When most people think of retirement, they likely picture themselves lounging on a beach or relaxing with a book.
Naperville resident Patricia Fuller had a different idea.
For Fuller, 77, retirement has meant being more active than ever. She’s become dedicated to working out and maintaining a daily fitness routine filled with Pilates, yoga, jogging and Zumba.
Her commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed. This month Fuller was named a top 10 finalist for the 15th annual Richard L. Swanson Inspiration Award given by the SilverSneakers senior health program. The award the recognizes seniors who are committed to a healthy lifestyle and physical activity while inspiring others to live more active lives.
SilverSneakers, founded in 1992, is the nation’s leading community fitness program for adults 65 and older. It’s offered at 16,000 fitness locations across the country, including the Fort Hill Activity Center in Naperville, according to the SilverSneakers website.
The program is included as a part of several healthcare plans for seniors, including Medicare, and is currently available to 15.8 million seniors at no extra cost to their health insurance, the SilverSneakers site said.
For Fuller, having the program so close to home at the Fort Hill center has played a key role in finding a way to stay active.
“I never imagined that I’d be doing all these things in my retirement,” Fuller said. “This is like nothing I’ve ever done and being a finalist for the award has been a whole new experience.”
Fuller became involved with SilverSneakers in 2016 when she joined Fort Hill, which opened just after she retired from the sales department at Morgan Stanley, where she worked for 10 years.
“I feel like the activity center was built for me,” she said of the timing.
Now, a typical week includes daily visits to the activity center for a weight class, Tai Chi, High Intensity Interval Training, Pilates, Zumba, and walking and jogging on the indoor track. She wraps up the week with a yoga class and senior bowling on Friday.
“There are so many areas of my body that I want to keep moving and keep active,” Fuller said. “I just love every minute of it and I don’t get tired of it.”
Though she likes all of the classes she’s in, Zumba is definitely her favorite. The program is dance based, combining fast and slow rhythms that provide a cardio workout with muscle toning.
“I love to dance and when the music comes on I get right out there on the floor and there’s no shame in my game,” Fuller said. “When I hear the beat it’s like I’m dancing in my living room.”
Since being named a finalist for the SilverSneakers award, other Fort Hill members have started to recognize her, she said.
“Sometimes the instructors of my workout classes will say they have a celebrity in class now,” Fuller said.
While she has been active all her life and always conscious of her weight and health, Fuller said becoming as active as she is has been a pleasant surprise she didn’t expect at her age.
“When I was thinking of retirement, I thought that it was going to be so boring,” Fuller said, laughing. “To have this experience at this point in my life has really increased the positive index of my life.”
One of the most positive results is she has continued to expand her horizons and try new things, she said.
“It’s always so good to learn and this has helped me grow and expand,” Fuller said. “This experience and this award have become a part of my story that I will be telling for the rest of my life.”
To cast a vote for Fuller to win the SilverSneakers Swanson Inspiration Award, go to http://silversneakers.swansonaward.com/vote/. The national winner will be announced on July 8.