BY ANDY TAYLOR

COFFEYVILLE — Marilyn Smith of rural Dearing discovered this week how several years of persistent exercise workouts can help her body.

She was loading a 50-pound bag of dog food — certainly not the easiest thing to lift or handle — into the back of a pickup truck. The bulky bag of dog food — known for being a true back breaker — got an easy hoist from Smith, who is in her mid-60s.

“It didn’t bother me at all,” she said.

Thanks to more than four and a half years of thrice-weekly fitness routines, Smith can tout the success of physical exercise.

Smith was one of three members of Curves — a Coffeyville-based exercise and fitness firm — to celebrate their 1,000th individual physical fitness workout on Tuesday. Smith joined Phyllis Griffith and Jean Rexwinkle in reaching an exercise milestone that had not been reached by other Curves clients.

The three women wore their pink Curves t-shirts that carried the logo “1000 Workouts.”

“It’s an amazing accomplishment for three ladies to each reach 1,000 workouts,” said Curves of Coffeyville owner Lora Kelly. “They are true inspirations to all of us at Curves as well as to all of our members.”

The three ladies joined Curves of Coffeyville in the latter months of 2004. Since then, they have been exercising two or three times per week for 30 minutes per workout.

Griffith said she joined Curves not to drop pounds but to help her arthritic limbs become more limber. An avid quilter, Griffith is able to hold use thread and thimble without her hands and fingers succumbing to the joint-numbing stress of arthritis.

“I wanted to workout so that I could move more freely without arthritis getting me down,” said Griffith. “I feel so much better now than before I started my workouts.”

Rexwinkle shows the greatest physical change among the three milestone achievers. Over the course of four years of fitness routines, she has lost a combined 50 pounds in weight and inches.

“If there is one thing I want to urge people of my generation, it is to get up and move around,” said Rexwinkle. “It is so important to get some daily exercise, even if for only 30 minutes per day.”

At a time of the year when people are talking about losing weight as part of a new year’s resolution, Kelly urges older residents — men and women — to get into a weekly exercise regimen.

“After age 40, people tend to go through a process where their body’s muscle mass wears away and is taken over by more body fat,” she said. “Having more weight on your body in your older years obviously leads to numerous problems. That’s why it is essential for people to go through an exercise plan so they keep or improve their muscle tone.”

The reward for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping off the needless bulge isn’t found only in t-shirts and photo opportunities. They are found in the words of those who have achieved their own personal goals.

“I wanted to get involved in exercise so that I could feel better about myself,” said Rexwinkle. “And, I can say that I’ve never felt any better than I do now.”