Where Are They Now?

Member: Betty Gust
Featured: Spring 2021 cover story 

Since being featured in the Spring edition of thrive., Betty Gust has continued to live an active life — both physically and socially. During the pandemic, she went on frequent walks, totaling hundreds of miles over a few months. She’s continued her walking practice and regularly plays games like Mahjong and Bridge with her friends. And now with five great-grandchildren, her schedule is fully booked nearly every week.

After recently celebrating her 90th birthday and welcoming her fifth great-grandchild, we caught up with Betty to find out what keeps her motivated and moving. 

thrive.: Let's start with the walking. Have you kept it up every day since we last talked?

Betty: Most days. I've had a few little blips with some health problems, but I’ve bounced back and now I'm doing three to four miles a day. I walk a couple times a day and average out about three to four miles a day. I try to get in a hundred a month.

thrive.: What are some of the health challenges that you've overcome and have you made any changes from a safety perspective?

Betty: Some of it has been sciatica, and another one is with the air pollution. With all the smoke we've had, I ended up in the hospital. They diagnosed it as a reactive airway. I know how to take care of it now by checking it and either staying indoors, walking indoors, or wearing a mask. Now I know to use a mask if I go outside when the air quality is bad. Instead of just checking the temperature, I check the air quality, too!

I highly recommend that everyone has a smart watch. My kids encouraged me to wear it during the night after my episode with some sciatic pain. It's something that monitors your vitals and everything. I use it for how many miles I go and I can do an EKG on it. It's great! Most days I walk by myself, and my watch gives me a sense of security and safety. If I were to fall or need help, it’ll automatically call 911 and alert my emergency contacts.

I walk inside in the winter time. I do not walk on ice anymore. I'm very careful about that. I'll go indoors and I'll go to The Marsh and walk on a track or go to Eden Prairie Center or Ridgedale and walk around there.

thrive.: What motivates you to keep walking every day?

Betty: If I have a choice, I'll always choose to walk. I meet people on the trail — I call them my trail friends. It's just being social, though I like to walk alone sometimes because I can just go at my own pace. Some days I need the walk for quiet reflection.

Walking has always been a part of my life — it helps me to stay mentally sharp and brings calmness and clarity. I also love nature and the birds. I'll go on my phone and ask what bird is chirping. Right now I'm sitting on my patio … There are birds and there are deer and turkeys and geese in the spring and just all kinds of animals. It's kind of like a Disney World here.

thrive.: Do you have any goals for yourself?

Betty: Just to enjoy today and look at it as an adventure. I'm not done yet. It’s the joy of each day and it's exciting when I'm going, “Well, what am I gonna do?” I'm active and I'm going. And then somebody will say, “Well, you wanna go for a walk? Do you want to do this?”

I think 75% of the time I walk alone. Kay and I are still friends and walk together occasionally. I’ve also met other trail friends. In fact, I'm going out to lunch today with some friends — a couple that I met when I was walking!

I want to celebrate and enjoy each day and stay healthy — physically and mentally.