Triumph and Transformation: 7 Inspiring Fitness Journeys of Men Over 50

Imagine being in your 70s and crossing the finish line of a grueling obstacle course race. Or picture yourself chasing after your grandkids, not just watching from a bench. Today, we're sharing the fascinating, foot-to-the-pedal stories of men over 50 who have embraced fitness, transforming not just their physical health but their entire lives.

From Jerry, the 76-year-old who decided to challenge himself to multiple obstacle courses, to Officer Mike who kicked-started his fitness journey with some tough love, to Todd who is gearing up to join his grandsons in their athletic pursuits.

The common thread? A steady resolve to break free from sedentariness and a commitment to better nutrition.

These tales of triumph and transformation might just be the nudge you need to kickstart your own fitness journey.

Get the free eBook by sending me an email, jay@primefitcontent.com

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

What's it take to get a man over 50 off the couch and into the gym or at least to some sort of regular, ongoing physical activity Heck, it can be ballroom dancing for all I care Just something to get him off the couch and moving his ass a few times a week and, while he's at it, to try to eat just a little bit better too. These are questions we all struggle with and they're the focus of a project I've been working on that I'm going to tell you more about later, but for now I just want to share some of my research Seven stories of men over 50 who have turned their lives around through exercise, through fitness, through taking better care of themselves. I call them a magnificent seven. These guys have nothing in common except their age. Generally they're all over 50 and they have this belief now that being fit improves their lives immeasurably. Some of them insist it's even saved their lives and, as you'll hear, they make convincing cases. So that's what I want to talk about today on Optimal Aging the show for gym and studio owners who want to grow their businesses with more people over 50. And also now for people over 50 who need some inspiration to make positive changes in their lives or to get some support in their fitness journey.

Speaker 1: 1:26

These stories will offer it in spades. The men represented here have overcome a great deal of adversity and challenges by exercising, eating right and trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Now they're all ordinary people. These are not celebrities or athletes, and their stories will resonate with anybody out there. For instance, jerry was 75 when he ran his first Spartan race. Officer Mike, much younger in his 50s, needed a dose of tough love to get him moving. And Todd likes to be able to join his teenage grandsons on their athletic adventures. See, you can relate to these guys. Anybody can. So I hope these stories will be an inspiration for anybody in the situation of being stuck, wanting to make some changes, not really knowing how to get started, and I hope that Jim and studio owners who hear them might find something that they can share with their prospects and their members alike, blasting them off the couch or just nudging them along. I know you will enjoy these short, powerful, true stories.

Speaker 1: 2:34

So here we go with number one. This is about Jerry Mathis. The headline is Climbing with Fitness Goals, and here's the story. Fitness Goals Drive Jerry Mathis. They compel him to accomplish athletic feats that most people wouldn't attempt, let alone most people who are 76 years old.

Speaker 1: 3:00

If I just went to the gym to exercise without also having a goal in mind, I'm not sure how much progress I would make in my physical abilities or mental, says Jerry, a retired music teacher. Part of what works for me is having a goal. I enjoy it. With the help of his regular workouts, jerry recently completed three parts of a three part fitness goal. He ran a 5k obstacle course, a 10k obstacle course both on the same weekend, and then he ran a half marathon length obstacle course of more than 13 miles and 30 obstacles, and the trifecta is doing all three of those within a year. This was just a year after he ran his first obstacle course race, which was right before his 75th birthday. He had set a goal that he would do an obstacle course race for his 75th birthday. He says they're addictive. Believe it or not, if you do one, you want to do another.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Now what kind of goals do you have for your own fitness and health? They don't have to involve running races or climbing obstacles like Jerry's. Some people want to exercise so they can improve at golf, tennis or other sport. Others want to lose a certain amount of weight or lift a certain amount of weight. Maybe you want your blood pressure lowered or you want to reduce your risk of developing type two diabetes. The motivations are endless and it doesn't really matter which one you choose, but we know that setting goals helps by providing motivation and accountability, developing plans to make the gains you want to achieve, managing your time and other commitments, and setting expectations so that you're seeing your progress along the way. Some people apply a tool from business making smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Jerry works out at the gym with a trainer on his core, balance, strength and cardio. His trainer stresses the importance of setting intentions and reaching them. A few years ago, it was to jump a certain height and the next to deadlift a certain weight. Jerry says he has put me on these goals and so far we've reached them. Now that he's completed his goal of running a trifecta in one year in the same year that he turned 77, he still has no plans to quit exercising and suddenly become sedentary. I can't do that, jerry says. That's not my lifestyle. I don't want to grow old sitting on the couch and eating potato chips. I've got to be out doing something. This is crazy, I guess, but I hope I can go into my 80s doing this thing. I'll give it a good try, and that sounds like another powerful goal for sure.

Speaker 1: 5:59

Story number two is Officer Mike Tough Love turned him around. Near the end of his 27 year career as a sheriff's deputy Officer, mike knew he was dangerously overweight. The job's stress, long hours and a pair of work-related injuries had slowly packed 218 pounds onto his 5 foot 9 inch frame. But it took Tough Love from a friend and fellow officer to get him to do anything about it. His friend, steve, said hey, I've got to talk to you. I'm saying this because I care about you. My gym is starting a six week course and I want you to come work out with me. Your fat Mike, who was 51, didn't like hearing this, but the next morning when he looked in the mirror he knew Steve was right. And after that six week boot camp style course, mike was down 16 pounds and he hasn't looked back Now. He works out four times a week, watches what he eats and keeps getting leaner and stronger. His motivation was based on love too. He says if I have a heart attack, who's going to take care of my kids. I'm determined because I want to be healthy and I love the adrenaline high of working out Now.

Speaker 1: 7:17

Being overweight is common among police officers, firefighters and security officers. The FBI says about 80% of law enforcement officers are overweight. The New York Post even weighed in with one of its famously brash headlines that said fat cops are weighing down the NYPD. But the leading causes of obesity are common to many in other professions, of course, and they include inactivity, because despite the action on TV dramas, a lot of police work involves sitting. They include a bad diet and we all know the cops and donuts cliches and we can blame their poor eating at least partly on the challenging work schedules. And they include stress. Police officers are often in danger and exposed to violence, death and intense situations.

Speaker 1: 8:12

As Mike found, losing weight involves more than a quick decision and a snap solution. It's a lifestyle change, he says. Mike's friend, steve, found a way to deal with all of that long before he gave Mike the tough love pep talk. Steve is a longtime triathlete, super fit and trim. He took Mike to a gym where Mike was initially intimidated seeing so many people with ripped muscles and I'm not just talking about the guys Mike says I couldn't even do a pull-up. That was a slice of humble pie for me. Mike quickly grew to love the combination of strength and cardio training, the variety of the workouts and the friendly community he found there. He recently retired from the sheriff's office and has incorporated his new job into his healthy lifestyle. He's dropped to 185 pounds, has participated in competitions and hopes to become an instructor. He says if you really want something in life, you'll find a way. I was at a breaking point to keep going and get fatter or to make a change. Tough love is probably the best you can give someone.

Speaker 1: 9:18

Number three Ricky Banks. Fitness saved his life. Ricky Banks is a walking advertisement for fitness over 50, which makes sense because he owns a successful gym and is over 50 himself. But it's true now more than ever. After a near fatal medical emergency, doctors and Ricky believe that his healthy lifestyle helped him survive the loss of blood, the surgery and the medically induced coma of his ordeal. Ricky says the doctor said my health level, my fitness level, had a lot to do with my survival and recovery, my heart rate, my blood pressure, not being obese, and I do believe that played a major role in it. Ricky's right, and anyone over 50 should take this as another reason why you need to stay in good physical condition by exercising and eating right.

Speaker 1: 10:11

Being fit improves your chances of surviving health scares and complications that are common after age 50 or so. If you wanna bounce back from surgery or a nasty little virus like COVID-19, your chances go up exponentially If you stay at a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure where it should be, eat right and exercise. You don't have to be a big muscle man like Ricky is for these benefits to help you before, during and after surgery or other medical challenge. Even one is unexpected, as what happened to him. The same is true for more common over 50 procedures like joint replacements. Better fitness levels reduce complications when having an operation. According to the National Health Service of Scotland, this is because your body can cope better with the stress of the operation. In turn, this improves your chances of avoiding complications, allowing you to leave the hospital and return to your normal quality of life more quickly. Keeping an active lifestyle is good for your general health, and if you are normally an active person, it is important to keep up before your operation. People who have low activity levels can improve their fitness within as little as four weeks by taking regular exercise. Okay, that's it from the National Health Service of Scotland.

Speaker 1: 11:33

Here's Ricky's amazing story. He woke up distressed about 2 am, passed blood in his urine and was rushed to a hospital passing out. Before he arrived, his old problem of bleeding ulcers had returned with the vengeance. Doctors used more than two dozen pints of blood and put him into a coma to find the source of the bleeding and stop it. They gave Ricky 50-50 odds of surviving but because of Ricky's heart health, his weight and his fitness level, he pulled through. Within a few months Ricky was back in good health, preparing to open a second location of his gym and grateful that his latest chapter is proving inspirational for others. He says People tell me, ricky, you look like you haven't been through anything and this has made me appreciate my body and how I take care of it. I tell people I understand you've got to live your life, but be responsible.

Speaker 1: 12:36

Number four Doug Spearman. An actor gains confidence. After Doug Spearman was in a funk a few years ago, unhappy and overweight at 210 pounds on his 5'8 inch frame, his TV series Noah's Ark, a glossy gay rom-com in the Sex and the City mold, had concluded. He was on a new medication that boosted his weight. He ended a relationship and overate to manage the stress putting on more, things cascaded and he grew unhappier. I looked like a brown beach ball, he says. But now, at 60, doug is back to his pre-Noah's Ark weight of 169 and feels stronger than ever. It took a while and some steady habits Eating right, exercising regularly, going to the gym, enjoying yoga and riding his bike, he says. I wanted to feel better, to sleep better, to keep moving. My flexibility is way more important now at 60 than having a size 31 inch waist again. Still, he was a little nervous when producers called for a new Noah's Ark movie complete with partial nudity in intimate scenes. The Hollywood veteran, used to the intense scrutiny that actors face, upped his intensity at the gym to get ready because he knew he'd be paired with a much younger, impossibly fit actor. The big day finally came, and Doug recalls. So he's got this 31 year old chiseled body and I felt great. Do I look like him? No, I look like me, the best version of me possible, and I'm not going backward. I'm not that unhappy guy anymore.

Speaker 1: 14:27

Number five Vincent Bednar having fun with his grandkids. Strength makes all the difference. As we age, we lose muscle unless we practice resistance training to maintain it. Without muscle, we simply can't do much of anything. But for Vincent Bednar, strength was no impediment when his grandsons asked him to go downhill skiing with them when he was 70. That's because Vincent had been working out for decades and had the ability to take up the kids on their invitation. Now 74, the retired landscape architect says it's an awful lot of fun. It was an event when the whole family would go skiing and the boys asked me to go with them. It was really wonderful. No one wants to be the boring Nana or Pop Pop, right? In fact, enjoying their grandchildren is one of the top reasons why people over 50 decide to get in shape or stay in shape. His grandparents want to share experiences with the grandkids, not just buy them stuff. Almost 70% live within 50 miles and polls show that grandparenting stands out as one of the most positive aspects of later life.

Speaker 1: 15:40

Skiing requires strength, agility and endurance. None of that was an issue for Vincent, who started lifting weights in his 40s to manage common middle-aged spread. He enjoyed it and found it effective for decades. But when he quit smoking in his early 60s, vincent gained 30 pounds on his 5'8" and ballooned to 210. He redoubled his commitment to strength training and to eating right and quickly went back down to his fighting weight of 180. So he was ready when skiing called. He's been on the slopes countless times, on his own and with the boys. Now the family is planning a ski trip over the winter before his grandsons go off to college.

Speaker 1: 16:25

He says I wish I had started earlier. The kids are so encouraging and helpful. You've got to be able to move, to stay active and enjoy yourself. He says I don't want to lose the ability to do things, and you can't do any of them if you're not strong. Number 6, todd Allen. Let's get some life while we're here.

Speaker 1: 16:50

Todd Allen and his wife took a European trip seven years ago. He felt terrible by the time they got home. Blood tests revealed cancer, stage four bone marrow. Todd went through 18 months of chemotherapy and had knee surgery and hip surgery. Never much for exercise. Todd then made a decision, he says. After the recovery I said I got to get my act together. I've been a gym rat ever since, says Todd at 65. Today he has a healthy prognosis and he wakes up early each morning to lift weights, run, stares and do other physical activity. He says I look better now than I ever have in my life.

Speaker 1: 17:35

Research proves that exercise is good for our health at any age. Experts say it also helps prevent cancer and lower its risk of recurring, and Regular exercise benefits cancer survivors the same way. It helps the general population by reducing obesity and blood pressure, lowering risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and lots more. Strength training is particularly important to help maintain muscle and bone density. People generally lose muscle mass with age and Cancer exacerbates the decline. The National Cancer Institute shares powerful data about how exercise can reduce the risk of certain cancers, for instance, breast cancer by 20 to 80 percent, endometrial cancer by 20 to 40 percent and colon cancer by 30 to 40 percent.

Speaker 1: 18:27

The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia issued formal guidelines that help. Issued formal guidelines that recommend exercise as a part of treatment for all cancer patients. It said exercise should be a part of standard care for cancer patients to fight the disease and side effects of treatment. It said treatment teams should promote physical activity so patients meet exercise guidelines. And it said patients should be referred to an exercise physiologist or physical therapist. Here is Dr Prue Kormi, who was author of the report, saying get a load of this, you ready, here we go. If you could turn the benefits of exercise into a pill, it would be demanded by patients, prescribed by every cancer specialist and subsidized by government. It would be seen as a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.

Speaker 1: 19:24

After treatment, exercise helps restore self-esteem and a sense of control which cancer strips from patients, says Andrea Leonard, the founder of the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. Teaching them to regain control and powers them, increases esteem and confidence and takes them from victim to survivor. For Todd, working out at the gym brings him the variety, social interaction and mental health benefits he craves. I love the camaraderie. He says you have to show up or you get razzed. That's key for consistency. With his health now solid and his outlook bright, todd is committed to enjoying every day. He says let's get some life while we're here. I'm going to hold on to this thing for as long as I can and I've saved the best for last Number seven, roy Englert at 100. He just keeps moving.

Speaker 1: 20:24

Roy Englert survived not only World War II in the Navy, but he also survived being part of the historic D-Day invasion. He's also managed to become just one of two competitors to participate in all of the National Senior Games, which have been held every two years since 1987. I've always had good luck, he said in a Defense Department article highlighting his most recent accomplishments at the Senior Games in Pittsburgh in July. He's received plenty of media attention over the years, including articles in the New York Times. Roy was one of 12,000 competitors in Pittsburgh this year and the only one in his age category in the 400 meters. He said he was running just to finish and he did. He also was a recipient of the Humanity Game Changer Award given by the event sponsor for quote exemplifying healthy aging and for providing encouragement, motivation and inspiration for all seniors to live healthy lifestyles. End quote.

Speaker 1: 21:29

Roy didn't start running until he was 60. He retired at 73 from his career as a lawyer with the Treasury Department. He says his physical fitness has helped him stay healthy and positive all these years and he has simple advice for anyone asking about his longevity. Here's what Roy says you just get out there and you go as fast as you can for as long as you can. Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. That's the key to it. You got to just keep moving. I can't think of a better way to end this episode on a magnificent seven men who are outstanding examples for anyone who wants to improve their health.

Speaker 1: 22:13

If you'd like a copy of the ebook that I've put together based on these seven guys, send me an email at jay at primefitcontentcom and I'll get it to you. It's free. I'll eventually have it on my website, primefitcontentcom, where you can learn more about my content, which helps gyms and studios appeal to the over 50 demographic. I'm also going to be launching some direct to consumer products and services in the next few weeks. You can find out more about that as they are rolled out on that website, primefitcontentcom, and here on Optimal Aging.

Speaker 1: 22:52

Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed the show and I hope you'll subscribe, tell a friend and write a review. All of that helps us grow our audience. I also hope you'll check out the powerful fitness business, training and certifications offered by my friends at the Functional Aging Institute. Fai is the leading authority on how to build a business that's focused on helping people over 50 live their best lives through fitness. Their educational services, networking opportunities and coaching are invaluable and the pricing is unbeatable. Just use this special code so they know you're coming to them through me. You can find it on the show notes page and follow the link to learn more.

Speaker 1: 23:37

Also. Fai president and co-founder, dan Ritchie, was our very first guest on Optimal Aging, so reach back to episode one for more about the Functional Aging Institute. I'm now thankful for FAI support as another affiliate sponsor of this show, so you'll be supporting me as well as yourself and this great organization. So thank you. You can learn more about me and my content business at primefitcontentcom. Send me an email at jjay at primefitcontentcom. I'm also on Facebook, linkedin, instagram and just about anywhere else, so check me out. Love to hear from you Again, thanks for listening. See you next time.