‘I’m Pretty Good With Punching Bags, Too’ : At Age 92, She’s at Head of Her Fitness Class

Carson resident Lizzie Atwood climbs on an exercise bicycle and pedals for one, two, three miles. Without a huff or a puff, she walks over to a floor mat for arm-circling, toe-touching, neck-stretching and knee-bending.

She has finished a workout on a large machine with dangling handlebars--for an exercise called the “Latin pull”--during which her 4-foot-6 frame supported 20 pounds of weight.

She also has wrapped up a warm-up on the leg curl. Lying face down on a stiff bench with weights atop her ankles, Atwood boosted 10 pounds. Once, twice . . . eight times.

“Tired?” she scoffs, only midway through her workout. “I still have lots of energy.”

She walks toward another exercise machine, pauses and adds, “I’m pretty good with punching bags, too.”

In the aggressive world of Southern California fitness, Atwood’s weight-lifting and conditioning routine may not seem to qualify her as a powerhouse. But many--including Atwood--insist that at 92 years old, she is nothing less.

“I have no trouble,” she says, firmly dismissing the idea that age would get in her way. “I’m strong and healthy. There are a lot of seniors I know that should get up to exercise but, no, they just sit and watch their (soap opera) stories.”

Atwood is one of about 70 Carson residents over age 55--she is both the oldest and the “role model”--who participate in the city’s year-old, senior-citizen weight-lifting and conditioning program three days a week in the Fabela Chavez Boxing Center.

According to instructor Maria Mason, most of the seniors have health problems but are encouraged to pursue a supervised dose of exercise to gain strength, increase flexibility and feel better about themselves.

“Most seniors don’t exercise as much as they should,” Mason said. “They’re afraid to go out at night, and they don’t get around too much. Some of them may occasionally ride a bike, but that’s not enough.”

For those who might otherwise slip into sedentary ways, the weight-lifting program offers group exercise, an array of Universal weight machines, punching bags, a treadmill, five exercise bicycles and senior friendships.

“Weight lifting is not only body building--what you see on television,” said 39-year-old Mason, who is aiming for a nursing career. “It helps to condition the whole body and, for many of these seniors, it provides medical help.”

Mason, who has run the program since its inception, says she keeps track of seniors’ medical problems--many, like Atwood, have some type of heart problem--and monitors their exercises.

“Aerobics classes are too fast for the seniors; we let them work out at their own pace and we watch them because some try to overdo it,” she said. “A lot of what we do is what they’d do in a therapy class, but it’s free here. In those kinds of places they’d get charged $75 a half-hour.”

Atwood says the results are what count most.

” . . . When you get old, you feel tight if you always just sit around,” the spry, 126-pound woman said. “But if you do exercises, then your whole body is looser and you feel better.”

Although Atwood was not familiar with the machines she now sweats over until three years ago, when at 89 she enrolled in a YMCA class, she maintains that even the first workout was not frightening.

“I never saw anything yet that scared me,” said Atwood, who has also tried riding a pig, an elephant and the Goodyear blimp. Her other affections include slot machines, mystery novels--”Love stories are too mushy”--and sweets.

Atwood, a Carson resident for about 30 years, concedes that she may have been somewhat prepared for her exhaustive workouts by the constant activity that has always been a part of her life.

“For those who don’t exercise much, I think she is a role model,” said Marie Peterson, 58, who has been involved in the program seven months. “That she is willing to try everything shows something of her spirit. I just hope I can move around like she does when I’m 92.”