It was my turn to do a Get Fit Feature story. I had called Roger Arrington at The Fit Company on Claremont Ave. in Norfolk and he hooked me up with an interesting angle. Two times a week 80 year old Mary Lille comes in to work out! Yes work out with weights, on the leg machine and stretching on the floor. She told me she got started at the ripe old age of 73 and just had to do something once she retired. Said she loves to read so much that she had to do something to get some exercise!
Turns out Lashawn Merritt, a Wilson High grad in Portsmouth and an Olympic hopeful goes to the same gym. And on this day he was there at the same time. Talk about a contrast. But talk about a great example of the importance of physical fitness. Mary does it for health and relaxation and Shawn does it because he is a world class athlete. And when I mentioned the importance of getting kids working out and the widespread problems of childhood obesity, Shawn was quick to respond.
"Yes in my own family there are kids who need to cut back on snacks and spend more time in the gym."
See? A life lesson on a simple visit to The Fit Company. All of us need to spend more time away from the dinner table and 'at the gym.'
By the way, Lashawn said he hopes to bring gold medals back to Virginia in the summer olympics in China. He will do the 200 and the 200 relay. We wish him well.