by, Bob McMillan
I thought I was doing pretty well with my exercise program. You know, like “Wow! I’m seventy-three years old and look at what I can do.” Nothing spectacular but far better than most at my age. But that was before I heard of Charles Eugster. I first found out about Charles Eugster when I watched a TEDx Zurich video on You Tube. I try and watch one TED talk per day. If you’re not familiar with TED, go to www.TED.com and learn. The speaker, in this case, was an elderly gentleman who rowed racing shells (just like me), and lifted weights (just like me), and speaks out about work, exercise and nutrition for seniors (just like me). But Charles Eugster is not just like me. He is ninety-three years old and looks and acts like a thirty year old (at least he acts like one). He had let his body deteriorate as he aged and decided while he was in his eighties, that he had better start exercising again to get fit. He learned to wakeboard at age eighty-seven and he is now a competitive Masters athlete in rowing, and an avid weight lifter at ninety-three.
Watch Charles Eugster tell his own story and talk about health and fitness for seniors as he gives his TEDx Zurich talk here. Set aside 17 minutes to watch the entire video. It is well worth the 17 minutes. Then go to www.charleseugster.com and read all about what this active senior is up to. You will truly be amazed, and I hope, inspired to take action yourself.
Yes. His story is amazing. But it doesn’t have to be unique. There is no valid reason that most seniors can’t start a similar health and fitness program. There is no valid reason that most seniors can’t start over again at any age. Eugster stresses, “Exercise and eat right, meet new people, do new and different things.” That’s just plain good advice!
This is a short post. But it should inspire you more than anything I could write here. Enjoy!
Bob McMillan
bob@thecomealiveproject.com