Fitness Has No Age Limit

 

 

In Anton Chekhov's classic play "Uncle Vanya", Vanya spends a lot of time bemoaning his age and all the missed opportunities of his life, concluding that it is simply too late for him to do anything about it. Don't tell that to James Owen, the author of Just Move: A New Approach to Fitness After 50 and producer of the documentary The Art of Aging Well. 

When Owen Turned 70, he felt mentally fit but physically depleted. His knees were shot, his rotator cuff was immobile and he suffered from frequent debilitating back pain. He could not do a single pushup.

Five years later he was doing 50 pushups every day, his back pain was gone and he had taken up running several days a week. On his 80th birthday his doctor told him that his physical age was now 10 years younger than his chronological age.

Owen says that while working out is not always easy, it is far easier than dealing with the infirmities of old age.

If you are ready to start your own fitness journey, whatever your age, Owen recommends the following.

1. Set a Specific Goal. Don't make your goal "getting fit". Make it " I will be able to walk 2 miles in an hour within 5 months." Or whatever it is you want to achieve. Just make it specific and set a deadline. Then keep it where you see it every day.

2. Be ready for slips and setbacks. No one gets it right out of the gate. You'll have days where you fail to keep with it. Expect them, and refuse to let them derail you. Just get back to it.

3. Start out slow. Owen could not do a single pushup on the day he started working on his fitness. If you have been sedentary, be realistic. Walk to the corner and back. It doesn't matter what you do or how much of it you do, just get started and don't stop. Five sit ups a day? Great! That's 5 more than none.

4. Include all the aspects of fitness in your plan. Aim for cardio, balance and flexibility work every day and strength training 2 or 3 times a week. 

5. Always look ahead. No matter where you are now, you can have better days ahead. You just have to be willing to work for them.

Vanya was 47 years old when he decided it was too late to have a great life. Owen proved him wrong at 70.