‘My life is a gift’ | Corewell Health

If they awarded Olympic medals for healthy habits, Judy Wekenman could claim gold.

For 50 years, she has been walking for an hour every day.

Rain or shine. Hot and humid days. Cold snows. Seven days on seven.

Over the past five decades, that’s over 18,000 rides.

Now 80, Judy shows no signs of slowing down.

“I will walk until I can’t walk anymore,” she said. “I don’t feel good without it.”

For her doctor, Judy is a shining example of healthy aging.

“I love seeing end-of-life patients who are simply thriving – in a physical way, mental capacity, mental health and social aspects,” said Kristin Jacob, MD, internal physician and pediatrician at Corewell Health. “Judy really embodies that.”

Many factors can affect how we age, she said.

But a healthy habit, like Judy’s daily walk, has many benefits. It can improve physical health, mental health, and cognitive functioning.

Asked to talk about her healthy habits, Judy had fun and wondered why all the fuss. But as a retired nurse who once worked in a nursing home, she remembers everything she learned from her older patients.

So she sat in her living room one day – tall, slender and looking a good 10 years younger than her age – and imparted her secrets, from genetics to lifestyle.

“On my mother’s side, they lived a long time. On my dad’s side, not so much,” she said.

She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her mother, who lived to be 97, and her maternal aunt, who lived to be 93.

“I hope I have good genes,” she said. “But you are also part of the solution. Your genes don’t go that far.

About these rides

After the birth of her youngest son 50 years ago, Judy began walking an hour a day with her sister, Bonnie Christensen, and friend, Berta Apsey.

They varied the time they walked, depending on their family schedules. But they insisted on integrating this daily dose of exercise.

Changes big and small have happened over these years.

Judy’s three children have grown up. She now has four grandchildren.

When she was 46 and her sister, Bonnie, was 51, they went to college and became licensed practical nurses.

Judy worked for 17 years before retiring.

And 13 years ago, Judy lost her beloved husband, Joe, to bladder cancer.

They had been married 47 years before his death.

For 50 years, the trio have shared all of their milestones – joyous celebrations and heartbreaking losses, as well as the little details that make up everyday life.

This social connection can be just as beneficial as the cardiovascular fitness, balance and strength that come from exercise, Dr. Jacob said.

“Loneliness is really a public health crisis in this country,” she said. “I’m struck by the research that really shows just how much loneliness – or being socially connected – can independently be a factor that affects physical health.”

The women became well known in their neighborhood as “walkers”.

Recently, a man driving past stopped his car to say hello. He had just returned to the neighborhood after 10 years of absence.

“He couldn’t believe we were still walking,” Judy said.

On the menu

In addition to exercise, Judy enjoys a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

She bakes her own bread, rarely buying it at the grocery store.

In her refrigerator, she keeps a mixture of ground chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp hearts, wheat germ, almonds and walnuts. She adds it to her morning oatmeal, along with a cup of berries and a banana.

Lunch includes more fruits and green vegetables. For dinner, she eats a colorful array of vegetables, often with fish. Twice a week, dinner is a plant-based meal.

She enjoys a hamburger when she goes out to eat, but in general, she eats little red meat.

“I eat a lot of nuts,” she added. “If someone said I had to choose meat or nuts, I would choose nuts.”

Almost every night, she indulges in her favorite treat: ice cream.

“When I was younger, I used to eat it out of the box,” she said with a laugh. “Now that I’m getting older, I measure it.”

The travel bug

Curiosity and learning are also part of Judy’s daily life.

Travel books line the shelves of her living room, alongside souvenirs brought back from her travels: a painting of a French city, wooden flowers from Ecuador.

She traveled extensively with her sister Bonnie and other family members.

“The fun thing about traveling is that the further you go, the more you realize what you haven’t seen,” she said.

She reads a lot and watches movies, often sharing her observations with friends on Facebook. She attends conferences and takes trips with a local senior center, including a recent visit to see the Van Gogh exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

“It’s probably one of the best times to grow old,” she said. “It’s much better than 20 or 30 years ago. We have so much more to do.

Take that first step

“Eighty percent of the chronic disease burden is driven by lifestyle factors,” said Carolyn Vollmer, MDa Corewell Health lifestyle medicine specialist.

“And we know that lifestyle habits, such as good healthy eating, daily exercise, restful sleep, engaging in cognitive activities, finding time to relax, are all factors that can reduce the risk of disease and cognitive decline with age.”

Judy’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle “is one of the things that has contributed to her profound quality of life,” Dr. Vollmer said.

But even if you haven’t racked up decades of daily walks, you can still enjoy a healthy lifestyle.

“It’s never too late to start,” Dr. Vollmer said. “Exercise has an exponential positive improvement on your health. The more you do, the more benefits you see.

Research has shown that a daily 30-minute walk can reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

“But you don’t have to start at 30 minutes, five days a week,” Dr. Vollmer said. “You can start at five minutes a day and progress from there.”

She has seen patients in their 60s make health-conscious changes that have resulted in weight loss and disease reversal.

“You just have to have the motivation,” she said. “Find your why – why you want to do it.”

Changes over time

Judy’s walking routine has changed a bit over the years. Her sister, Bonnie, no longer joins her, but she still walks with her friend Berta.

On snowy days, if they can’t see the ground, they don’t walk down the street. They trample a path around Judy’s yard.

And, on rare occasions, they skip a day.

“The only thing that would stop us is ice cream,” Judy said. “I can’t do this anymore. The worst thing for an old person is to fall.

But even on ice days, they explore their options before canceling their walk. Sometimes an unobstructed parking lot will do the trick.

“I love being outdoors,” Judy said. “I need this fresh air.”

Four years ago, she started wearing a Fitbit watch, which counts her steps, the total usually reaching 35 to 40 miles per week. And every hour, for nine hours a day, he reminds her to take at least 250 steps.

“A person needs to move throughout the day,” she said. “Being sedentary is probably one of the worst things we can do to our bodies.”

The exterior. Fresh air. Movement and social connection. All of these factors make it work.

And beneath these healthy habits is a deep appreciation for life.

“I don’t think you should take your life lightly,” she said. “My life is a gift and it is precious to me.”