Skating 80-Year-Old Doesn't Let Age Stop Her

CLEVELAND -- Building a strong heart and lungs doesn't have to be hard work -- it can be a lot of fun.

In this week's Successful Aging report, NewsChannel5's Jonathan Costen reported that strapping on roller skates can make you feel like a kid again.

For Virginia Warner (pictured, left), 80, roller skating is the key to having a strong and healthy heart.

"My legs are OK, too," she said.

Her husband, Ed, and her daughter, Cindy, said they are proud to know her.

"It's amazing," Cindy Warner said. "I show people her picture, her skating pictures and they say, 'That can't be your mom.' I just hope things will change for me (and) when I'm 80 I'll look like that, because she looks good right now compared to me."

But Virginia Warner admitted that, years ago, she had hung up her skates.

"Well, when I got married, my husband wouldn't let me skate for 30 years, and I thought, 'I've got to do what I like to do,' and I came back and I've been skating for 25 years now and I'm 80," she said.

For Virginia Warner, skating is like a wonder drug.

"I love it and it's good for me, and I don't take medicines," she said.

Her skating instructor, Melanie Marshall, said Virginia Warner is a good example of someone who doesn't let age stop her.

"I think she's an inspiration to all of us," Marshall said. "She walks, she's involved with people, she's mentally sharp, physically sharp -- she's just a wonderful lady."

For more information on the "Successful Aging Initiative" or available resources, write NewsChannel5, 3001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114, or log onto our special section on aging.