A Night Owl Among Us

Chris Sage is awake hours after most Monroe residents have gone to bed. Working late shifts as a nurse at St. Vincent's Medical Center and volunteering for overnight shifts as an EMT and ambulance driver for the Monroe Emergency Medical Service, Sage knows things others may not be aware of.

For instance, he says the Shell gas station with the Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin Donuts on Main Street is open around the clock.

"The Dunkin Donuts drive-thru window is always open," he said.

Sage, 55, of Monroe works the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts at the hospital and sleeps from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"If I see someone at 7 o'clock in the evening, I say, 'Good morning,'" Sage said with a grin. "I say it to people and they laugh."

He's maintained the same schedule for the past eight years.

"I keep the same sleep and wake cycle throughout the week," Sage said. "I don't believe in varying my sleep schedule. I don't think it's healthy to switch back and forth. I feel much healthier because of it."

Another factor contributing to Sage's good health is his membership to Anytime Fitness, a gym at 380 Monroe Turnpike that's literally open 24/7.

Workouts at 3 a.m.

Sage was on vacation in November, so he was up during the day and saw the Anytime Fitness sign from the road and stopped in.

"They said it really is anytime," Sage said during an interview at the gym. "I went home and talked to my wife, then signed up."

Sage and Pat, his wife of 31 years, have two children, Amanda, 23, and Evan, 18, who goes to Masuk High School.

Anytime Fitness allows its members to have a key to use the facility around the clock. Sage says he prefers to workout at 2 to 3 p.m.

"It breaks up the night," he said. "When I started, I didn't see anybody. But now I run into people all the time. Another gentleman typically comes in at 3 in the morning."

Sage said he used to be heavier before he started using the bicycle and then the treadmill at the gym. After some cardio, Sage works with free weights. The EMS volunteer of 27 years says he sometimes works out when he's on duty, waiting for a tone to send him out on an emergency call.

"I've been keeping up three days a week," Sage said of his workout schedule. "With my hours, there really is no other place to go. This is a unique opportunity for me."