Betty Gust is no stranger to an active lifestyle. The 85-year-old former nurse and Minnetonka resident has always found ways to keep moving and stay sharp — volunteer hospice work, dance classes, bridge and mahjong games, chasing her eight grandchildren, and daily walks, to name a few. But the COVID- 19 pandemic put many of those activities on hold, especially the ones that kept her socially engaged with friends and family.
Months of isolation led to frustration and boredom for Gust. The same was true for Kay Reichert, 63, of Excelsior, whose corporate meeting planning business was on hiatus because of the pandemic. Reichert and Gust had both been members of The Marsh health and wellness center in Minnetonka and had seen each other there, but never spoke until crossing paths at a grocery store last May.
“We were all masked up, but I remember thinking it was so good to see a familiar face after being isolated at home for so long,” Reichert says. “I told her I thought I recognized her from The Marsh and that’s when she asked me if I walked.”
The exchange led to a meetup for a lap around a local lake, then another walk, and another, until the jaunts became routine. The pair has traversed roughly a hundred miles a month since June — more than 200 miles in December alone — developing a lasting friendship along the way.
STEPPING TOWARD WELLNESS
Brisk walking has always been important to Gust. It allows her to experience nature, unwind, and maintain her muscles and bones as she gets older, something she finds particularly important as someone living with osteoporosis.
“I’ve always been an active person,” she says. “I’m lousy at golf and lousy at tennis, but I can walk. I have two feet.”
Reichert shares Gust’s love of the outdoors, finding nature to have a healing effect in her life. She also has fibromyalgia and has found that movement reduces her pain. Both Reichert and Gust typically walked by themselves before they met.
“I usually couldn’t find any friends who had time to walk or could walk as fast as I do,” Reichert says. “So I sort of smile now that I have an 85-year-old who walks much faster than me and is available.“
The health and wellness benefits of regular walking are as real as Reichert and Gust suggest. A daily walk can help you maintain or lose weight, prevent and manage chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, strengthen muscles and bones, boost balance, and elevate your mood, according to the Mayo Clinic. And the more you step up your speed, distance and regularity, the greater those benefits will be.
REACHING FOR GOALS
Gust had tracked her miles walked in the past, but not consistently. A few years ago, for example, she logged 500 miles in four months. In 2020, she covered that distance in three months, walking with Reichert.
She set goals of reaching a certain number of miles each day, stepping up those miles every month. For instance, she walked four miles a day in September, then five a day in October, six in November and seven in December. The goals, she said, simply served as motivation, an extra push to get her out the door and accomplish something.
Gust and Reichert also set goals for experiencing new destinations, making the walks mini adventures and learning experiences. From pavement to gravel to grass, the duo has explored routes throughout the Twin Cities. The fist walk was around Christmas Lake in Minnetonka and they have since walked at destinations including the Stone Arch Bridge, Minnehaha Falls, and Caponi Art Park in Eagan. They also completed the 28-mile Dakota Rail Trail from Wayzata to Lester Prairie over the course of several weeks in the fall (with other walks between visits).
They passed lakes, woods and farms, shared memories, favorite books, stories of past adventures and recipes. They stopped to pet a goat one day, and explored an old church on another.
“There were a lot of things that we discovered about the area and it was just fun to see what we were going to come across next,” Reichert says. “We just celebrated each day, each surprise.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Gust and Reichert say they are social walkers even when they are not together. It’s common to say hello to others on the trail and stop for a chat. Especially during the pandemic, they say getting that communication in helps to keep spirits high and return at least a small sense of normalcy to daily life.
Gust has also made a game of sorts out of sending photos of herself in different locations to her grandkids, who have to guess where she is. She has dozens of photos posing at different sites, during every season. Part of it, Gust says, is serving as a role model for her grandchildren.
“My family has been very supportive of me and that’s one of the reasons why I do this,” Gust says. “They are always telling me they’re so glad I’m staying healthy and that they want to, too.”
On the last day of December, when Gust and Reichert hit 217 miles for the month, Gust’s extended family surprised her with signs, cheers and bubbles along the trail, joining the walk in the final stretch. Gust was overwhelmed by the showing of support and inspired to keep going.
She and Reichert are still switching up their routes and looking forward to new adventures this spring and summer. Her advice to others her age: get out, get active and speak up. You never know where a conversation might lead.
“One of the things I think is so important is just reaching out,” Gust says. “I mean, I never would have known Kay or experienced all of the places we’ve been if I hadn’t asked her to walk when we were in the store. I could have just said hi and walked away. I’m glad I didn’t.”
