Good health for high-school sweethearts

WITH TOMMY LETTNER’S $15,00 prize money from BOOST® Meal Replacement drink, he and his wife, Donna, plan to renew their vows on a beach in Kailua Kona, Hawaii.
“I met her at 15, strawberry picking in Hagersville, and our honeymoon has never ended,” says the 72-year-old retired Mississauga banker.

Hawaii is a favorite destination for the high-school sweethearts, who have been married 47 years, for other reasons, too. Tommy has won three Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. Since turning 60, besides participating in 10 Ironman competitions in Canada, Florida and Hawaii, he has run three Boston marathons and has been certified in scuba diving. “I’m not a heavy-duty diver, but I love it,” he says.

Neither Tommy nor Donna, 70, started with an athletic background. In fact, Tommy says when he was in his youth, he watched runners on his way to work in the morning and thought “running looked boring. I’d never do that.” Then middle age kicked in and, at 40, Tommy decided to invest in a more active lifestyle, starting with walking, then running. “At first, I couldn’t run 50 feet,” he admits. “I also gave up sugar in my diet and dropped 30 pounds in a year,” he says. “I eventually found that instead of coming home and having a beer after work, going out for a two-kilometres run was more effective in relieving the stress that was wearing me down.”

Aging is a disease of inactivity

Donna had started running about the same time. Today, they go to the gym four or five days a week. “Donna does weights, runs, bikes, walks, dances and snorkels,” says Tommy. “Together, we’ve become gym rats and are firm believers in strength training and aerobic conditioning. We just like the way these activities make us feel.” He admits they were both lucky to have good genes. “We chose our parents very carefully,” he adds, laughing.

“Aging is a disease of inactivity,” Tommy says philosophically. “We’re in the gourmet stage of our life now. Thanks to being fit, our skin glows and people think we’re 15 years younger than we are. If we could bottle the way we feel and sell it, we’d be millionaires.”

Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved –
Nestle Health Science.

Boost Your Endurance

Tommy and Donna Lettner both believe in strength training and endurance conditioning to enhance their fitness activities and make them feel great. To boost your endurance, try these ideas for aerobic exercises:

1. Try the aerobic or endurance activity you enjoy most such as walking, jogging, swimming, raking, dancing or playing tennis. Take along BOOST® Meal Replacement drink for a nutritious break in the routine you choose.

  1. 2. Endurance activities increase your heart rate and breathing over a long period of time, making the fitness activities you love easier. Endurance activities also make everyday activities, such as gardening or shopping, less tiring.

  2. If starting from an inactive lifestyle, work your way up slowly. Start out with five to 10 minutes a day and build to at least 30 minutes a day of moderate activity on most or all days of the week. Be sure to check with your health-care professional before beginning an aerobic exercise program.



Stay Strong, Stay Active

BOOST® is a complete meal replacement rich in nutrients that helps you stay strong and active so you can keep doing all the things you love. BOOST® meal replacement provides complete nutrition with 26 essential vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit BoostNutrition.ca

Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved – Nestle Health Science.