FITNESS PROFILE
State golf hall-of-famer relishes her long walks

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Codie Cooke, 84, walks 12 to 14 miles every day. "I enjoy every single step, with the birds, clouds, blue sky, the trees — it's all so beautiful," she says. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Age: 84

Profession: Retired

Height: 5-foot-3

Weight: 98 pounds

Workout habits: She walks daily from the Iolani School area to and around Magic Island and Ala Moana Park, to Aloha Tower, up Bethel Street to Nu'uanu Avenue, where she catches a bus to the Oahu Country Club in upper Nu'uanu. She then walks home via King Street. Her regimen involves 12 to 14 miles of walking every day.

When and why I started walking: "My mother and dad were great walkers. After dinner we did a brisk walk all the way up Manoa Valley. I started playing golf when I was 5 years old and we walked 18 holes. I played barefoot until, at age 7, I was told that I had to wear shoes. Ugh! I felt like I was walking with boats on my feet!" She was inducted into the Hawaii Golf Hall of Fame in 1985.

My good foods/bad foods: "Every night I eat broccoli, sliced turkey and kim chee, with grapes for dessert. During my walk home I stop at McDonald's for an ice cream."

My biggest motivator: "It just runs in the family. I enjoy every single step, with the birds, clouds, blue sky, the trees — it's all so beautiful!"

My biggest roadblock to fitness: Nothing keeps Cooke from her walks.

What saves my sanity: "I keep busy with my duties at Oahu Country Club as hospitality chairman. I'm also a correspondent for the class of 1937 at Punahou."

Advice for those in the same boat: "If you want to be healthy and happy, go out and walk. There's so much to see in this world. Get out and enjoy it!"