Alice

This story seemed like a good one to kick off the New Year, since so many of us probably set some fitness goals. I also thought that I’d let Alice tell it in her own words.

I am 80 years old and this morning, like nearly every other morning for the last 65 years, I began my day by exercising. When I first started, I never thought about doing this forever – it just sort of happened. Here’s how it all started:

When I was 15, I had a gym teacher whose name was Gertrude Jordan. I liked Miss Jordan, partly because she seemed like a real person – a woman who could kick off her shoes because her feet were tired, or a woman who might cry at a movie or laugh at some silliness. She was also nice looking – not a beauty – but nice looking, and she wore really cute gym clothes.

Miss Jordan emphasized a number of times during school that year that we (a class of all girls) would look and feel better if we took care of ourselves, exercising even minimally. Well, I doubt that I cared if I would feel better, but looking better was very appealing. We exercised as a class when the weather prevented us from playing sports outside. I hated the outside stuff as I was clumsy, uncoordinated, and totally disinterested in ball games, but the exercises were to my liking and something I could do quite well.

I thought I would give this a try: some sit-ups, some push-ups, touching my toes, windmills, and deep knee bends. These were things I could do in my bedroom with no one the wiser, and they cost nothing and could be done at anytime. I started with 25 of each and found I enjoyed this more than I imagined. It gave me a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of well being.

As time passed I added more. I settled on 50 each – sit-ups, push-ups (military style – no knees), windmills, and toe-touches, and I rarely missed a day, other than time outs for some surgeries and toward the end of my three pregnancies. The day after I got home from the hospital after giving birth to my youngest child, I was down on the floor doing sit-ups when my mother came into the room. She gasped when she saw me. I’m sure she was either impressed or convinced I had lost my mind. A few years later she caught me exercising the day after I was discharged from the hospital after having surgery. She pleaded with me not to hurt myself. I think she was afraid I would need to go back to the hospital and she would be left caring for my children.

My routine has never taken much time, and it has always been easier to exercise in the morning. When my husband and I first married some 30+ years ago, he said he didn’t know if he would become accustomed to having me leap out of bed, throw myself on the floor, and do sit-ups. (Many adjustments in marriage.)

When I was nearing my 60th birthday, I thought I would just stop, that I had done this for a lot of years, and that I had done pretty well. But a voice in my head said, “Do not be foolish; do not stop. Do more.” So I continued. I also decided to start doing the same number of sit-ups as my age. I now do 80 sit-ups, 50 push-ups (still with no knees), 50 toe-touches (I can’t quite reach anymore, but I still try), 50 windmills, and stretch with my arms high above my head many times – probably 50 or so. I just keep stretching until I am awake, alert, and ready for the day. Am I healthy? You betcha! Do I look good? I think so. I look my age, but good. I am 4' 10" and weigh 100 pounds.

I could never have been a tennis player or a jogger or a tap dancer, but I did find something I could do and that I liked. Thank you, Miss Jordan.


Here are some details Alice didn’t include:

Alice was a working single mother for 19 years, raising three children. Through her working years she did her exercises at about 5:00 a.m. each day. When she retired at age 74 (and a half) she began sleeping in until 6:00 a.m., so she does her routine “late” now.

Alice has had four kinds of cancer. After surgery for ovarian cancer at age 65 the surgeon told her that internally she had the body of a 35-year-old, and that her abdominal muscles were so developed he had a hard time getting through. He thought he might need a machete. She liked that. When she was 68 the cancer came back and she had more surgery. When she came to in the recovery room the first thing she asked was when she could do her sit-ups.

A few years ago and quite awhile after the fact, one of her doctors told her that he and his colleague had figured that she had less than a 20% chance of surviving three years after her initial ovarian cancer diagnosis. Three years later, when the cancer came back, they thought she had less than a 5% chance of living past three years. To save you the calculation time, that’s 15 and 12 years ago.

Alice and I had some conversations throughout her bouts with cancer. One in particular stands out. I called to see how she was doing. She said that when she had gone to the doctor that day, she was too weak to lift her foot up to step on the scale. I asked if she had gone to work. “Of course!” was the reply. I asked if she had exercised that morning. “I did, but I could only do a few sit-ups.”

And while I’m telling tales out of school I will tell you something else for which I may take some serious grief: there’s no way in the world she’s 4’ 10”. She’s 4’ 8” on a good day.

I think Alice was the inspiration for the Energizer Bunny.

P.S. Alice is my mother. No, unfortunately, dedication and a love for exercise are not genetic.