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Always take care to avoid a slump

Until she was about 65, she only weighed 117 pounds and now at age 81, weighs just a little more than that. Rita Svatos is a healthy senior who knows looking great is the best way to feel great.
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Until she was about 65, she only weighed 117 pounds and now at age 81, weighs just a little more than that.

Rita Svatos is a healthy senior who knows looking great is the best way to feel great.

"I have always taken care of myself and it was important for me and my kids to look nice when we stepped out the door," said Svatos, who wore matching earrings and a necklace during the interview. "If we went anywhere, we looked nice."

Today she invests about 40 minutes in curling her hair a couple of times a week and another 15 minutes in putting on her makeup each day.

"I don't have to curl my hair every day, most days it goes into place," she smiled. She keeps the gray at bay by dying her hair and while in her younger days she suited her dark hair, she now goes to a lighter shade that suits her fair skin better.

"Your complexion -- and everything -- changes when you get older," said Svatos, who only goes to the hair dresser for a cut and a perm and does everything else herself.

Svatos, who vacations in Puerto Vallarta almost every fall, keeps her trim figure by walking a lot but she's doesn't have a regular exercise regime that she follows.

She eats what she wants and is naturally slim so it's not a real concern for her.

Her day starts at about 4 a.m. and her head usually hits the pillow by 9 p.m.

"My head is so much more clear early in the morning," Svatos said.

She has a sunny disposition and credits the Elder Citizen Recreation Centre for a lot of the fun she has in her life.

"I think it's important for all seniors to go to a centre and mix as much as they can," said Svatos. "It gives you something to look forward to and we all need that. I like to do a little bit of everything. I love dancing, and carpet bowling and bingo and we [husband, Laurent Plouffe] go to the French Canadian Association and we help the little children maintain their garden and once a month we meet for a potluck lunch."

Svatos volunteers her time in the kitchen at the Elder Citizens Centre and is a strong leader during the Cookie Dough fundraiser. She helps organize the garage sales at the centre as well and donates homemade jelly rolls, cookies and sweet breads to the bake sales.

"I still like to garden and still do some canning and I'm always busy," said Svatos. "My advice to other seniors is to never quit caring, you could get into a slump so easily that way."