Meet Estelle: Secrets of longevity from a 90-year-old dynamo

Working out in my New York gym pre-Covid 19, I often saw a mature, fit woman wearing a leotard a la Jane Fonda, jogging on the treadmill, lifting weights, and doing three-minute planks. 

What’s so remarkable about that? After all, that’s what you see in a gym, right?

Well, I found out this amazing woman is over 90-years-old and her name is Estelle.   

Marveling at her energy and strength, I was compelled to find out her secret to long life and vitality. 

It’s in my DNA

Estelle’s positive outlook is a source of her strength.  Growing up in Upper Manhattan with a verbally abusive mother, working as a media buyer on Madison Avenue during the Mad Men days in the 1950s, and being widowed twice has made her mentally strong and independent.

 “Motivation? It’s in my DNA. I live for the day,” she says. 

Her Fitness Journey

Estelle was overweight in her youth. “It caused me grief in my teens.  I didn’t feel sexy, but I dressed well,” she says.

But at 18, she got into tennis and lost 18 pounds.  Since then, fitness has been a central part of her life. 

Her fitness journey mirrors the growth of gyms in New York.  She began going to gyms in the 1970s when they started cropping up all over the city. She was a member of the women-only Profile gym on 43rd Street, moved on to Gold’s Gym, and then became an inaugural member of Equinox on 76th Street  in 1991.

Exercise is like breathing to Estelle -- she works out everyday except Sunday.  The pandemic hasn’t stopped her exercise routine, nor her visits to the gym. “I have no fear,” she says. 

She works out with a trainer once a week, does pilates at home, walks in her neighborhood, and takes the stairs to her 8th floor apartment instead of using the elevator.

I enjoy the exercise. I enjoy going to the gym. I have a trainer, and I push him. If I use a 10 pound weight, we’ll switch to a 12 pound,” she says. “I challenge myself. I really don’t believe in words that end in apostrophe “T” -- like “can’t,” “won’t,” “shouldn’t,” and “don’t.” I just don’t go down that road.” 

A typical strength training session for Estelle includes squats with a 15-pound kettlebell, 3-minute planks, and deadlifts with 50 pounds.

Sticking to a regimen

“My routine is basically the same. I like regimentation. I’m an early riser. I go to bed early,” Estelle says.

She eats a small breakfast -- cold cereal or peanut butter toast -- and an early dinner.  A typical dinner would be vegetables with fish -- “simple whole foods.”

But she always leaves room for a treat -- a cocktail at the end of the day or her favorite -- chocolate ice cream. 

After dinner, she listens to music, curls up with a book,  and tunes in to talk radio before turning in at 8 pm.

“I put on my good music...I mean, a good concerto, a good symphony, a good opera. I get my joy from listening to this beautiful music. I am so moved by it. And coupled with a good day of exercise, or a good drink, or a good dinner, even by myself, I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy it,” she says.

Life advice

“I passed a big birthday about a year or two ago and it really shook me up because it was a big number,” Estelle notes. “Even though my body and mind are younger than my age, it brings me closer to the end. I think about it but I don’t dwell on it.  As long as I’m in good health, I am so far ahead of the game.” 

Estelle is amused people see her as an inspiration. “I have been told that I have a lot of energy. I’ve been told that so many times, even outside the gym,” she says.

During her life, Estelle has experienced her fair share of sadness. But she says surrounding yourself with positivity will change your mindset and keep you moving forward.

“If you associate yourself with sad people, it will maintain that sadness. It’s important that you elevate yourself. Get yourself out of your sadness and say, I don’t want to be with somebody who’s always morose. I want to be with somebody who will say, I understand you’re sad, but let me try to make your life a little more pleasant, or a little laugh a little bit, so you can wake up the next day and say, you know, maybe tomorrow will be better than it was yesterday.”

Her advice to people of all ages: “You have to keep moving -- your legs, your arms. Keep your mind going, have conversation. You may hibernate, but talk with people or read. Be aware of what’s going on around you.”

Her last piece of advice is to stay open-minded and say “yes” to new adventures and opportunities to grow. “At any age, you have to know what to do when the ball is thrown in your lap,” she says.

Indeed. Estelle isn't sitting on the sidelines and is constantly moving the ball down the field and living life to its fullest.

Hear Estelle’s story in her own words here.

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