As the CEO of Superfit Inc., King of Prussia, Pa., Gena Alulis’s business is to make sure that customers’ rings fit their fingers properly and don’t twist or turn. But fitness is also important in her personal life, and as the founding president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association, Alulis brings both fitness and safety to chapter meetings with active self-defense programs once a year.

Alulis studied ballet as a child but never had intentions of dancing professionally. She just liked the workout it provided. But when she hit her 40s and had trouble keeping up with younger classmates, she thought about teaching instead of dancing—and earned her certification as an instructor—but she really wanted a hobby with a little more action.

So she took up horseback riding. She started out small, but when her horse surprised her by making a bigger jump than Alulis was ready for, she decided it was time for a different hobby.

Luckily, she had one to fall back on—skiing. Even better, it was something she could enjoy with her whole family. She and her husband, Paul, began skiing when their sons, Eric and Jeff, now in their 20s, were small. Today, the family looks for mountain paths that are “a little too tough for beginners and a little too boring for intermediate skiers because nobody’s on those slopes.”

With every passing year, she feels the physical limitations of maturity. “A little shoulder ache here, a little arthritis there, but I love the feeling of accomplishing something physical and showing improvement,” she says.