FITNESS PROFILE
Badminton helps mom, 6-year-old stay active
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer
Liz Dahl of Hawai'i Kai has always worked at being fit. However, the single mother recently discovered what fun it can be to involve her daughter, Star Dahl-Thurston, 6, in informal fitness activities.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
The mother and daughter, along with Roxie, their poi dog, get outside and get moving at least three times a week. They tried a number of different activities before discovering badminton, a game that is inexpensive because it requires little equipment (except for replacing the shuttlecocks that land on the roof of the buildings in Haha'ione Park) and can be played anywhere there's a patch of grass.
Liz Dahl, of Hawai'i Kai, background, jogs with dog Roxie and daughter Star Dahl-Thurston, 6, at Haha'ione Valley Neighborhood Park. The two do many activities together.
Sharing their workouts has been a bonding experience for mother and daughter, as well as helping active first-grader Star sleep better at night. In that spirit, we'll include details on Star's exercise and eating habits here, too.
Name: Liz Dahl.
Age: 43.
Profession: Makeup artist at Chop Salon and for movies and television.
Height: 5-feet-6.
Weight: 126 pounds.
Workout habits: Treadmill for 30 minutes three times a week, free weights three times a week, and badminton with Star three times a week.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
For Star, it's constant motion, as well as tennis lessons once a week and badminton and jogging with Mom three times a week.
Star Dahl-Thurston, 6, of Hawai'i Kai, plays badminton with her mom, Liz Dahl, at Haha'ione Valley Neighborhood Park.
When and why I started working out: "Weight was never a problem when I was younger. I sort of went to the gym because that's what everyone was doing — and it made me feel better so it became a happy habit. Then I hit 40 and I noticed I had to eat right in addition to working out."
My good foods/bad foods: "I love fish and so does Star! Salads and anything green is fine with us! I have a vegetable- and fruit-eating daughter; her favorite snack is celery or apples. I wouldn't eat a piece of celery if you paid me. Bad foods for me are barbeque chips and anything fried. For Star, it's anything with li hing mui in it: a gummy bear, mochi crunch and the plain li hing mui candy in the jar."
My biggest motivator: "When my Diesel jeans don't fit, I'm motivated. And, of course, Star is a motivator. As she's bouncing around the house, it's a motivator to get her out of the condo. We don't have a yard, so we need to spend time together outside and get that energy dwindled away so she can finally go home and relax."
My biggest roadblock to fitness: "TIME! As a single working parent, there just isn't enough of it."
What saves my sanity: "Doing my ab roller and getting out and running around with Star and Roxie."
My next challenge: "To be in the best shape of my life before 45.
For Star, it's to improve her tennis game. She uses badminton as practice for her tennis classes."
"Just get outside and do something: run, jump rope, stretch, hang on the bars with your little one. I used to think that I needed solid gym time to exercise, but at the end of the day that never seemed to happen, or at least not as much as I needed it to."
