Post #184707 by AlohaStation on Tue, Sep 6, 2005 10:08 AM

This was in Sunday's Fitness section of the Fort Lauderdale paper.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-lifpthorntonsep04,0,1437773.story

The right steps - Training Mai-Kai dancers helps keep restaurant owner in top shape.

The woman behind Oakland Park's Mai-Kai restaurant doesn't need to hit the gym to keep fit. She's too busy dancing.

She started on the Mai-Kai stage in 1961 as part of its Polynesian dance troupe. She became its choreographer in 1978.

Between those years, she married Bob Thornton, whose family started the restaurant. Now a widow, she and her two adult children run the business.

Today Thornton is still showing the dancers how to move.

Were you always a dancer?

No. I came to the United States from Tahiti in 1959 to start a new life. When the Mai-Kai later approached me to dance, I didn't know how. But I accepted the job because I wanted to do something here.

How did that work out?

When I started, Bob was in Europe. When he got back a week later, he saw me perform and realized I wasn't a dancer. He told me I needed to be replaced.

Fortunately, I had a good friend in town who was a professional dancer in Tahiti. She said, "You have potential. I'll train you."

In two weeks, when he saw me dance, he couldn't believe it was the same person.

Besides dancing, how do you keep fit?

I walk three to four miles, six days a week. Then I go home and do light weights every other day for about 35 to 45 minutes.

I do five to 10 pounds with my arms and 30 to 50 pounds with my legs. Then I jump in the pool to cool off.

How does walking help?

It gives strength to my legs so I can dance with the dancers when I teach them.

Did you ever battle weight?

I was always thin but after moving to this country and eating the food I started gaining. At one point I was 145 or 150. That was heavy to be on the stage.

How did you trim down?

Coming from the island, I didn't know what a diet was, so I listened to my friends and tried this and tried that. I even tried diet pills, which made me sick. Never again!

Finally, I talked to a doctor about the proper way to lose weight. He said I was doing enough aerobics on the stage. He told me to eat less fat.

Being around a restaurant, how do you avoid overeating?

I'm so used to being around food it becomes routine.

When I do sit down to eat, I eat very slowly and as a result I don't eat a lot. When everybody else is done eating, I still have food on my plate, which I never finish.

What do you eat?

I follow my instinct. Some mornings, I'll have broiled fish with salad because I've just spent two hours exercising and I'm hungry. Or I'll have eggs, fruit and yogurt.

Lunch is fish or chicken with steamed vegetables -- maybe pea pods, zucchini or broccoli.

For dinner I eat light -- protein and vegetables. I'll have steak maybe once every two weeks and lamb, which I love, two times a month. I don't eat starches often and I rarely have dessert.

Ever indulge in junk food?

To tell you the truth, I enjoy a little junk food with my grandchildren. Chocolate ice cream or chips and guacamole. The next day, I work out a little harder.

What keeps you motivated to keep exercising?

If I don't exercise, I struggle through the day. It becomes a habit. If I don't exercise, I become very blah. Exercise gives me my natural high.