Thursday, January 16, 2014
Excelsior-Shorewood Sun-Sailor
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sailor.mnsun.com
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Retired nurse stays fit, helps those in need BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER The word “active� doesn’t begin to describe Doris Braley. “I was an Iowa farm girl,� she said. “We were poor. I climbed trees, I iceskated, I played girls basketball and softball, and I just kept it up.� Now 73, Braley said, “I get up in the morning and do stretches, and I’ve been walking for years.� She runs laps weekly at the New Brighton Community Center and was recently enrolled in five different classes there, including Pilates, cardio workout, yoga and T’ai Chi Chih. Braley logged 500 miles on her bike last summer, including trips on the Cannon River trails and multiple trips around Lake Calhoun in one day. “I usually go to the Cannon River,� she said. “It’s awesome. I don’t like to bike in town.� “You have to keep at it,� said Braley, who thinks nothing of biking 50 miles at a time. Last year, Braley bought ice skates. “I hadn’t ice-skated for 30 years,� she said. “I started with a shovel holding me up.� She kept at it, perfecting her form and her speed. When Braley was 64, her daughter participated in a triathlon, and Braley became concerned when it seemed as though her daughter should have finished, but was nowhere in sight. “I started running and found her; she was dehydrated,� Braley said. “I walked and ran with her to finish the race, and she said, ‘Mom, why don’t you do this?’� Braley participated in three 5K races last year, and is already signing up for another. “There are really a lot of things in life that aren’t important,� Braley said. “But the things that are very important are health, to keep going, to have friends and be involved in the community.� She makes sure her life adheres to those tenets. A retired nurse, Braley has donated time and expertise during trips to Third World countries through Christian Peacemakers since 1997. She has worked
in Nicaragua and Honduras, and recounts traveling up the Andes Mountains and walking across streams. On two trips to Barrancabermeja, Colombia, she traveled the Magdalena River to different places. “It was just awesome; I loved it,� Braley said. “When I lived with other medical teams in Nicaragua, I started to learn some Spanish. It’s good to use different parts of your brain.� She has also been active with Vets for Peace and Women Against Military Madness, including participating in protests in Columbus, Ga. A year ago, she took part in a 100mile peace walk and plans to do it again in 2014. For the last 11 years, Braley has volunteered her nursing expertise in a free clinic each Thursday. In addition, she has delivered Meals on Wheels for 30 years. “I’m not a TV-watching person,� she said. Patrice Atkinson, recreation supervisor for the city of New Brighton, sums Doris Braley is pictured with her grandson Adam, 15. (Submitted photo) it up this way: “Doris has the vitality Below: On one of her trips abroad, Doris Braley worked in Sierra Leone, West Africa, and spirit that motivates those around with children in a village in the bush country. (Submitted photo) her.� Braley often walks with a friend to the club, works out and walks home, according to Atkinson. “She has done many running events and the three-day walk for breast cancer,� Atkinson said. “She uses the New Brighton Community Center fitness center and takes multiple group fitness classes.� Lesley Young, recreation coordinator for New Brighton, said that the city has seen increased interest in senior citizen card-playing groups and travel opportunities. “We’ve added some extended travel and contracted with two travel companies,� she said. Because of insurance benefits, the Silver Sneakers program has also become popular, Young said. “That gives people an incentive to work out and use the track and gym,� Young said. “We have ‘sit and fit’ chair exercises and education and enrichment workshops, too.�
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