HEALTHY LIVING:

Mother of seven, 73, cultivates a new life with help of a Y trainer

In February of 2007, Dorothy Hahn was bored. She wasn’t having much fun, and hadn’t realized the change in herself she’d hoped to find.

She was ready to end her membership at the YMCA.

Now, three years later, Hahn is still a member, having made an investment in herself, in her youth, and in her own happiness with the help of her personal trainer, Pamela Houston.

Through her hours of training at the YMCA, Hahn has cultivated a lifestyle from a hobby, and is reaping the benefits.

“My energy level is great,” Hahn explains. “I get up in the morning and never have to drag myself out of bed. I can accomplish quite a bit of things faster than I did before and with less effort. My friends are amazed at the change in me. While most of them have quite a bit of health problems, I seem to be the one who has been lucky enough to escape quite a few of them because I move more and eat properly.”

In her physical well-being, Hahn has experienced a multitude of positive changes. “I had been diagnosed with high blood pressure in my fifties and was put on medication,” says Hahn. “Since doing the training with Pam, my pressure is now normal.”

Perhaps the most apparent demonstration of the body’s response to training and healthy lifestyle came to Hahn in the summer of 2008. Channeling her newfound sense of adventure into a family vacation, Hahn took on the challenge of a riding tour of a California national park. She rode a mule through miles of tough terrain: rocky, uphill trails that were little more than narrow, nearly impassible paths.

The unthinkable happened, and Hahn fell from her mule down a slight cliff, narrowly missing a rocky stream. Even though she’d fallen hard, Hahn was able to stand up and get back on her mule to continue the ride. Upon arriving at first-aid for x-rays, Hahn was informed of what could be considered a minor miracle. Her back was covered in bruises black and blue, but had not a single bone broken, fractured, or disturbed in any way. Her doctors attributed the strength of her bones to the year-and-a-half of regular strength training and exercise.

Oh, and for those keeping score, Hahn has gone from a size 10 to a 2, even boasting, she recently purchased her first pair of size 0 pants. Not bad for a mother of seven.

Despite her super-human feats, the Ridgewood YMCA’s Bionic Woman remains humble. She admits to days when (she) would like to be "anywhere else but in the gym.”

So, just how has she maintained the level of motivation required to keep herself on track? She realizes her worth as a person, which, she feels, is key. Hahn has progressed into a better lifestyle, understands that way of life, and now expects nothing less than the best from herself.

All too willing to share her secrets of success, she urges, “Don’t try to do it yourself. Get some help and support.”

Fueled by support from her family, friends, and Houston, Hahn has accomplished more than she’d even dare to imagine. Hahn’s bottom line is to remain as young and youthful as possible.

“Hopefully,” Hahn says, “I can live a healthy life well into my 90s as long as I have the backing of people who believe in me and can make me reach my potential.”

At 73, she isn’t very far from realizing her goal.