Gary Player turned 81 this month. Who is Gary Player? Why is he a role model for seniors?
For those of you who remember the 1960s and 1970s, you may remember Gary Player as the golf champion who, along with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, was one of the trio of consistent tournament winners who put golf back on the map of most watched sports on both TV and in person.
At just 5’ 6’’ in height, and 150 pounds, Gary Player was one of the smallest players on the tour. Yet he was considered to be one of the best golfers of his time and was ranked with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as the consistently top three golfers in the world.
How was he able to keep up with players like Nicklaus and Palmer? Well, he was known as “Mister Fitness”, as well as “champion”, and was one of the only golfers in the world to exercise daily away from the golf course, using weights and bodyweight exercises to build and maintain his strength. He was the first to truly understand the value of personal fitness to get maximum personal performance on the golf course.
Golf is more athletic than most people realize, and you need strong hip, core, spine strength and mobility to play the game really well. Today, most golf professionals make exercise a normal part of their preparations for the sport.
At age 81, Player still exercises every day and seems to be as spry and active as he was in his thirties. He has the energy and enthusiasm of someone one-third his age. He does 1300 sit-ups and crunches four days a week, along with a number of other strength, flexibility and mobility exercises. Did I really say 1300, as in one thousand three ,hundred sit-ups and crunches. Yep! Oh, and that includes doing the last 200 with a 100 pound weight on his chest. He considers the core, from the knees to the chest, to be the powerhouse of the body.
He also considers a positive attitude important to health, personal energy and longevity and keeps both his mind and his body in great shape. This attitude is reflected in videos you can find online by Googling “Gary Player Exercise”. Here are links to two videos demonstrating his fitness routine. These are well worth watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkDzKnIQEEI (4:54)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfyphm9EkgI (2:42)
The videos are excellent and show Player doing his exercises and talking about the importance of exercise for everybody. He makes a terrific spokesman for Senior Health, Fitness and Personal Energy.
He still travels as much as any golfer on the tour. He designs golf courses and owns a horse breeding farm in South Africa. He considers personal energy to be one of the most valuable attributes a senior can have, and he exemplifies that attribute with his own personal energy and enthusiasm. His interests in philanthropy and business are worldwide.
Gary Player is a great example of someone who lives and breathes movement and exercise as well as proper eating. His continued emphasis on physical fitness for energy, his positive attitude, as well as his active participation in life at age 81, make him a great role model for active seniors.
Thank you for reading.