Bob's 97th birthday.
“I’ll see you next week Bob.” I said to one of my most beloved clients, last Friday.
“If I’m still here.” He said with a smile. “You know, I’m going to be 97 on July 2nd.”
“Well then you definitely have to be here next week.” I replied.
I’ve been taking Bob through his exercises since March of this year. We just completed our 46th workout today. We do a program that he designed, and that he was doing well before I came to work with him. I just added a couple things to balance it, and now I supervise, help him set his seats, and track his progress on a log. His routine only lasts about 25 minutes, but he completes it every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
I was honored to be officially invited to his 97th birthday party yesterday. One of his friends asked him to share with the group what his “secret” is to a long life.
Bob immediately said, “Exercise.”
“You guys must have coordinated that response.” one of his friends said.
“Well it is true.” I replied with a big smile.
Another one of his friends asked me if he was the oldest person I had ever trained. I told him yes. I have never (in my 11 years of training) encountered a 97 year old ,who was still able to come in and complete a full body exercise routine with minimal assistance.
A few weeks ago Bob made his first and only negative comment I’ve ever heard from him.
“It is hell getting old.”
“Well you sure are doing a great job doing it.” I replied.
His comment was a reminder to me of how difficult it must be for him to keep coming in to workout week after week. His constant presence in the gym is great motivation to the other residents to keep on coming in...even when life gets in the way. We all want to be just like him when we are 97.
My favorite part about training Bob is listening to his stories of years past. He likes to bring his Senior class yearbook down, and tell me about his high school days. He was active in P.E. and basketball. When he was in his 30’s he and his brother joined the local YMCA. He has been exercising regularly ever since.
So what about you?
There is no better time than right now to lay your foundation for a long and healthy life. Today, you can choose to make a change.
How do you lay a solid foundation for health and fitness?
- You decide to start.
- You develop your plan (and ask for help if needed).
- And then bit by bit, day by day, you show up and complete it.
You do not have to exercise.
But my hope is that you will decide that you want to exercise.
My hope is that you will start laying a solid foundation for years to come.
“It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it is the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.” David Allen Coe
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