90 year old couple still exercising and feeling great at Prairie!

Contact: Brian Reardon (217) 544-6464, ext. 44306

SPRINGFIELD - 90 year olds Pat and Lucille Falzone of Springfield have been coming to Prairie Heart Institute at St. John's Hospital to exercise for more than four years. They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary at PHI with a luncheon hosted by their exercise classmates.

It doesn't matter how old you are. We encourage people to just move and do as much activity as their doctors allow, said Bryan Finn director of cardiac rehab at Prairie Heart Institute. Our exercise classes are open to the public and provide a supervised exercise experience as well as a close-knit family atmosphere.

Pat and Lucille come to Prairie twice a week to work out. The secret of this place, is the people, said Pat. I love these people and Prairie. If someone needs to exercise, this is the place to come!

Lucille added, Prairie is the best thing in the world. This is like my second family. I would recommend it to anyone.

The couple met at a dance and Pat proposed on their very first date. Lucille's reply to the marriage question was, You must be crazy! However her resistance didn't hold up too long and they were married in a year. The couple's first date was actually a double date. The bill for the four people at the end of the evening was $1.10.

While they enjoy exercising together, Pat had a theory of why their marriage has lasted so long. The secret to staying together is that I'm a good guy and she's a good girl, he said.

Pat has had bypass surgery and stents in his heart, however people do not need to have heart problems to join one of the five classes each Tuesday and Thursday. There are some Saturday classes as well. People interested in learning more about the StayFit class at Prairie can call 217-535-3990 for more information.