Picture of Health: Bonnie Sidiski

Greenbrook’s Bonnie Sidiski talks a mile a minute and can walk almost as fast.

The 71-year-old Sidiski walks every day, sometimes with her husband, Joe, sometimes by herself. In fact, one of the reasons Greenbrook interested Bonnie was the availability of different walking trails. She and Joe moved to the area 15 years ago. She still gets anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes of walking each session. She does not tire.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y, Sidiski grew up an active kid. Her sports included field hockey and fencing, and soccer as she got older. Sidiski said she was never too into watching sports but loved to play them. Even though she does not play them anymore, she is committed to staying fit.

“Just because you can’t do everything you used to do, doesn’t mean you have to do nothing,” Sidiski said.

When it’s raining, Sidiski, who is on the board of CDD District 4, uses the treadmill she keeps in her house. She does not track mileage outside, she said, but on the treadmill, her walks can see her hit 6 miles. Sidiski also bikes and does aerobic exercises in her pool. She used to use her pool year round, but recently stopped using it in the winter months. (“My husband says I’m becoming a sissy,” Sidiski said.)

In December, Sidiski began training with F5 Community Bootcamp, a free training session hosted by Lakewood Ranch’s Scott McKay and Shelly Hawk McKay, to add muscle to her frame and diversify her workouts. Hawk McKay said, laughing, that Sidiski is able to keep up with the 30-somethings who are regular attendees of the bootcamp. Her nickname at the camp? “Lithium,” as in the batteries, because she keeps going and going.

Sidiski has stayed in shape with a balanced diet, taking an “everything in moderation” approach to eating. She likes all foods, she said, and does not deprive herself of anything in particular. She loves ice cream, for instance, but also loves salads, and will eat them even as a snack.

Sidiski has done it all, from traversing the lava of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to completing a 9.5-mile mile hike in Yellowstone National Park. Her advice to people looking to better themselves is simple: Have fun.

“Enjoy what you are doing,” Sidiski said. “Life is way too short. Be in the moment and live it. It feels so food while you are in it. And be positive. If you are always smiling, how can it not be fun?”