Answering your questions

I've heard from many readers with comments and questions. It's been encouraging and inspiring to hear from so many people! This post is intended to answer some of the questions you all have been asking.

The purpose of my Lifelong Fitness blog was to explain how I got to age 92 in a fit and healthy state and how it all started. The blog has a Homepage and About section and about 40 posts to date. The story begins when I was in my 30s, nearly 60 years ago. I started with an exercise routine that developed over a few months and eventually became a plan that included aerobic and other exercises.

I used to run a couple of 5k’s and 10k’s a year and did many more exercises than I do now. As I got older, I did a little less of everything. Now that I’m very old, I still doing a ‘maintenance’ version of what I did way back to stay fit and healthy.

This initial plan was realistic and achievable. A few years later I was quite fit and running a couple of 5k’s and 10k’s a year and did many more exercises. Then I got older and began doing a little less of everything. Now I’m very old and still doing a ‘maintenance’ version of what I did way back then and I’m still fit and healthy. Through this entire period I had been exercising regularly. Usually, several times a week.

Something I’m often asked about is my ‘telephone pole thing’ and that goes back to the very first time I went out to jog or run when I was trying to get into shape. I discovered I couldn’t run or jog hardly at all. So, I slowly jogged the distance between two telephone poles, then walked to the next one, and jogged to the third and so on. I did this until I did a mile. After a few weeks I started to run. After more time I could actually run for a mile.

When I resumed jogging in my 30s, I was more out of shape than I knew -- so I slowly jogged the distance between two telephone poles, then walked to the next one, and jogged to the third and so on. I did this until I did a mile. After a few weeks I started to run. After more time I could actually run for a mile.

I’m asked about vitamins and that’s an interesting story. In 1964, just around the time when I realized that I should do something about being fit and healthy we were invited to a black-tie event with a dance band, a grand piano, on the balcony of a magnificent castle overlooking a large city. We met a lady with a movie star complexion who announced she’d just returned from a trip to Italy to see a famous physician who had discovered the “fountain of youth”. She was prescribed certain vitamins called “antioxidants”. I didn’t know what that was but the next day I bought vitamins C, D3, E, and a multivitamin and have been taking them every day since, that’s about 60 years. I’ve added fish oil and protein powder in the past few years. I have no idea if these supplements have had anything to do with my good health.

Most of our food is fresh and homemade and I prefer to eat at home. For breakfast I have two cups of coffee, then I exercise, have protein powder, do some work, then for lunch I have my breakfast. That’s shredded wheat with raspberries and blueberries. Dinner is usually a balanced meal with a protein (fish or poultry) and a salad.

Another question is food. Most of our food is fresh and homemade and I prefer to eat at home. For breakfast I have two cups of coffee, then I exercise, have protein powder, do some work, then for lunch I have my breakfast. That’s shredded wheat with raspberries and blueberries.

Dinner is usually a balanced meal with a protein (fish or poultry) and a salad. Snacks are mixed nuts. At my age I don’t eat nearly as much as I did 10 or 20 years ago and certainly not what I ate at 40 or 50. I ate massive amounts of food in those days. I would tell people I run so I can eat a lot!

My weight now is what it was when I was 20. If I gain weight I eat less and exercise more. I used to drink beer, scotch, and red wine. First scotch was eliminated, then beer, the last to go was wine several years ago. I don’t drink anything alcoholic now. I stopped all drinks when the quantity or the type of drink affected my sleep or the way I felt the next day. I drink coffee, water, orange juice, milk, and sometimes other juices.

Regular exercising is a habit with me now. The sessions are not quite as vigorous as a few years ago but when I’ve finished a session I feel as if I’ve done something worthwhile and it makes me feel good!

Regular exercising is a habit with me now. The sessions are not quite as vigorous as a few years ago but when I’ve finished a session I feel as if I’ve done something worthwhile and it makes me feel good!