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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.

This will be short and to the point. Today is Election Day. Be sure and VOTE! It’s your choice who and what for; Just VOTE!

I was lucky. My parents were of different political persuasions and argued their points at the dinner table while I was growing up. I learned to understand politics at an early age. But both stressed the importance of making your own choice and then acting on it. They always stressed the seriousness of the voting process itself.

My wife and I always emphasized the responsibility to vote with our son. We told him that the choices were his to make, just  to make sure he voted. For one of his daughters, who is in her second year at Virginia Tech,  this will be her first election. She  told us how excited she is about the opportunity she has in being able to vote for the first time. I couldn’t vote until I was twenty-one. She is 19 now. What an opportunity she has.

Exercising the responsibility to take care of your Country is every bit as important as taking care of yourself.  Today is election day, I hope you exercise both yourself and your opportunity and responsibility to vote.

This has been a contentious election process. But the dissension and contentiousness is not new. “Mudslinging” is a term that has been used in the political process for over 200 years. While it seems to have been more divisive this election than ever, I’ve seen contentious elections in the past, and there were many before my time on earth. The arguments have been about pretty much the same things.

In this election more than ever, use it or lose it.

Thank you for reading.

I’m asked a lot: “If I start exercising, will I be sore?” The answer is – probably! That’s how you will know that your muscles and body are responding favorably to the exercise.

I’m also asked: “Will I feel pain?” You might, but you shouldn’t if you are doing a movement correctly.  Arthritis pain is not included in this discussion.

Soreness is normal and you are likely to have muscle soreness of some sort after most exercise sessions where you actually exert yourself. Pain is different. Pain is a signal that something is probably wrong and you should ease off. Most likely pain is short term, but it is your body telling you that either you are doing something beyond your current physical limits, or that you have injured something. The pain I am referring to is usually sudden and crisp or sharp. In effect, that’s the main difference between soreness and pain.

Pain is a warning signal. When you feel actual pain — Stop. Pain signals danger. For example, shoulder pain may mean damage to your Rotator Cuff or other shoulder muscle or joint. Further movement could cause long lasting or permanent injury. Pain will usually show up during or after exercise and is located in muscles, joints, or connective tissue (ligaments and tendons).

Soreness means that you are doing something that hasn’t been done for a while and it will take a while for your body to get used to it.

Pain is often a medical condition. If it lasts for more than a week, you should check with your doctor. Often your doctor will prescribe medication for pain. If so, be careful. Pain medication can be addictive. But do what your doctor tells you.

Soreness after exercise often feels good. Soreness should be welcomed. It means your muscles are slowly adapting to something new. You know you have been doing something positive for your body.  A day or two of rest should reduce or eliminate the soreness. Stretching after exercise can result in less soreness.

Here are some quick guidelines:

• Listen to your body. It knows.
• If you are just starting out, your mind may not know the difference between soreness and pain. Use the guidelines above.
• After a while, your mind will understand what your body is telling you. Pay attention.

Soreness can be uncomfortable to those new to exercise. Get to know and understand it. Make it your friend. Get used to it, and don’t let it stop you.

Thank you for reading.