It’s never too late to take up a new form of exercise, especially if it brings you closer to your sister.
Marianne Dill and Nancy Dowdell have always lived close by in Naperville, but it was only when they started a new walking regime at the start of the pandemic that they began to see each other daily. Even though life is returning to normal, they are sticking to their schedule of meeting at 5 a.m. every day and walking at least 10,000 steps in less than two hours.
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Dill, 67, worked in telecommunications for more than 30 years before retiring last year. After three months, she was so bored that she found a new job working in the post office at Oswald’s Pharmacy in Naperville.
“My sister and I used to use the fitness club at Edward Hospital,” she said. “When it shut down on March 17, 2020, we were advised to exercise outside instead. We met at the parking lot at 5 a.m. and started our plan to walk four to five miles a day, seven days a week.”
The sisters tracked their walk with a Fitbit and Apple watch.
“Our daily walks are between 10,000 and 12,000 steps so we normally end up walking 30,000 steps by the end of the day,” Dill said. “Even though we used to go to the fitness club and work out, we didn’t really talk to each other. We weren’t real close. But when you walk seven days a week, we became like we used to be.”
The sisters grew up near Detroit, Michigan. Dowdell, 74, moved to Naperville with her husband after he finished his military service. She taught pre-school for 16 years and then worked for the Naperville Park District and Morton Arboretum as their development coordinator.
“Because of the age difference and the fact she was busy with her family meant we weren’t as close,” said Dill, who’s divorced. “I had never been into exercise growing up but in 1999 I got into inline skating and joined a trip skating around Switzerland. That was the first of many years of trips. When you’re single you can travel alone but it’s nice to have people to eat with in the evening.”
The sisters agree that walking during the pandemic helped their mental wellbeing as much as their physical health. And they enjoy passing the same groups of people every day as they go along the Riverwalk and through the downtown area.
They walk early because they’re “morning people” and the routes are less crowded. Unfortunately in the winter that means it’s totally dark.
“You do have to be careful,” Dowdell said. “We tried hats with lights and reflective vests but they didn’t work for us. Then I saw Night Runners on Shark Tank. They’re lights that clip to your shoelaces so you can see the ground. A lot of people we pass know us by our lights.”
The sisters walk in all types of weather, and alone if one of them can’t make it or is on vacation.
“We complain if it gets too hot or cold but we just adjust our clothes,” Dill said. “We wear a lot of layers. We wear tennis shoes in summer and hiking boots in winter.”
A few months ago, the pair decided to join Fort Hill Fitness Center in Naperville for when conditions get icy.
“We learned that nine laps around their track equal a mile,” Dill said. “But we prefer to walk outside when we can.”
With thousands of miles behind them, the sisters offer tips to anyone else inspired to follow their regime.
“What kept us committed was having someone to walk with,” Dill said. “You see the same people and we enjoy being outside looking for egrets and herons while we walk. This was particularly good for me because being on my own all the time I had to do something.”
Dowdell says walking has really helped her health issues. Both sisters suffer from arthritis. Dill says her numbers are down when she sees her doctor.
“I had my knees replaced in 2007 and was still having problems with pain three years ago but now I have no pain,” Dowdell said. “This is the cheapest exercise you can get. I find walking very peaceful, watching nature that changes all the time. I never nap in the day anymore, but I do go to bed at 8 p.m. so I can get up early to walk.”
Dill says they both feel positive and upbeat.
“Now they’re saying you can get anxiety without exercise,” Dowdell said. “I can’t stand it if I miss a day. It makes me crazy.”
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved from England to Naperville in 2007.
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