Retirement is for doing your reps
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
At the Arcadia retirement residence in Makiki, fitness is a priority for many of the active seniors. A complete fitness facility in the building makes it convenient to work out. Regular classes address the individual needs of residents, from those who can pump iron and run on a treadmill to those who exercise from a walker or wheelchair.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Three mornings a week, wellness director Ecilina Mendonca holds an aqua aerobics class, in which three of her students — Helen Brown, Marcia LeBaron and Mildred Seastrom — are over 90. We talked to all three:
Working out in the retirement residence pool are, from left, Marcia LeBaron, 95, instructor Ecilina Mendonca, Mildred Seastrom, 94, and Helen Brown, 98.
Name: Helen M. Brown, retired social worker.
Age: 98.
Height: 5-feet-3.
Weight: 155 pounds.
Workout habits: "Aqua aerobics three times a week, strength training class three times a week, floor exercises for lower body, and abdominal work every day. I also take the bus everywhere, requiring some walking."
When and why I started working out: "Whenever there was the opportunity, but it was harder in Wisconsin, where I used to live. Since coming to Hawai'i in 1981, I have exercised more regularly."
My good foods/bad foods: "I try to eat a lot of salads with a little dressing. I love cookies but try to restrain myself."
My biggest motivator: "To try to stay healthy and active, and to be as independent as possible."
My biggest roadblock to fitness: "Being legally blind is a challenge," but not a roadblock. She had difficulty understanding the question because "roadblock" is not in her vocabulary.
My next challenge: "To stay healthy, active and independent."
Advice for those in the same boat: "Eat nutritious foods, and even more important, stay active and involved."
• • •
Name: Marcia LeBaron, retired teacher.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Age: 95.
Instructor Ecilina Mendonca guides a pool workout by, from left, Helen Brown, Marcia LeBaron and Mildred Seastrom.
Height: 5-feet-4.
Weight: 145 pounds.
Workout habits: Water exercise three times a week.
When and why I started working out: "When the pool (at Arcadia) opened, because I wanted to lose weight."
My good foods/bad foods: "This is irrelevant."
My biggest motivator: "To stay on my two feet."
My biggest roadblock to fitness: "Inertia."
What saves my sanity: "I don't think it's in need of saving."
My next challenge: "I take them as they come."
Advice for those in the same boat: "Don't rock the boat!"
• • •
Name: Mildred Seastrom, retired secretary and bookkeeper.
Age: 94.
Height: 5-feet-2.
Weight: 137.
Workout habits: Aqua aerobics three times a week and chair exercises six days a week.
When and why I started working out: Moving to the Arcadia in 1990 made it convenient.
My good foods/bad foods: "I don't eat any meat except chicken. I like fish. However, I am a chocoholic."
My biggest motivator: "To have a good, healthy life. I had a mild stroke and lost some use of my right side, then I took a bad fall and injured some tendons." Although she uses a walker to get to the pool, she experiences freedom in the water.
