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BY CHRISTINE KUMAR
UMCONNECTION STAFF

While many people are fast asleep at 4 a.m, 69-year-old Ernestine Shepherd, a member of Union Memorial UMC in Baltimore, is going for an eight mile walk in her neighborhood, rain or shine.

'My motto has been dedication, discipline and determination,' said Shepherd. So determined and disciplined is she that she ran ? and won ? the 26-mile Baltimore marathon in her age category in 2001 and 2003.

'Ernie' as friends and family prefer to call her, recalls the day when she and her sister went to a pool party. They didn?t like the way they looked in their swimsuits and decided that it was time to shape their bodies to look and feel healthier and younger.

'We learned of an exercise and weightlifting program at Coppin State University,' Shepherd said. 'We began to participate in the program and started to look and feel good and it became a way of life for us.'

Shepherd, sadly, exercises alone now. Her sister, who was her best friend, died from an aneurysm a few years ago.

'I could not understand why God would take away my sister,' Shepherd said in a quiet voice.

That question shook her faith to the point that she stopped going to church. She also didn?t want to listen to music or sing, and she lost interest in going to the gym and exercising.

'We walked every morning and dressed alike,' recalled Shepherd as she sat in a pink workout outfit matched by pink boots and lipstick, in her pristine living room with miniature decorative shoes on her end tables.

A friend, Raymond Day, took her to the gym one day, and she began to feel better.

'I am also blessed to have a loving husband of 46 years and a wonderful son,' she said.

As time passed, her faith in God was restored.

'God is good to me. Someone?s always been around to help me. I have had a guardian angel watch over me throughout my whole life,' she affirmed.

For the past 13 years, Shepherd has been walking every day and strength training at the gym three days a week. 'I?m a vain woman, but I?m not ugly about it,' she said jokingly.

Her diet consists of high protein and low-fat foods. In a given day, she eats 27 egg whites, three pounds of chicken and a generous portion of vegetables. This is very different from her previous diet that included cake, chocolate and soda.

'I felt very sluggish and tired when I ate like that,' she stated.

With her new look, and a body fat percentage that dropped from 32 to 19, Shepherd has appeared in many publications, such as Essence, Performance Press and the Baltimore Times.

She has also appeared on the daytime talk show 'The View,' and has presented trophies to winners at bodybuilding shows in Las Vegas.

Shepherd also makes time to worship and praise God. She has been a member of Union Memorial UMC for the past 45 years, singing in the choir and performing solos. She is also the president of the Union Players drama group and member of the United Methodist Women.

Shepherd, who entered the Ms. America senior pageant, also teaches exercise to seniors two days a week and plans to retire this summer from her secretarial position in the Baltimore City school system.

'My new dream,' she said, 'is that I would like to have a gym at Union Memorial and teach exercise classes. I am a happy person and I love people.'