Fountain of youth?
Six people whose looks belie their ages share their secrets to happy, vigorous lives
Ceylan Crow, 51, practices tai chi at a class in Freestone.
Published: Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 3:40 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 3:40 a.m.
There are people who don't need government health reports to encourage them to get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week, or nutrition studies to advise that the best diet is to eat your veggies and watch calories.
Facts
BUCK INSTITUTE SEMINARS
The Anti-aging Effects of Diet and Exercise is the subject ofa community seminar to be held by the Buck Institute of Novato on April 30.
The seminar, from 10:30 am to noon, will be held in the Drexler Auditorium at the institute. Reservations are required through email at events-rsvp@buckinstitute.org or by phone (415) 209-2030.
Nor do they pay much attention to the latest conflicting studies on the merits of red wine or coffee. For them, keeping fit and living healthy is not a fad. It's a habit. And it shows. They're the ones who often hear that they don't look their age, be it 50, 60 -- or 86.
Medical experts have long recognized that "chronological and biological age are not bound together," said Dr. Walt Mills, a geriatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa.
"I see people who are 80 and 90 and they look and act 60," he said. In most cases they've followed the four tenets of healthy aging, which Mills said are diet, exercise, stress management and emotional health.
And they practice. "If one had to prepare for getting older it would be to get yourself in the habit of regular physical activity and maintaining your weight at a reasonable level," said UC Berkeley's Dr. Ira Tager, who has done research studies on the epidemiology of aging and physical performance.
Here we've profiled six inspiring people and their proud bodies who prove you are what you eat and how you move -- and that it also helps to have a positive attitude and maybe some lucky genes. We asked about diet, vitamins, workouts, philosophy and what keeps them going even when injury, illness and the calendar get in the way.
Ceylon Crow, 51, Santa Rosa web designer: Crow is often told she looks younger than her years, which she thinks may partly be due to her still-black hair and her Turkish ancestry. But Crow said she also looks younger than her twin brother who lives back East. For that she credits her more nutritious diet -- "he eats salami" -- and her 20-year practice of the gentle Chinese martial art, tai chi. Here's more of Crow's regimen.
Moves: Swimming, running and tai chi three days a week.
Eats: Mostly vegetarian plus some chicken and fish. "I eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, olive oil and feta cheese -- the basic Mediterranean diet."
Drinks: No coffee, occasional black tea, minimal alcohol.
Genes: "My mother's side is very healthy. My grandfather swam every day, winter or summer and died when he was 98. My grandmother was always moving around, gardening, cleaning. She died at 97."
Supplements: Fish oil, glucosamine-chondroitin, calcium.
Guilty indulgence: "I love bread. I see a nice loaf and I have to come home with it."
General health: "Very healthy -- knock on wood. Tai chi strengthens the immune system, cleanses the cells. The slow, calm movement that you do in a quiet room with a bunch of people really brings down blood pressure."
Cosmetic enhancements: None, not even makeup. "I don't believe in messing with my body to look young."
Best advice: "Avoid stress. It's one reason I started my own business, to have my schedule under my control. I can work at night if I need to take a nap in the afternoon."
Gerry Bryan, 62: The Windsor resident said some people take her for being younger "until I take my sunglasses off." She thinks it might be her use-it-or-lose it attitude and her enthusiasm for anything new. "There is so much in the world to get involved in. I jump into everything."
Moves: Swimming, Zumba dance, water aerobics (which she also teaches), snowshoeing, kayaking, tennis.
Inspiration: "If you don't have energy and the muscles for it, all of that stuff is like work. When I was in my late 20s, my joints started aching and I started walking and working out. Nike got it right: Just Do It."
Eats: Fruits, vegetables, chicken and turkey. "High blood pressure runs in the family so I don't add salt to anything."
Drinks: "I can go six months and not have a glass of wine and then I'll be out with friends and have three or four glasses in a week." A cup of English Breakfast Tea every morning and occasional decaf latte.
Indulgence: "Someone usually gives me a box of See's candy at Christmas. I stick it in the freezer for when I have a chocolate attack."
Genes: Not great. "My father had a massive coronary at 53 and mother had two strokes and died when she was 64. My motivation is to get past their ages."
Weight control: "I hate to shop for clothes so when my clothes start to get tight I have to stop and ask myself, what the hell have you been eating? And I start doing more sit-ups."
General health: Bryan is currently healing from a lumpectomy for breast cancer and may require more surgery. But in the meantime she's back in the pool teaching 10 water aerobics classes a week and running her law library business.
"I'm just going on with what I do because I don't feel good when I stop."
Dennis Stillman, 69: The Santa Rosa resident said one thing in his favor is "a pretty good head of hair. It's gray, but I'll take it." He doesn't always tell his age because "I'm self conscious that I'm 60-something and not retired." He's a manufacturing engineer.
Moves: Pilates twice a week, stationary bike twice a week. Four-mile power walk in nice weather and mountain biking.
Limitations: "I gave up tennis because my knees, from high school football, bothered me too much. I play lots of golf instead. My wife doesn't let me go up on the roof to clean out the gutters anymore. But I feel just as energetic at work as I did when I was 20-something."
Weight control: Mondays through Thursdays he eats a hearty lunch and skips dinner, except for juice or yogurt.
Eats: Salads and chicken, turkey or seafood. Red meat on the barbecue in summer. "I was a low-fat food watcher for years and then studies came out saying that wasn't a great idea, so I gave it up."
Drinks: A glass of wine or two once or twice a week, occasional beer in the summer after golf. "When my wife and I were younger we used to think it was cool to have a martini when out to dinner, but it was really because we liked the green olives."
Indulgence: Cookies -- peanut butter or chocolate chip with nuts.
Motivation: His father, who smoked and drank hard liquor socially, died when he was 54 of heart failure on a business trip, and Stillman said his "early passing had a lot to do with my attitudes toward health. Driving home (from his father's funeral), I decided I wasn't going to live like that."
General health: Two years ago he had a cancerous prostate removed and since then his PSA count has been normal. Otherwise his health is "pretty good."
Bonus: "I've been a TM'er (transcendental meditation practitioner) for close to 30 years. I meditate once a day for 30 minutes. And every time I have a physical, the examiner comments on my low pulse rate. I think it's the result of my TM practice."
Liz Stafford, 73: This retired teacher lives in Bodega Bay and says people are often surprised to learn her age. "I agree I do look younger. Part of it is I have a motivation to stay young and be vital and energetic. Dance is very big for me. My older daughter plays in a samba band and I love hanging out with the band. Plus, I want to stay young for my granddaughters."
Moves: Since 1998 she's studied Nia, a blend of different movements including dance, the healing arts like yoga and martial arts. For Stafford, it's both a physical and spiritual experience. "I sometimes joke and say it's my church." She also does African dance weekly and hikes the beach near her home.
Eats: Veggies, fruit, chicken, no red meat, no butter fat, no sugar, no alcohol or caffeine.
General health: "Ten years ago, I developed a bad digestive problem and went on a strict diet which still works for me. I also have macular degeneration, so I eat all the deep greens like kale and spinach and take all the B vitamins."
Guilty indulgence: Chocolate chips.
Role model: She stayed life-long friends with her high school modern dance teacher, a woman who continued to give dance workshops into her 90s and died at age 101. "She was remarkable, absolutely vital and very energetic. She never thought of chronological age. She never even called herself a senior."
More inspiration: "I keep a quote by Olympic swimmer Dara Torres on my refrigerator. It says, "You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams."
Cosmetic enhancements: "I color my hair. I have mixed feelings about that but I'm single and I still like to date. I like me in brown hair. I've been a painter since I retired and I'm conscious of color and the colors I like go better with brown hair."
Geoffrey Newton, 83: Newton continues to work as an electrician "when the jobs come in," but most of the time the Santa Rosan is at the gym or riding a bike. "People think I'm about 60," he said. "It gives me a big head."
Moves: Three days a week at the gym, working out with free weights, mostly upper body exercise. "I've been a body builder all my life. For definition, not bulk." Also, mountain biking three times a week and a minimum 55-mile bike trip once a week with friends.
Eats: Non-fattening foods. No donuts. "My wife's a good cook."
Indulgence: "If I want a cheeseburger, I'll eat it."
Drinks: "I'm not that much of a goody-goody. I like my beer and wine. After riding 55 miles, it's nice to have a couple of beers."
Attitude: "I had a body building instructor in England who said you have only one body and you need to take care of it. But you can't just have good genes, you have to exercise."
Supplements: One aspirin a day.
General health: "Been over the handle bars a few times," he said, but no real health issues.
Role model: "Just myself -- when I look in the mirror."
Doris Golden, 86: Every weekday morning, Golden drives to the Healdsburg public pool from her home for water aerobics. "It's sociable and I've always loved the water," said Golden, a former English as a Second Language teacher. "And I like the discipline of going every morning." She's often the oldest swimmer in the pool and said she's used to being the most senior in a group.
She's also accustomed to people commenting on her relative fitness. "I hear it all the time. People tell me, 'You're my mentor.' It's kind of boring. I suppose I should take it more graciously."
Other exercise: A member of the Sierra Club, she recently led a hike at Lake Sonoma for the California Native Plant Society. Every spring she hikes at Yosemite National Park.
Newest walking companion: A 6-month-old Labrador retriever.
Eats: "I feel like there is too much emphasis on diet. I don't pay much attention to the fads. I think exercise is most important."
Drinks: "I have a glass of red wine every night. Nothing fancy, mostly Two Buck Chuck."
General health: "I have a balance problem and have to be a little careful. I have always had good health. I come from a healthy family."
Vices: "I smoked for many years and gave it up about 40 years ago."
Bonus: "I play a lot of dominoes with friends. It's good for the brain."
-- Susan Swartz is a freelance writer and author based in Sonoma County. Contact her at susan@juicytomatoes.com.
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