Alison Harkey is 61 years old and a competitive cyclist. She’s married to Louis Harkey and they have four children and one grandchild. Alison and Louis reside in the beautiful state of Mississippi.
What does health and wellness mean to you?
Being healthy and fit means having a high quality of life and a long life. Many diseases are the consequence of our own action or inaction. Taking care of yourself is multifaceted involving physical activity, diet and spiritual/emotional well-being. I see these three as the biggest contributors to health and wellness, and I recognized these to have even greater importance as I’ve aged. My mom just turned 90 years old and she has been an inspiration to me. She lives independently, walks more than most people half her age and is actively involved in the community where she volunteers and has lots of friends. She also attends church regularly. I believe these things have contributed to her longevity.
Pictured above: Alison’s mom, Penny, with her two rescued grand-dogs, Hei Hei and George.
Tell me more about your views of physical activity.
Being sedentary can have a downward spiral effect. When you stop moving, you increase the odds of being stuck in your home, feeling isolated and sorry for yourself. If this goes on for too long, even if you wanted to become active, you may find yourself in the unfortunate position of not being able to get out of the house. And being cut off from that social interaction is not beneficial.
I recognized that things happen, such as illness and injuries that keep people from being physically active. After my own personal injuries, I know it has negatively affected my quality of life. The discipline of going through physical therapy and getting moving again is important to not getting trapped in that downward spiral.
You are a beast on the bicycle. In 2018, you completed one of the most difficult races in the United States, Dirty Kanza involving 200 miles of gravel grinding. When you were preparing for that race, what did your workout schedule look like?
When I decided to race this, I re-engaged with my former cycling coach to help me prepare and structure my workouts. I rode five days per week. My weekday rides were two hours in duration and a combination of tempo (longer) intervals, short high intensity intervals and recovery rides. My weekend rides were 3-4 hours on Saturday followed by 4-5 hours on Sunday. The weekend rides were more steady endurance efforts on gravel, roads or trails. Overall, I rode between 150-300 miles per week or between 13-15 hours per week.
In addition to the cycling, I also do two days per week of core/strength training as well as a lot of stretching. I feel it’s important to take care of the other parts of your body to be both strong and balanced.
As a woman over 60, how have your workouts and diet changed compared to when you were in your 30s?
In my 30s I was pregnant and nursing and absolutely absorbed by that. I walked and did a little running and tennis, but it wasn’t a priority for me at that time. I’m actually fitter today than I was in my 30s.
As far as diet, I’ve always liked to cook. Back in my 30s, people in general were less concerned about food and diet. It was less confusing, and I didn’t think about it. I’ve always subscribed to cooking magazines like Food & Wine and Bon Appetit and been open to trying different recipes. In the past, those recipes were not always particularly healthy – lots of fat, cream and butter. They’ve improved a lot in recent years and it’s reflected in the way I cook now along with the knowledge I’ve gained in recent years. Also, I grew up with the notion that a plate of food should include a piece of meat or fish, starch and vegetable. This past year we’ve made a paradigm shift in what is on a plate, and we are moving towards a plant-based diet.
What contributed to the decision to move towards a plant-based diet?
First, having exposure to others who have adopted this diet has influenced us. Second, a few years ago we started getting a CSA (community supported agriculture) box from Two Dog Farms. Exposure to different vegetables and the need to prepare and eat them so they would not go to waste, moved us to eat more plants. Finally, our decision to start a garden at home. There is something wonderful about going outside and getting vegetables from our garden to prepare for our meals.
Pictured above: Louis and Alison
You and Louis have an amazing garden and greenhouse. What was the genesis for deciding to create it?
With my husband, Louis’, impending retirement he wanted something to keep him busy. It was over the holidays in 2016 when the idea surfaced that he wanted to build something. He knew he needed a fenced area because of the deer, so with the help of an architect, he designed a box garden with raised beds. His philosophy was: (1) to grow things not readily found in the grocery stores; (2) any vegetables that would just taste better if freshly picked; and (3) to grow things that would be fun, such as corn used to make cornmeal that could be turned into homemade corn tortillas. Because of the garden, we are eating twice as many vegetables as before and our tastes preferences have changed such that we prefer to eat vegetables even when we go out to eat. In the future, Louis plans to have an orchard to grow figs, citrus fruits and peaches, as well as an apiary.
Pictured above: The Harkey’s garden and greenhouse
Describe some of the dishes you’ve created with the vegetables and herbs from your garden.
Tomato sandwiches using Green Giant heirloom tomatoes because they are incredibly sweet. The cucumbers have been in abundance and we’ve sliced them with tomatoes on toast. We’ve roasted butternut squashes with olive oil, salt and pepper. We’ve done different things with okra including frying it and adding it to an Indian succotash dish with other vegetables and Indian spices. We’ve used our chili peppers and eggplant in veggie fajitas and made pesto for pizza and pasta from our fresh basil. Having a garden has shifted my thinking of what constitutes a meal and plate of food.
What advice would you have for someone over 60 looking to take control of their health? What about for someone in their 20s?
Find a physical activity that you love to do and surround yourself with the community of people who enjoy it too. Whether its walking, cycling, tennis, or something else – having that community will give you a social outlet and keep you engaged in the activity. In addition, look at your diet and be open to trying new things. There is a tendency to revert back to what you know especially when you are time crunched. Get out of your comfort zone. Consider getting a membership in a CSA to try new plant foods to eat.
For those in their 20s, my advice is to start now! Most people wait until they have a health event. Don’t wait. You have one life and one body and health should be a lifelong pursuit. For those with a genetic predisposition for certain health conditions, being active and eating healthy can (in many cases) help you stay ahead of the game and either delay the onset or lessen the symptoms. Being physically active and eating a healthy diet is good for the brain and emotional well-being.