DEL WEBB SOUTHSHORE FALLS RESIDENT DECIDED TO EXERCISE, TURNS INTO CHAMPION TRIATHLETE

Apollo Beach, Fla. --- You’re never too old to reinvent yourself. It’s the American way. When Del Webb Southshore Falls resident Jan Miller decided she might feel better if she lost a little weight, she began exercising under the tutelage of Del Webb Southshore Falls Personal Trainer Deb Peterson. Within a few months, Miller began to feel differently. Swimming, exercises and jogging were having an effect. As her conditioning improved, she was able to exercise longer, swim more, jog farther. Over the next 12 months she dropped more than 40 pounds. And then it happened. She unleashed her inner triathlete. She participated in local 5K runs at Gasparilla, Island Run and Shape Up For Summer. In September she participated in her first triathlon and placed first in her age group. “That was a wonderful feeling,” Miller said. And it came with a big surprise. Her competitive time qualified her for the Florida State Senior Games in Lakeland in December. Her performance there could qualify her for the National Senior Games in Cleveland next July. “It started out as a hobby and it’s turned into a passion,” Miller said. “The regular exercise has certain side effects that are invigorating. I feel healthier, I relax more easily, I enjoy every moment,” she said. The competitive achievements have added a little more spring to her step too, she admits. “I never really thought of myself as an athlete, but now that I know how good it feels I wish I’d been doing it all my life,” she said. Some of the features of the 14,000-square-foot Wellspring Club at Del Webb Southshore Falls that help resident athletes train are a heated lagoon-style pool, a resistance-walking pool, an auxiliary pool, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, Internet café, billiards and game rooms, a grand ballroom, tennis, bocce ball and pickleball courts, and a putting green.