Buck Martinez, the play-by-play commentator for the Blue Jays (yes, I watch baseball) is 69 years old.  And he looks good, doesn’t he?  A friend and former colleague of mine, who had not yet  turned 30, said if he could look that good when he was 69, he would be very pleased with himself.  I looked at him and said “Well, that starts today, my friend. — That starts today.”

I was teasing but I was also serious.  My young friend at under 30 was already losing his boyish figure, carrying a few extra pounds, generally sleep deprived, and adverse to working out through lack of time and general stress.  Forty years of those habits will not result in a Buck Martinez look alike at age 69.

With all due respect and affection for my friend, aging well starts early.  Earlier than what the average under-thirty-year-old probably likes to think. 

Getting ‘beach body’ ready is a worthy goal when you are under thirty, but I would like to put forth that the true goal of fitness should be to maintain.  Maintain your strength, maintain your weight, maintain your range of motion. We are all going to get old anyway.

What started me thinking about this was a newspaper article about a 94 year old gentleman who joined a gym.  He worked with a trainer, mostly lifting weights.  His strength improved, his mobility improved and his mental acuity too. 

Aging well can begin at any age.

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Enjoy!

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger.  I keep it short and to the point.  Topics are as wide ranging as a straight but not narrow path.