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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, October 25, 2007

Art of keeping fit

How do you keep fit? Visit our discussion board to share health tips, diet secrets and physical activities that help you stay in shape.

By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kamehameha Schools art teacher Cheryl Bennett works out at the school's Ka'ahumanu Gym, on the Kapalama campus.

Photos by ANDREW SHIMABUKU | The Honolulu Advertiser

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CHERYL M. BENNETT

Age: 57

Profession: Teacher at Kamehameha Schools and artist

Residence: 'Ewa Beach

Height: 5-feet-3

Weight: 125 pounds

Stays in shape by: Running, swimming, biking and lifting weights

Fitness goal: "Do all these (activities) until I am age 103."

When and why I started working out: "I have always been active."

Workout habits: On weekdays, Bennett gets to Kamehameha Schools — where she teaches — by 5 a.m. for her daily workouts. Her routine: On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, she runs 3 to 6 miles, bikes for 40 minutes and lifts weights. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she runs 3 to 6 miles and swims 1/2 to 1 mile. On Saturdays, she rests or swims and bikes. On Sundays, she'll do a race if one is scheduled.

Good foods: Salads. "I am known as the 'Salad Queen.' "

Bad foods: Desserts

Biggest motivator: "Stress relief and the mirror."

What saves my sanity: "Exercise, my husband and doing art."

Next challenge: Honolulu Marathon. Bennett also hopes to do the Hawaiian Telcom Great Aloha Run in February, the Ford Ironman 70.3 Hawaii Triathlon in May and the Ford Ironman World Championship someday.

Advice for those in the same boat: "If you are having fun, you will keep doing it."

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kamehameha Schools art teacher Cheryl Bennett runs on campus as part of her daily workout. She also enjoys biking and swimming.

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Cheryl Bennett

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Cheryl Bennett's students at Kamehameha Schools may think she's a little off in the head, but that doesn't bother her.

"They look at me as kind of the crazy lady who's (on campus) at 5 in the morning, running the hills at Kamehameha, working out in the gym or swimming in the pool with the swim team," Bennett said, laughing.

Crazy, sure, for staying fit and healthy.

"I want to set an example for my students," said Bennett, who teaches art to ninth- through 12th-graders at the Kapalama private school.

At 57, Bennett is passionate about swimming, cycling and running. Bennett has done triathlons, rough water swim races, 100-mile bike rides, marathons and cross country ski races, among other competitions.

"Baby boomers are living longer, and I want to make sure that I'm healthy," Bennett said. "And I think staying fit is a big key."

That age-old excuse of never having time to exercise just doesn't cut it, Bennett added.

"You brush your teeth, you eat, you make time for all those things, so you have to just make it a part of your life," she said.

Last year, Bennett won in her age group at both the Ko Olina Triathlon and the Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon. Most recently, Bennett and her husband, Curt Fehsenfeld, completed the 100-mile Honolulu Century Ride, a cycling event. Now Bennett is training for the Honolulu Marathon.

The key to surviving such long-distance competitions: "I'm always eating or drinking something every 15 minutes," said Bennett, who's never without her bottled water during these events. "If you're hungry or you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated and your muscles are already breaking down."

It's the same advice on everyday exercising she offers to others: "Eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty when working out," she said.

Doing events such as marathons and triathlons is thrilling for Bennett.

"I figure, if I don't do these races, I would never on a given day do any of those distances," Bennett said, laughing. "And it's fun, it's healthy, you get out there and you meet all kinds of interesting people from literally all over the world."

And Bennett has seen a lot of the world, cycling thousands of miles throughout countries such as England, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland. Next summer she'll cycle through Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; and Budapest, Hungary.

"It's the best way to travel," Bennett said. "I read somewhere that your bicycle is your passport, and it is."

While Bennett enjoys hitting the asphalt on two wheels, she's happiest in the water.

"I think I was born a fish," she said, laughing. "I've always loved swimming."

She also enjoys kayaking and has taken golf and surf lessons.

"I have fun and that is all that matters," she said.

Bennett has been active all her life. She studied ballet and did modern dance all through college. She also taught aerobics for 15 years.

These days exercising has become even more essential for Bennett, who said she has a hectic life.

"I tend to get depressed and have anxiety issues, and I would never want to take medication, so the exercise actually almost is a necessity," Bennett said. "If I don't work out, I tend to feel those emotions."

It's her stress reliever, she said.

"It just makes me feel mentally better," Bennett said.

"I think it makes me a better teacher and it just puts me in a much, much better mood for the day."

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.