It’s time for training. Gene Bailey, 102, is the class leader.
Four times a week, she leads, counts, and encourages others to follow exercise sessions for fellow residents in Elk Ridge Village Senior Living outside Omaha, Nebraska. .
Bailey’s class consists of approximately 35 minutes of seated exercises that target the rotator cuff, knees, hips, shoulders and neck.
She and her fellow fitness enthusiasts swing their arms, raise their legs, and touch their toes under the supervision of a centenarian.
“I work every part of my body. I’m kind of tough on them because I want them to do it right. I want us all to keep walking,” Bailey told TODAY.com.
“You have to keep your body and mind busy… why give up?”
The 102-year-old lives in the independent living section of the community. That means she lives completely alone in her own apartment and doesn’t need her nurse. She cooks for herself, bakes bread for her staff, walks to activities and loves reading.
Bailey has been doing the workouts she teaches for years — “I know it’s good for me.
“Well,[I]spent most of my life at home with my kids. I never had to exercise,” she says.
“I’m a stay-at-home mom, a 4-H leader, and I’ve volunteered in hospitals for 34 years, and I’ve just been busy all the time. I think you need to keep your mind and body healthy.”
Bailey was born in Rusk, Wyoming in 1921. While raising her three children, she was a business woman and became a florist with her friends. They mostly perform weddings and Bailey still loves to work with flowers.One of her hobbies is making wreaths for neighbors’ doors in her community.
Bailey says there are no secrets to living a long life, but the longevity champion shared some of her healthy habits:
always take care of your health
Reaching 102 “I think it’s partly genetic,” says Bailey. “[But]I’ve spent most of my life eating right and doing the right thing.”
She used to walk every day and still walks short distances with a walker. She never smoked and she never had an overweight problem.
Bailey never had cancer, but the disease took a toll on her family. She lost both her daughter and her husband to cancer.
She had some problems with her heart — the valve that goes into the aorta wasn’t working as it should — so doctors suggested heart surgery when she was 96, but Bailey declined. I was.
“I thought if God was ready to take me in, he would take me, but he’s not yet, so I think I have work to do,” she said. increase.
Eat healthy, but leave room for fun
Bailey eats a lot of fruits and vegetables and has eaten meat all her life, but now “I don’t mind eating much meat,” she says.
She enjoys drinking alcohol socially, usually a small glass of wine when she’s with a group.
When asked if she likes sweets, Bailey answers brightly. I don’t always eat the whole dinner, but I always eat the whole dessert,” she says. Her favorite is “Anything Chocolate”.
keep your mind busy
Bailey loves reading, especially good mystery novels. “It makes you think. It’s so different from living in the real world,” she says. “She won’t finish the book in a day sitting down like she used to, so it will take a little while, but that’s okay.”
Brain experts recommend reading fiction to keep your memory sharp. This is because you have to remember the characters and the plot. This is mind training.
Bailey also likes to write letters to her loved ones.
keep a positive outlook
In conversation, Bailey often refers to himself as extremely blessed.
“I consider myself primarily an optimist,” Bailey says. “You can get depressed just like anyone else…and no one can keep you 24/7 (optimistic), but I guess I’m just trying to think positively.”
