103 1/2 Year Old Hires Her First Personal Trainer
"What's your Secret?" Everyone wants to know.
I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Essie, who is 103 years old. She welcomed myself and my therapy dog into her home. She shared with me a photo album that had pictures and stories of her life with family and friends going back to her grandparents.
I asked her if she ever played sports. She said she played baseball and ran. But, when she said baseball she had a big smile. This explains why when I asked her what was her favorite tv show was, she said "Dodgers", again with a big smile. Then her daughter shared with me a Letter she received from Vin Scully, the play by play sports announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He sent her a letter on official Dodger letter head and wished her a happy birthday on her 100th birthday.
I asked Essie if she every had cancer. She said yes, she has had breast cancer and kidney cancer. When she was 75 she had some vertebrae fused together. Age 78 she had a kidney removed, age 80 lumpectomy, age 81, her left knee replaced and at age 83 she had her right knee replaced. She drove herself 20 miles each day to get her radiation for her lumpectomy. Not, because she did not have any family to help, she has a great family and kids and lots of love, but she wanted to.
She did water aerobics and chair exercise classes for quite some time. Now her exercise is taking walks with her roller walker. She walks down the boardwalk to the farmers market everyday to get fresh veggies and fruit and sometimes two times a day. She said that walking and pushing that walker is enough of a workout for her. She enjoys having Kentucky fried chicken once in a while and 1/2 of a McDonalds hamburger every few months. She does email, has a cell phone and plays games on her computer on rainy days.
Wasabi, my therapy dog was acting like he needed something the whole time I was there. He had water and he went for his walks. We could not figure it out. Then when I got up off the couch and he was able to jump up and sit next to her, he then was content. He just wanted to sit next to her. And now the big question everyone wants to know. "What is her secret?"
Her daughter told me when I first arrived that she does not like it when people ask her this question. Towards the end of our visit we were talking about how she does not like that question. She said this. "I am just me." I loved that moment the most in my time with her. When she said this, it was so sweet, but then very powerful. It stuck with me. She has such a calm sweet spirit. I said to her "You did not worry and stress a lot in life, did you?" She said no. Her daughter then said she has very strong faith in God.
I then said to her, "You must be very proud of your mom" She said "Yes, she has been a great role model." That was a very special day for me to sit and share with her.
Thank you Essie & Peggy
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Keep scrolling and see what happens when Essie hires her very first personal trainer at 103 1/2!!
At 104 Years Old She Hired Her First Personal Trainer Ever
Over a year ago, when Essie was 103, I had the honor to go to her home and interview her for my blog. Of course, everyone's question was "What is her secret?" Her daughter told me she does not like to be asked that question, so I did not ask her that. At the end of the interview, I asked her why she did not like that question. She had no secret and her answer was "I am just me." That was my favorite part in talking to her. It was sweet, honest and made me feel encouraged to just be me in life.
When she was 104 1/4 years old she joined the gym I trained at so she could do private personal training sessions with me. She began coming in twice a week for 30 minutes. One of the things we did together was she would stand on a pink BOSU® ball and hold on to a bar to work on balance and strengthening her postural muscles and core. When she got to the point where I thought it would be good for her to step up and down, forward and back and side to side over the BOSU® ball, I thought it would be a good idea to have her get a child-size BOSU® ball. She began proudly walking through the parking lot and into the gym caring her very own BOSU® ball on her walker. She even scanned her own key into the gym scanner each time she came in.
She learned to engage her core to help her stand up taller and to help her balance as she was on the BOSU® balls and as she walked. In the time frame of 3 months her posture had a big structural change. She focused on holding herself upright while she exercised with me and on her own when she was doing her every day activities. This is a great example. If you are being present and consistent, your body can make healthy changes at any age. She will be 105 years old in less than a month.
In our training sessions together she works on walking backward and forward with in her walker. She stays aware of where her body is in space and to where she is placing her feet. Exercising with awareness and being present trains the body better and retrains the subconscious to be in charge again for safe movements.
A few weeks ago she needed to get an X-ray and when she was done she just sat up from the table without using her arms. The X-ray tech said "She just sat up using her core!"
One day she had some of her family visiting and they came to be with her while she worked out with me. We had four generations of her family there with her. I insisted they all go on the BOSU® balls with her for a picture. Her daughter, Peggy, at 75 years old posing on her mom's child-size ball.
Essie also has an Angel that watches over her during her workouts when she is with me now. He was with me when I went to her home and talked to her when she was 103. He really likes her.
She does squats holding onto a bar while on the BOSU® ball, and even does pushups. A couple times she let go with one hand on her own and whipped out a few one-arm pushups.
I mentioned in my last blog post that she was a big Dodgers and Vin Scully fan. Vin wrote her a letter on her 100th birthday. I was invited to the "Give It Forward" Ceremony where she was presented with a gift of a picture of Don Drysdale, a former Dodger player.
Essie has been such a fun client to train. She inspires others who see her. Her positive calm presence helps me to feel and stay inspired. She enjoys walking outdoors with her family when she can too. Happy almost 105th Birthday Essie!
In honor of Essie