Almost 90, She Still Works Out Six Days A Week

Who: Goldie Silverman, 89, Portland; 5 feet 2 inches; 160 pounds Workout: A week shy of 90, Silverman works out three days a week for an hour at 24-Hour Fitness. She spends 20 minutes on a treadmill, 20 minutes on a stationary bike and 20 minutes on weight machines. Three other days each week she takes a milelong walk to and from the parks in her Northeast Portland neighborhood. Silverman spends summers on Martha's Vineyard, where she swims and body surfs. Legally blind, she no longer drives or reads but she listens to a lot of books on tape. Twice a week she volunteers at a local nursing home chatting up the residents. A little history: One of seven children in a family with a lot of heart disease, she began working out in a gym following quintuple heart bypass surgery. She also has survived two bouts with lymphoma. Her two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren will be coming from all over the country to help her celebrate her 90th birthday. Nutrition: During her East Coast summers, Silverman eats fish nearly every day. The rest of the time she takes omega-3 oil. She eats chicken, too -- baked, not fried -- but not much beef. And she makes sure she gets a lot of fresh veggies. She likes chocolate and does all her own cooking and baking. She takes aspirin daily and, depending on her diet, a variety of vitamins. Her doctor recently recommended melatonin or valerian root to help with sleep problems. Words of wisdom: She sometimes visits farmer's markets with her granddaughter. On the cost of living, she says, "I'm of the age group that knows how to tighten their belts. In my day we didn't have credit cards. We didn't buy anything until we had the money in our hot little hands."