59-year old woman is Slim Queen

A 59-year old woman recently won the Slim Queen Calorie Competition against 23 other female fitness enthusiasts at the Tawam Hospital-John Hopkins Medicine Recreation Centre.

An Assistant Nurse at Jahli Clinic at day, Warda Helal Rabadi, swims, walks and runs at night (or vice-versa, if her duty turns out to be in the afternoons or in the evenings). “Since this centre opened seven years ago, I have started going to the gym. I always like to walk. I used to walk in a field before in Jordan because our village was so far and there were no cars. Walking then became a habit; it is nothing new,” said Rabadi.

“When I went here, I continued walking even though it is only around our accommodation or in some areas in the city. Whenever I walk, I am always happy, and I can make other people happy too.”

With no children of her own, Rabadi spends her vacant time swimming for two hours, walking for an hour and running for 50 minutes. She also read religious books – with no reading glasses at all.

Her prize in winning the 4,500-calorie competition was just the tip of the iceberg for her. “I like to win. Everybody likes to win. But what I like most is the company of the other people, being able to talk to them, being with them,” added Rabadi, who also bagged the first place during the Walk-For-A-Cause, a breast cancer awareness campaign of the Tawam Hospital held last year.

Weighing only 50 kilos, Rabadi also reaps health benefits from not sitting in the sofa and sulking at home all day like some would do at her age. “I did not have a major illness since 1987 when I had a disc. After 17 days that I were in the hospital, I resumed walking and just refrained myself from lifting heavy things. Now, I am not even taking Panadol for my back; I do not need to. Indeed, walking regularly has helped me.”

“If I keep saying that I am old enough, I will then just be sitting, doing nothing. But when I started running, I feel like I am not nearly 60 years old. Instead, I feel like I am only 16. So I advised other old people to just try. Try to walk, try to swim. It has nothing to do with age. Do not say no, but try.”