B.C. senior a ‘poster child’ for healthy lifestyle transformation
“124 over 74 – my blood pressure is high no more.”
This is the mantra that Margaret Rees, a healthy and active senior, still repeats during her walks in the woods. In 2006, she was given a prescription for high blood pressure that topped 180/100. She took the medication for three months, but said it just wasn’t right for her.
“They made me feel gross,” she says. So she made some lifestyle changes: she lost 50 pounds and regularly repeated the mantra during walks.
Another lifestyle change she made was becoming a member of Copeman Healthcare. She never planned to become a member, but says she did so out of support for her partner, who was experiencing health problems of her own.
“Previously, I never paid much attention to my health,” says Margaret. “But now I feel more accountable, especially with my yearly assessments at Copeman.”
Dr. Beth Donaldson, who treats both Margaret and her partner, says they are great clients who support each other with healthy lifestyle choices.
“Margaret and her partner could be our ‘poster children’ for healthy lifestyle transformation. They listen to the advice of their entire clinical team, put it into action and see amazing results. Their dedication to their health and to each other is truly inspiring.”
Margaret wants to take responsibility for her health, and not become a burden on the healthcare system.
“I’m now officially a senior citizen,” she says. “My Copeman membership is my biggest expenditure. I would be hard pressed to give it up. I think I would start selling vegetables from my garden to pay for the care I get at Copeman.”
Margaret appreciates the incredibly dedicated and caring team, and feels her health is taken seriously. Heart disease runs in her family on her father’s side, so she receives “intensive cardiac workups,” and says she’s been trouble-free for 10 years.
Today, her blood pressure matches her mantra at an ideal 124/74. She’s pleased with the results, and says she has the heart of a 20-yearold.
This serves her active lifestyle well. Margaret lives in a remote area of British Columbia where self-sufficiency is required. During the winter months, only three people live in the area. She tends her own garden, and says she still wants to be able to split wood when she’s 90 years old.
To do this, she needs to be strong, so she works alongside her Copeman kinesiologist. At times, she’s had problems with lopsided strength and a misaligned knee, but she says the workouts are all worth it.
“Exercise supports all of the things I like to do,” she says.
And with no plans for slowing down, she is committed to staying physically active. Even into her nineties and even with three cords of un-split wood in her backyard!