Member Spotlight – Robert Sidall
LHF: Hello Robert and welcome! Can you just tell me a little bit about your background? Where your from? Where you went to school?
Robert: I was born in Philadelphia. I went to the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School.
LHF: Do you still have a home there today?
Robert: No, I lived there until I was about 60, then I moved to the Virgin Islands and St. Thomas. I lived there for 20 years.
LHF: What did you do for work? What was your career in?
Robert: Well, I had real estate licenses in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and Delaware. I was a real estate appraiser. Certified real estate appraiser, National Association of Real Estate Appraisals. Very important job. And I was a director of the National Association of Realtors.
LHF: What did you do while you were down in the Virgin Islands?
Robert: When I moved to Virgin Islands, I got my license, and I also put an application to the real estate commission down there. I was the Commissioner on the real estate board down there.
LHF: Nice. And what did you do outside of work? What did you enjoy as recreation?
Robert: I got interested in sports and Hobie Cats and so I competed in the Hobie Cat races up here in Florida. I had my own boat up here, and Miami, and I had one in St. Thomas. I’d race boats down in St. Thomas, too, as I’ve told you, and the 3 islands St. Croix, St. Thomas… No one ever beat me in the races.
LHF: Wow. Undefeated.
Robert: Undefeated yes.
LHF: When did you first start coming to Loggerhead Fitness? What brought you to Loggerhead?
Robert: Seven years ago I started here. I’m now 99 years old, so
that shows you that I started when I was 90 what 2, 91, 92. I did it keep myself physically fit and to have a certain amount of social connections up here which I find important. I’m here Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 every week.
LHF: You’ve become a familiar face around here! What’s your secret to staying healthy and fit after all these years?
Robert: Well, I can joke about the fact that I drank two glasses of Scotch every night before dinner. I’ve been doing that since I’ve been 40. I killed all the germs in my body, but apart from that it’s the hereditary factor involved, always with people that live a long time, plus maintaining good health habits. I try to go to bed by 8:00 every night. I usually wake up between 5 and 6. Since I’ve been 40 years old, I take a nap every day. It doesn’t have to be for long, could be 15 minutes. It could be an hour, but a doctor told me when I was 40 and working very hard that I needed to take a nap each day to recharge the batteries, so that’s what I’ve been doing every day since.
LHF: Any healthy diet habits you’ve developed over the years?
Robert: I don’t over indulge eating. I keep my weight. My weight today at 99 is the same as it was when I was in high school. That’s important, keep your weight down. And Mentally, I’m alert because I have a computer. I’m very good on Excel. I’ve been told I could probably help people study Excel, but I have 17 pages of my financial records on my computer which I work on every day, so that keeps my mind pretty active, too.
LHF: It’s clearly working well for you! Any parting words of advice for those looking to live a long, healthy life as you have?
Robert: I would say the important thing is to keep busy, keep on the move. Don’t sit down and rot. Just keep your mind and your body active, and keep an interest in life enjoying every day. When I was 60, working very hard, I began to think “why am I working so hard, and what do I really want out of life?” I thought about it for quite a long while, and I finally wrote down three things: some accomplishment, good health, and a little bit of happiness every day. That’s it. I think that’s what keeps me going. I’m going to live to be 100. That’s only next until August. Next August, I’ll be 100 years old. I expect to be there.
