A few days ago, I was reading an article on Vice.com, “The Healthiest Old Person on the Planet Explains How to Stay in Shape,” which introduces a man named Charles Eugster, who is 96-years-old.
Charles is a decorated British sprinter. He holds world records in the 200m (indoor) and 400m (outdoor) sprints, as well as British records in the 60m (indoor), 100m (outdoor), and 200m (outdoor). This is all pretty impressive, considering that most guys his age can barely walk across the street (if they’re even still alive!). But that’s not all.
Charles is also a body-builder, a public speaker, a writer, a rower, a wakeboarder, an entrepreneur, and a fashion designer, planning his own line in elderly couture. He’s even claimed that he’s witnessed some of his white and gray hairs turn brown! While I’m skeptical of that last claim, I do know one thing: he’s certainly cracked the code on how to stay fit as you age.
This is a topic near and dear to my heart, since I not only want to live a long time, but I want to look as good as possible doing it and be able to have my brain and body work as optimally as possible, even if modern society thinks I should be sitting in a rocking chair in a care facility watching Seinfeld re-runs.
In Can Seniors Get Stronger?, I address the common belief among exercise enthusiasts that, at around 50-60 years old, people simply lose the ability to get stronger.
While it is indeed correct that you lose muscle as you age (a process called sarcopenia), new research also proves you can stave off this decline—and quite significantly. And in How To Look Good Naked And Live A Long Time, I detail a research-based exercise program that allows you to also do things like maintain mitochondrial energy producing capacity, keep metabolism elevated, increase muscular endurance and lactic acid buffering capacity, and, well, “look good naked” as you age.
But when it comes to defying aging and staying as fit as possible as you age, lab-based science is one thing and personal in-the-trenches, real-world experience is quite another thing. So I find it fascinating to study some of the fittest old people on the face of the planet to see exactly what they’re doing.
Let’s delve into Charles Eugster’s secrets, along with four other extremely fit people who are, well, not exactly young anymore:
#1: Charles Eugster – “Eat Real Food”
Sure, Charles lifts weights, which is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and hormones as you age, and has even been shown to decrease the rate at which telomeres shorten (which is associated with accelerated aging), but regarding his diet, he says in his interview with Esquire:
“Variety is key. I start every day with a protein shake because, as you get older, your protein synthesis no longer functions as well. I avoid sugar and eat lots of meat, especially fat. I've been on a fat trip lately. Fat! Piles of fat. Yet, I was in a supermarket the other day and was perplexed to find yogurt with zero fat. What on earth is that? The idea of the nutrition pyramid where, at the top, is a little fat and meat, and at the bottom a lot of carbohydrates, is, excuse me, bullshit. Humans are so unbelievably stupid that we have begun to tinker with food. Our theories of nutrition have resulted in a pandemic of obesity. Can you imagine a hunter-gatherer enjoying a low-fat yogurt? Let me tell you this, too: I read a report recently which said that a fatty diet also increases your libido.”
So there you have it. It’s highly unlikely you can eat modern frankenfuel foods and still live a long time and look good doing it!
#2: Laird Hamilton – “Learn New Stuff”
In my recent interview with big-wave surfer and 52-year-old Laird Hamilton, who is still just as spry and quick-moving as the 20-something surfers he puts to shame, Laird highlights one of his best anti-aging secrets: constantly learn new stuff.
Check out this short video that my friend and fellow fitness enthusiast Dustin Maher shot of Laird explaining exactly how he “never grows old”:
Laird’s garage, where we filmed the video, is a personal testament to this philosophy, and is chock full of new toys that Laird has invented to surf waves in different ways, along with skis, snowboards, jetskis, balance devices, and all different tools to challenge his body in new ways as he forces his brain and muscles to maintain or build new neurons to learn all these new skills. People often ask me why I delve into everything from archery to snowboarding to spearfishing to obstacle racing to kickboxing to ukulele and beyond, and this is one of the biggest reasons why!
#3: Mark Sisson – “Lift, Move, Sprint”
Sixty-two-year-old Mark Sisson probably possesses the finest set of six-pack abs you’ve ever seen on any guy, much less a guy his age. So what’s his secret?
First, rather then engaging in long, slow, “chronic cardio” exercise, he instead does short, fast, all-out sprint workouts at least once a week, all year long. He doesn’t overdo these, and recommends performing such workouts (e.g. ultimate Frisbee, treadmill high intensity intervals, hard bicycling up hills, etc.) just once every 7-10 days. Second, he does brief, intense sessions of full body, heavy weightlifting 1-3 times each week, for just 7-30 minutes. Finally, he moves frequently at a slow pace, using things like treadmill workstations and low-level physical activity all day long, and avoids any long, unbroken periods of sedentary time.
Lift, move, sprint. Pretty simple concept, eh? You can learn more about Mark’s philosophies and daily habits in this interview I recently conducted with him.
#4: Don Wildman – “Do Epic Things"
In “What Is The Hardest Workout In The World,” I discuss another Esquire magazine article called "The Hardest Workout in the World." In it, the author outlined septuagenarian Don Wildman’s grueling, intense, multi-stage weight training workout, dubbed "The Circuit."
After all, if a 75-year-old can do it, I should surely manage it, too!
The first time I went to the gym to do the "Hardest Workout in the World," I thought it would be a piece of cake. After all, if a 75-year-old can do it, I should surely manage it, too! When I crawled out of the gym three hours later, I was thinking a bit differently and my body was feeling the effects of the challenge for the next several days.
After researching Don Wildman (now 80 years old) a bit more, I discovered that he not only does this same epic workout quite frequently, but he also goes mountain biking on difficult trails for miles every single day, along with stand-up paddle boarding, big-wave surfing and even helicopter snowboarding.
These may seem like epic, scary, daunting tasks, but Don still does them, and he’s certainly living life at a much more exciting level than 99% of his peers, and staying incredibly fit doing it. So what epic or scary event or workout can you add to your calendar this week, this month, or this year?
#5: Olga Kotelko – “Stay Supple”
In “The Mystery of the 95 Year Old Track Star and What She Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Happier Lives,” I introduce Olga Kotelko, a senior track star who has since passed away, but at the time, held over twenty-three world records in track and field, seventeen in her current ninety to ninety-five category.
When I read the book about her life, entitled: What Makes Olga Run?: The Mystery of the 90-Something Track Star and What She Can Teach Us About Living Longer, Happier Lives, one of the biggest takeaways for me was that Olga didn’t simply beat up her body every day without going out of her way to keep it recovered and “supple.” She instead woke up every night, grabbed an old, empty wine bottle beside her bed, and gave herself a full body, foam-roller style massage on all her fascia, muscles and joints. Whether you try to book a weekly or monthly massage, or whether you do routines such as the “metabolic mobility” routine I recently posted to YouTube (which I personally do twice per week to keep my own body supple), you’ll find that you can keep muscle soreness, cranky joints, poor movement and other body issues we accept as “normal” in seniors at bay.
So that’s it! Eat real food, learn new things, lift-move-sprint, do epic things, and stay supple. Put those five tips together, and you’re likely to stay incredibly fit, even into your very, very old years.
Want more aging and fitness tips?
In Fitness Tips For Seniors, I lay out a basic exercise program that any senior can easily start into, no matter their level of fitness. In Tips to Reverse Brain Aging and Get Smarter, I teach you how to increase blood flow to your head, reverse brain damage, and halt the cognitive decline that occurs with aging. I’d recommend you read or listen to both, along with the other links I’ve provided in this episode.
Do you have questions about how to stay fit as you age? Join the conversation at Facebook.com/getfitguy.