Gladys Devane regularly walks long distances to go shopping and "run" errands. David Snodgress

Name: Dr. Gladys F. DeVane

Age: 69

Profession: Professor Emeritus, Indiana University

Best lifestyle change in the last five years: Dietary changes. I eat little or no red meat. Meat consumption consists of mostly chicken, ground turkey and fish. My diet is high in fiber and I drink a lot of water. I walk 4 to 6 miles per day, three or four times a week. Walking releases tension and allows me time to escape into my own, uninterrupted world of thought. The exercise is good for the body.

I believe that exercising the brain is as important as exercising the body, therefore, upon retiring, I enrolled in piano lessons. Learning to play the piano continues to be a challenge. After retiring I also became active in local theater and I have performed in a number of productions.

If lack of physical activity leads to muscle atrophy, lack of mental activity leads to brain atrophy.

Health-fitness advice: Find some activity that you enjoy; program that activity into your daily schedule, just as you program eating, sleeping, worship, etc., into your daily schedule.

What motivates you: What motivates me the most is the realization that I am in a battle with the inevitable, i.e., complete loss of physical and mental prowess; only through staying mentally and physically active might I be able to stave off the inevitable.

How do you stay driven: I stay driven by thinking of the alternative. I have seen what happens when one becomes complacent about physical and mental health. I think as much, if not more, about what I do not want in life as I think of what I want in life. These thoughts tend to keep me grounded and on the correct path.

INSPIRATION INGREDIENTS

What inspires you: I am inspired each time I realize that I am more active, more energetic, and more agile than many women who are much younger. I am inspired when I see women in their 70s, 80s and 90s still healthy, active and taking on new and different challenges. I am inspired when I realize how blessed I am to have had the advantages that I have had. I want to continue to live life to its fullest.