Posted on: Monday, March 7, 2005

FITNESS PROFILE
Balancing exercise, relaxation

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Julia Ing works out under the guidance of a personal trainer. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Julia Ing is the kind of woman everyone, from family and friends to mere acquaintances, admires and looks to for inspiration. She is intelligent, beautiful, talented, chic ... and extremely fit.

A widow, she is the mother of 4 and grandmother of 6. It was her late husband who originally inspired her to get fit, as she wanted to spend time with him playing golf and tennis, and she wanted to play her best. She dived into exercise with a passion, playing every day. However, her relentless exercise schedule took its toll, and she began having lower-back problems.

"Playing every day was too much — I realized I had to rest in between," she explained. Since she began working with personal trainer Tess Yong in 2002, her golf has improved and "I'm hitting a longer ball than ever before."

Name: Julia Ing.

Age: 76.

Profession: Retired piano teacher, homemaker.

Height: 5-feet-2.

Weight: 123 pounds.

Workout habits: "I do 45 minutes of stretching and exercises upon awakening, 15 minutes on the Chi Vitalizer (a machine that moves your legs side to side, increasing circulation and relaxing leg, hip and back muscles, as recommended by massage therapist Jim Laughlin). Three days of golf per week; once a week, workout with my personal trainer, Tess Yong; once a week, hula class with golfing friends. Once a week, massage session. For more than 11 years, I did stretching three times a week at Inch x Inch, which unfortunately recently closed."

When and why I started working out: "In 1972, with four children in school, two friends and I joined the Aquarius School of Yoga looking for a satisfying form of exercise. Bikram Choudhury was our last teacher there; now he is well known for the school he eventually started in Beverly Hills. I continued yoga at Mo'ili'ili Community Center for another year. That same year, I started golf lessons, since my husband loved golf ... and tennis ... and I was left behind on weekends. In 1975, I dropped yoga and started learning to play tennis as well. These hobbies meant several trips in the 1980s with other American travelers to foreign countries, playing in private clubs against their members. The travel groups were People to People Golf and People to People Tennis. I continued this after I became a widow in 1993."

My good foods: "I love fruits and vegetables, and prefer fish and chicken over beef. I've learned that good fats are needed in the diet. My portions are moderate; the choices cover all food groups. I drink half my weight in fluids" — that's at least 60 fluid ounces of water each day.

My biggest motivator: "Tight slacks and five pounds over my normal weight. I cut portions of carbs and proteins in half and eat salads for lunch. I bring out my old, time-tested exercise books, 'Marjorie Craig's Shape-Up Program' and 'Bob Anderson's Stretching.' In three weeks, I see results."

My biggest roadblock to fitness: "Dining out many nights in a row. Food is always more delicious and tempting when you're out, and it's too easy to eat more than you should."

What saves my sanity: "After necessary desk work, I go outdoors into the bright sunlight to clear the mind with a short swim, walk or short practice at the driving range. At home, music calms the mind. Family and friends are important factors in keeping me balanced."

My next challenge: "To participate in a beginner's qi-gong class with Master Hong."

Advice for those in the same boat: "Keep moving, but know when to relax."