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There’s Still Time to Register for Winter-Spring Courses! 

Registering online is the quickest way to secure your spot for the courses you want to take. If you need assistance when registering online, email us at wmu-olli@wmich.edu or call (269) 387-4157. Please leave a voicemail; if we cannot answer, we will see it in our email. There is still time to review and register for several April courses – visit the course catalog on our website for the dates and times of the courses listed below:

• Our Family’s Civil War Flag: It’s 5,000 Mile Journey 
• SoulCollage 
• Place Matters! The EDucation IS ON: The Edison Neighborhood Project 
• Getting Crafty: Understanding and Creating Picture Books 
• The Nuts and Bolts of Researching Your Family Tree 
• Western Economic Theories from Colbert to Keynes 
• Socialism in One City: Guy Lockwood, the �鶹��ýӦ�� Socialist Party, and the Kalamazoo Municipal Elections of 1912 
• The Memory and Legacy of Emmett Till: A Story of Geography, History, and Racism 
• The History and the Literature: “The Lincoln Highway” 

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Everything's Coming Up OLLI!

Let friendships your friendships bloom with OLLI! It’s time to celebrate spring, the season of renewal, by cultivating your mind and expanding your knowledge with friends, both old and new. Spread the word about OLLI and enjoy the many courses beginning in April. Make sure you also keep an eye out for announcements about our special member events occurring throughout the year—don't miss the fun! 

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Secrets to Vitality Series

Shirley warms up on bench press under
the watchful eye of her trainer Mike Wolfe.

Introducing Octogenarian (84) Shirley Scott. I have had the pleasure of knowing Shirley as a West Hills member for more than ten years, and in that time, I’ve watched Shirley continuously improve her fitness, in spite of her age. She can regularly be seen bench-pressing 105 lbs., doing planks (an abdominal exercise), and pushing our famous “Prowler” machine with ease. When I think of Shirley, I think of Newton’s first law of motion – objects in motion tend to stay in motion. To find out her secrets to vitality, I sat down with this now-retired WMU professor who previously served as both the chair of English and Dean of the Graduate College.

Shirley began her fitness journey in her mid-forties out of necessity. She was feeling the negative effects of work-related stress and decided to address it. I think we can all agree that serving as the department chair is one of the most underappreciated, high stress jobs in all of academia (my words, not hers). She had read somewhere that exercise was helpful in regard to stress management, as well as the prevention of dementia and other chronic diseases, so she started weightlifting and “slogging,” which is her trademarked term for slow jogging. She must have taken to it because here we are forty years later, and she is still at it!  

Shirley uses her full body to push the
“Prowler” and improve her functional strength.

Shirley’s vitality formula includes:

• She counts her steps and shoots for 10,000 to 12,000 per day
• Lifts weights 3 times per week
• Stretching 4 times per week
• Includes balance exercises in her regular routine
• Eats lots of fruits and vegetables and avoids evening snacking
• Drink 2 quarts of water per day
• No more than one caffeine drink per day
• Likes a shot of Jim Beam but not every day

Shirley uses perfect form on her planks,
an isometric abdominal strengthening exercise.

Shirly often enjoys a coffee klatch after a good workout, and adds that it helps to have good genetics, a knowledgeable trainer, and lots of social interaction. She believes that the social and community aspects of West Hills are “remarkable” and a big part of her overall health. Social interaction has a cascading positive effect on our mental and emotional health. “The accountability aspects of the West Hills Community are huge,” Shirley says. If she does not show up, someone is checking in on her.

She has had a few health issues over the years, including a broken arm and going into atrial fibrillation. Shirley attributes her quick recovery to her fitness and her trainer Mike Wolfe. She recently had the best bloodwork numbers come back that she has seen in more than 10 years – decreased blood sugar and LDL, with an increase in HDL. “My doctor put me in the top 10% for everything, including balance,” she reports. Finally, Shirley’s goal is to bench press 110 lbs. by her 85th birthday, and there is not a doubt in my mind that she will!

Shirley and her trainer, Mike Wolfe.

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