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Stories
Could 85 be the new 65?
Absolutely, if you're Pat P., whose fit appearance and active lifestyle defy her calendar years by a couple of decades. The slim, petite, and attractive octogenarian looks as if she barely qualifies for Medicare, and her doctors are amazed that - for her age - she's in such good health.
Even as a young girl during the Depression, Pat was athletically inclined. In high school she was a drum majorette and played team sports. She met her husband Everett during World War II while bowling, and before long they had eloped. They eventually raised four children together, the first born in 1945.
"We were probably the happiest married couple in the U.S.A.," Pat says with a smile. "We had a great love for each other. We never argued, laughed all the time, and were fond of all the same activities, like square dancing and line dancing, along with golf and bowling."
In 2002, the couple was enjoying an active retirement in their 57th year of marriage when Everett died suddenly of a stroke. Pat still misses him, and has no interest in remarrying. "When you've already had the best, you don't bother to look for another," she says with melancholy.
Through the years Pat has had a few health concerns, but bounced back from them all, including uterine cancer. And these days she takes only two prescription drugs. "I've been on thyroid medication for decades, and only recently began high blood pressure medication," she explains. Pat also takes nine vitamins daily, as well as supplements for joint health and to relieve the arthritis in her hands.
A typical day for Pat begins by walking her energetic dog, Molly, followed by a workout to a 40-minute exercise tape. She then jumps on the computer to check e-mail and surf the Web before heading to a nearby fitness center, where she does low-impact circuit training three or four times a week - "mostly for body strength," she says. Until recently, she walked five miles every day.
Afternoons for Pat might include watching television, tuned to her favorite programs on The Disney Channel. "You'd have to put a gun to my head to watch a soap opera,Ó she laughs. She once did needlepoint, but the arthritis forced her to give it up. That doesn't stop her from solving about 12 crossword puzzles every day, however, along with a few sudoku games. "I like to keep my mind sharp," she says.
Having a large family to keep tabs on also sharpens the brain; in addition to her four children, Pat has eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Able to eat just about anything she likes, Pat makes one exception: "I don't keep desserts in the house, no matter how tempting it might be," she says. "If given a choice, I'd eat only desserts! I have a sweet tooth that I satisfy only on Sundays when I'm with family.""
Still living independently in the townhome she shared with Everett, Pat confesses to having a green thumb that makes the neighbors green with envy. "Everything I grow gets out of hand," she says with a smile. "My hydrangea bush gets bigger than anyone else's, and my tomatoes do just great."
Good genes may have something to do with Pat's healthy longevity. Her mother remained active in a bowling league at the age of 84, had a huge yard she kept up by herself, and climbed up onto the roof to clean out the gutters.
