Keepin' Up with Texercise
Seniors encouraged to get physical
Fan Benno-Caris is a remarkable lady. She is soon to be 89 years old and is in great physical shape, or so says her physician for more than 20 years, Dr. Ken Cooper of the Cooper Institute. Cooper regularly talks about the speed walking skills of a lady who is approaching her 89th birthday. But the last year for Benno-Caris has been one of her toughest.
Last year, speed walking near her home in Addison, Texas, she stumbled and fell, and fractured or broke many bones. Her legs and pelvis had some of the most severe breaks or fractures. Her husband was out of the country – and she went to the hospital for an extended stay.
"This was a terrible time for me," says the world record-holder and multi-gold medal winner. "I was told that I may not walk again. Dr. Cooper was very encouraging to me. I am a very confident person, but I did have a time in the hospital when I was unsure about my recovery."
Benno-Caris, who is an unbelievably positive and cheerful lady, came through with flying colors – probably because of her great physical conditioning – and her positive thinking.
"There is good to come from all events – you just have to look for it," says the former Ms. Texas Senior America of 2005. "I carried the Olympic Torch a few years ago and the television crew filming me wanted me to run. I said, 'No, I was going to savor every moment of it.' That's what exercise and healthy eating can do for you – give you more of those moments to savor with family and friends."
— by John Dornheim
Updated: April 8, 2013
