Discover a collection of stories from our authorities on the Longevity Lifestyle, created by ROAR Forward, a collaborative of longevity thought leaders and content creators.
While in New York, Suze Yalof Schwartz was known as the “Fairy Godmother of Makeovers”, making over women everywhere from the Westminster Dog Show to the Oprah Show. She led a hectic life as a fashion editor appearing on TV and dressing celebrities for the red carpet. When she and her husband moved west, her mother-in-law taught her how to meditate—which led Suze to the idea of opening a meditation studio, “like Drybar or SoulCycle for meditation.”
Her idea thrived. Unplug Meditation is an in-person studio and app with a worldwide audience. It also offers online Teacher Training with over 300 graduates.
“Honestly, meditating consistently every day is game-changing,” she says. “I can notice when something triggers me, press pause and redirect my brain,” she says. After all, meditation with a mantra is proven to lower the breathing rate and blood pressure, which can be excellent for longevity.
Here’s how Suze lives her best life on a Sunday in LA.
But First, “Beditation”
I’m an early bird and I wake up naturally at 6am. My husband Marc will still be passed out because he’s a night owl. First thing in the morning, before anything, I open the Unplug app and do RCM— Rise, Click, Meditate. It’s the Meditation of the Day on the app. Davidji, a meditation teacher, calls it ‘beditation’ because you can do it in bed. It just sets a positive tone for the day. It’s way better than scrolling on your phone. Plus, a new study shows that those who meditate in the morning are more likely to stick with it. It’s 10 minutes, which is enough to help reduce stress and anxiety and improve focus and concentration—exactly what we need for the long haul.
Smoothie Time
I like to eat. I make a green smoothie with a banana, two huge handfuls of spinach, ice, water, ginger and lemon. I once wanted to lose a few pounds, so I did a program where they teach you to eat like you are in the bush. You start each day with a green smoothie. Of course, I gained all the weight back after it ended, but that smoothie stuck. I feel great whenever I have it.
Smell the Flowers
I’m a sneaky gardener. I started by rescuing the roses from my next-door neighbor’s house who had passed. I dug them up and brought them to my garden before their house was torn down, with their permission of course. I’ve done three rose rescues and I have little signs for all of them. Now, I buy the strongest smelling roses I can find. Smelling roses has an actual effect on your nervous system.
Link-Up Lunch
I often make lunch for all the women I love. It’s my famous salad bar, then after we eat, I use Mason jars to have salad-in-a-jar all week long. All that chopping wasn’t just for them, but for me too. My friend’s mother was the best entertainer, and she inspired me to do the salad bar lunch— just having interesting women over, eat salad, connect and have fun.
“Fun is My Core Value”
I’m a serious water skier. It’s my absolute favorite thing to do. There’s a place called Los Angeles Wake on Castaic Lake where you can go and water ski. I take my son Tyler there to wakesurf and wakeboard. My tip is you want to be the first one on the lake. Go early and ski. Varying workouts keeps your brain and body challenged. Plus, I’d rather be out on the water than in a gym any day.
Chill Time
I love to go to a sound bath on a Sunday at Unplug Studio. I basically built Unplug for myself. It helps me just check out from my worries and distractions, check in and just be. I feel fully relaxed during these sessions. It’s like getting massaged without being touched. It also helps me tap into my life’s purpose, what and how I want to be, not what I want to do. I genuinely feel like my energy impacts everyone’s energy. I believe in the ripple effect of this practice. When I do it, my kids like me more. I’m a better version of myself after I unplug. Relaxing your body and mind (and dipping into the brain’s theta waves) is key to overall health and wellbeing because, ironically, unplugging helps you recharge.
Dinner Is the Winner
I’m obsessed with dinner and cook mostly from Pamela Salzman, Ina Garten and Lulu Powers. I test on my kids, my husband and friends and if they love it, it’s a keeper and I put the recipe into my 3-ring binder. I’ve photocopied that book and given it to friends. They love it too.
I’ll make dinner and invite people over. We sit outside in my backyard and listen to a soundtrack I made called Romany Lounge—it’s public on Spotify if anyone wants it. It’s all this music I heard when I was in Porto, Portugal. It’s a good vibe playlist. The community I’ve created here in LA is so important to me, and community should be for anyone who wants to live longer.
The New, New Thing
On Sundays, I like to learn something new, whether it’s a new recipe, building a piece of furniture, creating a vision board or trying to master the square croissant. That was a pain, I’ll never make another one. But I like to do something challenging and new and learn. I just need that feeling of accomplishment. Plus, being a lifelong learner—I like the term “life explorer"—even risk-taking, is good for the brain and gives us a sense of purpose.
Winding Down Easy
I love to play backgammon with my husband. He thinks he’s better than I am, but I tend to disagree. Then I’ll pull an affirmation card from Louise Hay that I keep next to my bed, so I don’t think about junk. Every single card is positive so you can’t pick a dud. I like to clear my brain with meditation, a card or self-hypnosis before bed, so I’ll do one of those things. And, lights out, I’m asleep by 10:30 or 11pm.
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