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GET YOUR BODY MOVING: GRANDMA LOSES 50 BY KEEPING STEP WITH A KID
23 April 2009
by
admin
Filed under
Weight Loss
Dolly Higgin’s slow-speed life—and her metabolism—cranked up several notches once she started chasing Alisha.
When 70-year-old Dolly retired, her lifestyle took a turn for the worse. The Boston grandmother found herself sleeping and eating a lot. Soon, she weighed 170 pounds, far too much for her 5-foot-2-inch frame. The excess weight pressed on a herniated disk in her back, leaving her bed bound for weeks. Then she found out that she had high blood pressure and borderline diabetes.
Dolly knew that her weight had contributed to her health problems. She also knew that she needed to dump those excess pounds. But she couldn’t get herself started. A favor for her daughter turned out to be the boost she needed.
“My daughter had taken a third job and needed me to help watch Alisha, my granddaughter,” Dolly explains. “I was thrilled. I needed a reason to get out of bed every morning.”
On fair-weather days, Dolly walked Alisha to school in the morning, then returned to pick her up in the afternoon. When Dolly took Alisha to the local pool twice a week, she did some swimming herself. She also started swimming at the YMCA on “senior days.” As Alisha got older, Dolly joined her for bike rides, an activity she enjoyed so much that she even bought a stationary bike for winter.
During the first year and a half, Dolly lost 40 pounds, going from size 18 to 10. Today, she feels great and has an excellent health record. Though she no longer watches her granddaughter as often, Dolly has maintained her new, active lifestyle.
WINNING ACTION
Keep up with a kid. If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own to chase around, make friends with youngsters in your neighborhood. Or volunteer to help out at a nearby day care center or elementary school. Kids often have so much energy that keeping up with them is a challenge. But you can sure have a blast—and burn some calories—trying.
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