My FIL is 86 years old. He lives independently in a regular apartment--not assisted living. He cooks, cleans, does his own laundry, walks 2 miles a day, still golfs a bit (he walks the course), and assiduously does his back exercises every day, as he has for decades (the same back exercises that JKF used to do). When my MIL was alive, they were heavily into ballroom dancing and excelled at it.
We have an older friend, Nancy, (also 86) who is the female equivalent of my FIL--she lives independently in her condo, walks, does yoga and folk dancing, helps with the gardening on the grounds of her church, travels, etc.
DH and I are 63 and 62, respectively. We've both exercised our entire adult lives. We go to a local fitness center (it's great--classes, tons of equipment, a 50 meter pool). At the time of day that we go, the vast majority of people there are retired (like we are). Some of them can barely shuffle around, halfheartedly lift a few weights, and so on.
But there are others--a significant minority--who are quite strong and fit. One man, who is 70, is one of the strongest people at that fitness center regardless of age. Invariably these men and women have exercised for decades.
My FIL, our friend Nancy, and the fit older people at the fitness center certainly don't look like they did in their youth. DH and I don't either. Often they, and we, are dealing with cranky joints and the like, which means modifying some exercises or changing one's regimen to account for old injuries. But the decades-long habit of exercise means that they (and we) have a pretty good shot at a decent old age.
These people who are older than I am who have made fitness a priority inspire me on a daily basis to exercise and they show me what is possible. I can't tell you how much I admire them.
__________________
Betsy
There is no way of telling people they are all walking around shining like the sun--Thomas Merton
People have done all kinds of remarkable things because they thought they could. People routinely fail to do quite ordinary things because they assume they can't--Reinhard Engels
Stay gold, Ponyboy--S.E. Hinton
Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try--Ryan Bingham
Disclosure: I have a personal relationship with a fitness instructor who has appeared in some videos.
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