In 2002, Jan moved to Oakmont. She and partner, Greg, moved here in part, for the dynamic life style.
Pickleball, golf, hiking, swimming had been her normal routine. When not doing some sort of defined exercise, she and Greg put on chartreuse vests, grabbed trash grabbers and big bags, and walked the streets of Oakmont, picking up trash.
Because sh’d always been physically active so Oakmont OHI was a natural. Until it wasn’t.
Her first clue was dizziness. Her second, shortness of breath. Fuzzy balance got in her way. Jan needed to rest more often, exercise less strenuously. She calls it the beginning of her “heart voyage.”
2013 saw the first heart operation. And her second. In 2024 she went to Stanford. Another operation. Additional challenges. The already thin Jan says she lost “20 pounds (super skinny,) but am trying to put them back on!”
This woman may have lost pounds but she has never lost priorities. Health takes time and is a continuous process. She knows it’s not what you do in a day or in one game, or even swimming a few laps. Jan’s plan:
She’s back to OHI, not feeling the least bit self-conscious about personal changes she makes to routines. “My arms are weak so weights above the head are a challenge! I just modify the exercises as necessary.” Excellent OHI instructors and the warm friendliness of other students keep her coming.
As she regains her physical strength and stamina she’s incorporating another love: duplicate bridge. A few heart problems? No problem for this Oakmonter who says, “I’m alive, the sun is shining and I plan to get back into all my activities.
Watch for her, picking up trash. She’ll be the one in the neon green vest. She’ll be smiling.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:00 Berger.