Bio: Described by one of her students as “a petite bundle of positive energy” and by another as “a little stick of dynamite,” Hope Petrine, 67, is a certified Pilates teacher and co-owner of a conditioning and massage studio, Pilates of Cherry Creek.
A University of Miami graduate and former ballroom dancing instructor, she settled in Denver six years ago with her husband, Frank, 79, after more than 30 years in Florida. Besides their daughter Jolie, who runs the studio with Hope, they have a grown daughter in Chicago and son in Washington, D.C., and six grandchildren.
The Challenge: In the 1980s, Petrine was running a dance studio but was so stressed out that her health was suffering. “I had chest pains, insomnia, anxiety attacks and very low concentration,” she recalls. “I had learned to teach dancing while sitting down, and I had gotten way out of shape. I was eating horribly – junk food all the time, and drinking Coca-Cola constantly – and I felt awful. The doctors thought I was having heart problems, and I was sick all the time. I was in my mid-40s, and I was really struggling.”
How She Changed: At her husband’s suggestion, Petrine canceled a vacation and signed up instead for a two-week stay at the Pritikin Longevity Center near Fort Lauderdale. There she was introduced to various types of exercise in morning classes and spent her afternoons learning about nutrition, physiology and stress management. Most important, she was placed on a mealtime regimen that cut out fat, salt and refined sugars while “bombarding” her body with vegetables, fruits and whole grains, plus one 4-ounce portion of fish, chicken or egg whites per day.
“It was amazing,” she says. “My cholesterol dropped 103 points in two weeks, my blood pressure went to normal after eight years on medication, my headaches went away and my energy level went soaring.”
Motivation: Once she finished the course, Petrine took up walking, bought a treadmill and never strayed from the Pritikin diet for 4 1/2 years, after which she realized that exercise and healthier eating had become a way of life. Today, she says, “I’m still working a full schedule, and I have more energy now than I had at 30, which is mind-boggling. I feel like I have more options now to have fun, because I have the strength to do them.”
Still Working On: Expanding her repertoire. At 4-foot-11 and 115 pounds, Petrine works out regularly, goes hiking or skiing with friends every weekend and is always on the lookout for new ways of staying active. About three years ago she got into weightlifting, and a few years before that she took up ice skating – something she “wouldn’t even think about if I wasn’t in shape.”
Best Advice: “I eat out a lot, and it’s no problem. I look through the menu and pick out the best thing available, and ask if they can cook it without salt or sauce. There are very few restaurants that won’t accommodate you,” she says.
In addition, “Your tastes change. There are things I used to love that I don’t even think about now, like rich desserts and beef carpaccio. Now, my favorite food is fresh tuna – not out of a can, because they add salt – and that comes from a person who never ate fish.”
-Jack Cox
Do you know someone who has lost a lot of weight, rebounded after an illness or made a healthful lifestyle change? Send a name, daytime phone number and description to Fitness, The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202, or e-mail living@denverpost.com.
