John M. Bottorff, D.C., C.C.S.T., is a 1981 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and a second generation chiropractor. He is certified in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma. He is a triathlete and an avid cyclist, runner and swimmer. He can be contacted at Bottorff Advanced Chiropractic at 362-8833 or online at www.Cvillepainrelief.com.
The greatest fear of an older person is falling. Jean Edwards performs exercises while standing on a Bosu Ball. These movements are sharpening Jean’s balance and improving her quality of life.
She is one of “those” people. She is one of “those” incredible people born during the Great Depression. One of “those” with no indoor plumbing, electricity or phone, and learned about World War II from a report over the small family radio. At 92 our Health Hero Jean Edwards believes the key to life is to get moving.
Jean was born on a farm north of Pittsboro. Her father died when she was eight years old and the re-marriage of her mother blended a family that ended up with 11 children. She started working full tilt on the farm when she was 12. “We had eight cows,” she said nodding. “I milked cows and we made our own butter. I worked in the garden planting and hoeing. We shocked wheat and oats and put up hay in the barn. We ate biscuits and gravy or biscuits and molasses for breakfast.”
Manual labor ruled the day and food came from recognizable sources.
“We never went to the doctor,” Jean said. “We were never sick.”
Jean recently attended her 75th high school reunion graduating from Ladoga in 1942. When she was 18 she got her first job working for Donnelly’s at a whopping $8 a week. She went on to work for Allison’s in Indianapolis and Indiana Bell.
Retiring in 1979 she moved to Florida and met her husband Bob who passed away 10 years ago. They would venture to Canada for three months out of the year and run a fish camp. A good fit for a hard worker. It was Bob who introduced her to her first fast food which was a fish sandwich from Wendy’s.
“Bob ate fast food all the time,” she said with a slight grimace. “I changed that. I do my own cooking.”
Feeling the need to be more active, Jean has been doing some form of exercise since age 50. She walked a lot and joined a YMCA and learned to play golf while living in Florida. Now she tries to hit Athena Sports and Fitness three times a week depending on the weather.
“This summer I am going three times a week,” she said emphatically.
Unless challenged, strength, agility and balance decline negatively influencing the quality of life. She works the treadmill and does shoulder exercises. Jean believes she has excellent genes and longevity as her mother lived to a highly active 102 years old.
In her diet she includes a daily dose of red wine and dark chocolate, both loaded with antioxidants and other nutritionally favorable elements. Her cheater food is any kind of cookies. When I asked her if she goes to the medical doctor she responded jokingly, “What’s that?”
She sees a medical doctor “because he schedules it” twice a year but is on only one medication for blood pressure.
Jean shares a concern for our youth and the lack of activity.
“They need to put all that (electronic) stuff down and go climb a tree and just let them play,” she exclaims.
One book she is reading states that the obesity rate for children is 26 percent, and another 68 percent are overweight. She believes that along with exercise, we need to get the kids away from fast foods.
If Jean could ask a favor it would be for us to increase awareness and participation of Pearl Harbor Day, which is held annually Dec. 7. The bombing of Pearl Harbor initiated the full scale involvement of the United States in World War II.
See you in the gym.
