning. And that’s a great position to be in.”

.

Photos by ChrisVLinton