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‘Low energy if I don’t walk’
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- Participants of last Saturday’s Sophia 5K Fun Walk pose for a group photo before heading out to the course where the turnaround point is at Gold Beach Hotel. (Jon Perez)
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- Former first lady Sophia Tenorio, right, with 95-year-old and Nippon Turtle Club member Jo Izumi. (Jon Perez)
Sophia Tenorio said she feels different if she fails to do her daily walking exercise. That’s why the now 76-year-old cancer survivor makes it a point to walk at least five miles a day.
“Brisk walking is good for your health that’s why I continued this activity even after I survived colon cancer,” said Tenorio after completing a five-kilometer distance in last Saturday’s Sophia-Fiesta 5K Fun Walk. “I feel different, unwell, and sluggish if I did not do my daily routine.”
The walk incidentally is named after the former first lady.
Tenorio said she has not gained weight ever since she started her daily exercise more than 30 years ago. “That and watching what I eat helped me to have a healthier lifestyle. I see to it that I take good care of myself.”
She added that walking is also her alone and quiet time. “That’s why I walk in different places. Sometimes at the Airport Field, the Beach Road pathway, or at the American Memorial Park. I see to it that I change my atmosphere.”
Tenorio is encouraging everyone to do even 10 minutes of walking. “Just start slow. Walking has a lot of health benefits. In the states, I walk seven miles a day.”
A regular group of Japanese walkers, the Nippon Turtle Club, has been joining her in the annual Sophia Walk. “Every year they come here and join me. Next year we plan to invite kids from school,” added Tenorio.
Ninety-five-year-old Jo Izumi is among the Japanese walkers that joined last Saturday’s event. Izumi is a good friend of Tenorio.
Pacific Development Inc. president Masanori Takahashi, who helps in organizing the event and the trip of the Japanese walkers, said they use the Sophia Walk to also promote friendship among the participants.
“We would like to promote a healthy lifestyle and friendship through walking. Our walking event is not a competition and open to everyone,” said Takahashi.
The five-kilometer walk began and ended at Fiesta Resort. The route is at the pathway with Saipan Gold Beach Hotel as the turnaround point.
More than 80 participated in last Saturday’s walk. They failed to organize the walking event last year due to Typhoon Dolphin. Refreshments and fruits were given to all participants.
Fiesta Resort & Spa, Kanoa Resort, Tan Holdings, Marianas Visitors Authority, Marianas Health, PDI, and KKMP are the sponsors of the event.
