In collaboration between the Chenango County Healthy Heart Coalition and The Evening Sun, we will be running a monthly series of articles on individuals in our community who exemplify a healthy lifestyle. The Healthy Heart Coalition, whose lead agency is Chenango Memorial Hospital, has compiled a list of individuals who have made the conscious decision to live a healthy life. Whether through diet, exercise, or overcoming health related issues, these people serve as an example to us all that becoming healthy is possible for anyone. If you know someone who you would like to nominate as a Healthy Hero, contact Tyler Murphy at 337-3074 or e-mail tmurphy@evesun.com.


OXFORD – The key to a healthy lifestyle is often sought with the miraculous Fountain of Youth belief, with many hoping it can be achieved quickly and easily maintained, but Roberta Knoll of Oxford says her success in living a vibrant life was discovered through self discipline, routine and habit.
“What’s my secret? There is no secret I know of, but I know to eat modestly, stay active and how to listen to what my body is trying to tell me,” said Knoll.
The Chenango County Healthy Heart Coalition nominated the 70-year-old Oxford native to be this month’s Healthy Hero citing her excellent bill of physical health, attention to making routine medical check-ups, balanced diet and level of continued activity.
“Every year right around my birthday I’ve always tried to go and see the doctor. It’s an easy way to remember,” she said.
Knoll grew up on the family farm she now resides at on Quarry Road, nestled in an area referred to locally as the Basswood Forest. Growing up with the chores of a farmer, Knoll said she learned the value of good habits early on by getting up early, holding a steady routine and staying physically active.
Just down the road, Roberta unknowingly grew up just a short distance from her future husband, Joseph Knoll, who also labored on his family’s farm at a young age. His last name being Knoll and Roberta’s maiden name Hill, she joked, “I was a hill, but now I’m a knoll.”
The couple has been together for 50 years and will soon celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary.
Roberta graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in physical education and worked at two small rural schools outside of Oneonta area. She has also taught at the Unatego Central School District.
She later decided to become a stay at home mother to her two children, Eric and Jacquelyn, before returning to school and earning a master’s degree in early childhood development.
She worked for the Norwich BOCES’ early child program and ran a nursery center, where she taught adults and high school students how to deal with young children. Although now retired, Roberta is still a substitute teacher at Oxford Primary School.
Altogether, Roberta has taught and coached students on healthy lifestyles for more than 30 years, a lesson led by example.
Her daughter Jacquelyn Knoll-Carr is a health teacher at Norwich High School, her son Eric works as a nurse for the Broome Developmental Center, located at a facility on the New York State Veterans’ Home campus, in Oxford.
Roberta’s 91-year-old mother, who was also physical health education teacher in Oxford, now resides at the vets’ home.
“She went strong for 88 years until a fall broke her hip, but that hasn’t had any effect on her wits. They’re still all there,” said Roberta.
Roberta’s great grandmother lived to be 106 and could be found strolling her family’s home at 105. “And that’s back before people got that old,” she said.
With health running strong in her ancestry, Roberta says having a family who’s supportive of each other is invaluable, using the example of regularly prepared family meals as a great way of positively impacting health. Prepared meals are often much more balanced and healthier than just about any other, plus the bringing together of family, even for just dinner, ensures at least some time out of the busy day is set aside for a reasonable diet.
Roberta said she’s been fortunate in that her career in physical education, her personal life on the farm and closely-knit family have always provided her with regular exposure to a wide range of physical activity.
“I think an important thing is having activities in your life that you just do because you want to do them and not just because you want to be healthy, that’s good too, but if you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll be more likely to do it and it’s less likely to feel like a chore,” she said.
She still walks regularly and is often accompanied by the family’s dog. “We walk each other really,” she joked.
Roberta is also looking to get back into YMCA pool in the near future to participate in aqua exercise, which she used to teach.
Chief among her concerns is submitting herself to regular check ups with doctors, often several times a year.
“The older you get, the more you need to look out for things. That’s pretty common knowledge,” she said. “Catching things early is the best way to guarantee they don’t get worse.”
“You need to know if you have a situation. You’ve got to watch your blood pressure, heed things your body and doctor tells you. Your doctor is really just a body translator,” she said.
Roberta said her favorite food group would be fruits followed closely by vegetables and that she has never hard a strong craving for “sweets.”
“People need to keep their weight in the range of what it has always been. You don’t want a lot of change, you don’t want it to get out of whack, eat right and exercise,” she said.
The 70-year-old says another key to having a healthy life is getting adequate rest, which she believes is chiefly earned by establishing a solid daily routine.
“I like to get up between 7 and 8 a.m. in the morning and in bed at around 10 p.m.; it’s super important to get enough sleep. I know when I don’t sleep properly, I feel like a different person.”
Most important Roberta said people need to keep a healthy attitude. “My mother always said remember the glass is always half full.”