Aerobics devotee celebrates 79th birthday

Can you imagine having the discipline to work out twice a week? Okay, so that's not so bad. But to do it regularly for 24 years?

That's the feat Lois Hartford of Boscawen claimed when she celebrated her 79th birthday last month at the Penacook Community Center.

Hartford said that she likes to be active and stay active. She also enjoys the social aspect of coming to the community center to work out. She said that once she gets into a routine she sticks to it.

Besides exercising, Hartford enjoys golfing, bowling, walking dogs and yoga. She was a school nurse for 30 years in the Merrimack Valley School District.

Asked how she stays so motivated and dedicated, she said, "It's the only reason I'm still alive."

In honor of her birthday, Lois was dressed up by her friends at the center. They gave her a name tag that read "If found please return me to PCC." Then they put her in a neon yellow shirt that read "Retired Hooters Girl" and twirled a hot pink boa around her neck. Lois's outfit was topped off with a birthday tiara and funny birthday glasses with hot pink lenses and candles sticking out the top.

But the celebration didn't last long. After a chorus of "Happy Birthday" it was down to work! "Cowboy Cassanova" by Carrie Underwood blared from the speakers as attendees started their exercise routine.

If you think you have what it takes to be as dedicated as Lois, then go join the adult aerobics classes and see her in action! The classes run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Membership to the Penacook Community Center costs $35 a year, and then it's just $2 for each class you attend.