AGE:  61

PROFESSION:  Freelance writer/editor, mostly retired.

HOMETOWN:  Jewett City, Connecticut

COLLEGE:  University of Connecticut

FAVORITE FOOD:  Spaghetti and meatballs

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Orkney Islands (where I got married)

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  Shetland Islands

FAVORITE MOVIE:  All About Eve

FAVORITE SINGER:  Paul Simon

HOBBIES:  Kayaking, biking (mostly as a way to get around), any kind of needlework, wood carving, gasbagging with my friends. In the photo I’m kayaking through the Chicago Loop!

BACKGROUND:  I was NEVER athletic. I hated all team sports because I was the last one picked for anything. I started jogging and aerobics classes in my 20s as a way to deal with job stress, and now I find I have to do SOMETHING active every day or I’m just not in a good mood. Willie Nelson calls it “paying for the day,” and I agree.

What is your current exercise routine?  Besides Sonki Fitness? I bike, run, kayak, jump rope or do 100 burpees on days I don’t do Sonki Fitness.

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  Mostly to keep fitting into my clothes and be a pleasant person to my husband and daughter.

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  Motivation! It’s so easy to just keep putting it off. I have to remind myself how I’d rather spend one hour doing the thing I know is good for me than spend 24 hours kicking myself for not doing it.

What is your key to success?  As Sonki puts it: The best way to get in shape is to STAY in shape. Working out every day is like paying your credit card balance every month. It would freak me out to know I was getting behind. I don’t have the discipline to restrict my lifestyle if I get out of shape. It’s easier to just pay my dues daily and get on with my life.

What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life?  In my 40s and 50s, I did lots of Spartan-style workouts where I felt super-challenged trying to do things like monkey bars and rope-climbing. It was fun, but completely undisciplined: I was hurting myself, and doing worse and worse, because I was doing more than my body could handle. With Sonki Fitness, I have never gone to the ice pack, and my chronic hip pain is actually better. Plus, I have much more endurance, and I love working outdoors with some great people.

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  Find something fun, and when it stops being fun, find something else. I’ve learned that I’m a so-so paddle-boarder but I love to kayak.

Any other comments?  The only person you can push is yourself!