You Can Grow Younger

Is This the Greatest Athletic Feat Ever?

When the question of what's the greatest athletic feat of all time arises, there are many candidates. There is Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point basketball game; baseball's Cal Ripken's 2,632-consecutive-game streak; and swimmer Michael Phelp's record eight Gold Medals at a single Olympics, to name three. To that list I'd like to add another for your consideration: Vito Bialla's Double Ultraman.

What? You've never heard of Vito Bialla or a Double Ultraman? As Ricky Ricardo might have demanded, "Ed, you got some 'splainin' to do." Here goes.

You may not be familiar with the fairly rare Ultraman race, so let's start with the much better-known  Ironman triathlon that airs from time to time on TV. You may have seen this Ironman race and questioned the -- how shall we say it -- sanity of these ultra-endurance athletes who attempt to swim for 2.4 miles, then immediately cycle 112 miles and THEN race 26.2 miles on foot, all the while going as fast as humanly possible. Well, hold onto your hat because an Ultraman is an Ironman triathlon on steroids and a DOUBLE Ultraman is next to impossible, but not impossible, as proven by Vito Bialla.

Specifically, the Ultraman is a 3-day stage triathlon in which competitors swim 6.2 miles and bike 90 miles on day one; bike race an additional 171.4 miles on day two; and merely run a double marathon (52.4 miles) on day three. What Vito Bialla did, in 2000, was to up the ante by completing the 320-mile Ultraman twice over a six-day period. That's right, he raced 640 miles in six days. Oh, did we mention that he was 52-YEARS-OLD at the time?!

Here is Vito's six days of ultra-distance racing in a nutshell:

Day 1 -- Vito made the 6.2-mile ocean swim off the coast of Hawaii in 3 hours 30 minutes and then raced on his bike for another 90 miles.

Day 2 -- Due to strong headwinds, a very hilly (and even mountainous) course and ongoing searing heat, Vito struggled to make the 12-hour cutoff for this cycling leg; as a result, he had to hammer full throttle the last few miles of the 171.4 miles to stay in the race. His time: 11:58:24.

Day 3 -- Despite the pain of blistered feet and the exhaustion of the previous two days' efforts, he was able to run the 52.4-mile double marathon in an impressive 10:33.

Day 4 -- Due to having to fight against strong ocean currents much of the way (causing nearly half the competitors to miss the cutoff limit), Vito took almost an hour longer than day one to complete the swim (4:28). He then completed a tough 90 miles of cycling with a mere 24 minutes to spare.

Day 5 -- Despite powerful headwinds, hills and a very hot day, Vito was able to bike the 171.4-mile course in 10:13 -- improving greatly on his day 2 close call.

Day 6 -- After wrapping his badly swollen and blistered feet in vaseline-soaked socks and then duct taping them and cutting out the sides of his running shoes and dealing with the cumulative stress on his body of the previous five days of nearly 600 miles of racing, Vito Bialla was able to summon the courage and strength to run the 52.4-mile double marathon a little faster than he ran it on day 3 -- 10 hours 25 minutes, or slightly less than a 12-minutes-per-mile pace.

Vito finished 16th out of 35 competitors in the second Ultraman (the annual Ultraman Championship race) even though he was the only one to have run a double Ultraman. Amazingly, his second 3-day Ultraman (32:14:36) was only about an hour slower than the first; his 6-day total was 63 hours 30 minutes 15 seconds.

How did he do this?  There was, of course, the physical training, including the hours of swimming and cycling and the 30-mile Sunday training runs. There were also the marathons to build up an aerobic base and the shorter triathlons to gradually condition his body for the more extreme ultraman races. Beyond being physically ready, Vito prepared himself mentally. An answer Vito gave Zoot Sports writer Scott Schumaker explains the mental conditioning best: "I learned how to kill negative thoughts the minute they popped up, kill them right then and think about something else. Negative thinking is like a disease. It starts with a wart and turns into cancer so you have to kill it right at the onset ... it works."

For a more detailed description in Vito Bialla's own words, go to: http://ultramanlive.com/ultraman-extras/contestants-stories/ultraman-story-vito-bialla/ or Google: Double Ultraman and Vito Bialla

 If a 52-year-old CEO and father of three, who didn't take up endurance sports until age 46, can conquer a six-day, 640-mile double Ultraman triathlon, what does this tell us about the potential we have that lies dormant? Are we living life to the fullest like Vito Bialla? During the challenge, Vito experienced what he called being "intoxicated with joy" and at the finish, the euphoria of having done something that had never been done before. These are states of being that we can only enjoy when we venture outside our comfort zone, as Vito Bialla did. 

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Can You Believe Anyone Can Change So Dramatically, So Quickly?

In May of 2007 a 274-pound Susan "SuSu" Jennings, 46 at the time, started yet another weight-loss program. This August, 135 pounds lighter, Susan, now closing in on the big 5-0, ran the equivalent of 15 marathons in 15 days. In just over three years, this very busy home-schooling mom had miraculously transformed herself into an ultra-distance runner who could run 400 miles (Winchester, Virginia to Washington, D.C. to Richmond to Charlottesville to Lynchburg, Virginia) in just over two weeks.

This, however, was not merely an attempt at self-improvement. Susan took on this monumental challenge to promote the Teens Opposing Poverty (TOP) program and to let others who are going through tough times, as she did with her weight struggles, know that with God all things are possible. To do this, along her bunion-busting journey, she stopped at churches to speak about how she lost nearly half her weight, how she became an utlra-marathon runner (in her very first year of running, she ran 7 ultra-distance races -- races longer than a 26.2-mile marathon) and to ask for support for the TOP program.

Susan "Su Su" Jennings ran this marathon of marathons, August 13 -- August 31, during one of the hottest Virginia summers on record. Despite the heat, the daily pounding on her feet and the extreme nature of this undertaking, she suffered no ill effects, including not a single blister. And, all this running obviously didn't sour her on running long distances, because in October, just over a month removed from her summer run, she ran yet another 26.2-miler -- the Freedom's Run Marathon in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Susan has taken herself from struggling to be able to walk a couple of miles, from deteriorating health due to the excess weight, and, after losing the first 75 pounds, just being able to run a few steps at a time a couple of years ago, to being an exemplary model of what is possible by running 50-, 62- and 100-mile races AND 15 marathons in 15 days! She hopes her running will inspire you to overcome your challenges, whatever they might be, and be a catalyst to your becoming the person you can be.

 
Susan Jennings at Umstead 100 Mile trail race, in March 2010 -- her time was 26 hrs. 31 min.

To learn more about Virginia's Susan "SuSu" Jennings and how she completely transformed herself in such a short time, visit her very detailed blog: http://www.SuSuTopChallenge.com/

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Is Aging's Physical Decline Between 20 and 40 Really Inevitable?

It is commonly accepted as an indisputable fact that the human body deteriorates significantly between the ages of 20 and 40 due to the natural aging process, and one cannot expect to have the energy, stamina and durability of a twenty-year-old when in his forties. Just look at how few professional baseball, basketball and football players are still playing when they reach their forties; and of those few who make it that far, how many are in their athletic prime when they reach that advanced age for an elite athlete. Case closed. Right? Not so fast.

In order to test the truth or fallacy of this belief that aging means our endurance,stamina and ruggedness take a steady inevitable downhill slide, we need a sport that tests these physical attributes better than our major team sports do. A good candidate for this job would be long-distance running. What would be better for checking the endurance and durability of folks of differing ages than comparing their times in a 10K (6.2 miles), 10-miler or 26.2-mile marathon? Why stop there? How about a 100-mile race? That would be even better.

Just any 100-mile footrace, however, wouldn't do. To be a true test, it needed to be a race that attracted the best young ultra-distance runners. We settled on the 100 Mile Trail National Championships, a USA Track & Field-sanctioned race, run July 31 - August 1, 2010 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run course. Since it was a national championship race, it attracted many, if not most, of the top 20- and 30-year-old runners, making it perfect for seeing how the 40-something runners held up in head-to-head competition with the youngsters.

The course was challenging, with virtually no long stretches of level ground on which to cruise; it was, rather, up and down the whole 100 MILES! Keep in mind, uphill taxes the cardiovascular system, while downhills pound the leg muscles into submission. On top of this, think Cleveland/Akron, Ohio in the middle of summer -- that's right -- hot and muggy. This would be a real challenge for the top 40-and-older runners to try to keep pace with the best of the 20- and 30-year-old runners.

Were the older runners able to hold their own in this ultimate challenge of endurance and toughness? Let's see. This championship race along the banks of the Cuyahoga River and through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park started with 249 runners, but due to the tough terrain and difficult running weather, only 166 made it to the finish. Although the race was won by a 34-year-old, Todd Braje, in 15 hours 29 minutes, right behind him in second place was Mark Godale, 40. Even more impressive from an aging point of view was that third place went to Jack Pilla of Charlotte, Vermont -- a 52-YEAR-OLD! As a matter of fact, 13 of the top 20 men were 40 and older, with 20th place going to a 60-YEAR-OLD!

The masters women didn't  do too shabbily, either. Actually, they did better than the men in competing against their own sex, because the top three spots went to women in their forties. Annette Bedrosky, 43, took first for the women (and sixth overall) with a course-record 16:44. That means that of the dozens and dozens of elite women ultra-distance runners in their twenties and thirties who have raced this course over the years, none was able to come close to Annette's time because she beat the record by about two hours.

The women's Top 3 Finishers -- Larissa Abramiuk, 3rd, Annette Bedrosky, 1st, and Connie Gardner, 2nd.
 

Also beating the former course record (her own record) was 46-year-old Connie Gardner, who came in second (Connie may have had an excuse for not doing better, because just two and a half weeks earlier, she had run the Badwater 135-mile race across Death Valley, said to be the world's toughest foot race, a race in which -- despite nearly unbearable desert heat and three mountain crossings --she finished second among the women with an endurance-demanding time of 30 hours 35 minutes). Larissa Abramiuk, 41, of Wayland, Massachusetts, was third and 19th overall.

There you have it. In a national championship race that attracted some of the best ultra-distance runners in the country, those in their forties, and older, took two of the top three spots for the men and a clean sweep for the women.

What better test of one's endurance, stamina and durability than to race on foot 100 miles across rugged terrain in the heat and humidity of summer in Ohio? The results of this race -- these masters runners -- show that aging doesn't have to mean a steady decline of the physical body. If 40-and-better runners can successfully compete with those in their twenties and thirties at the highest level of competition, then much of the physical decline most folks experience between ages 20 and 40 is not the result of inevitable aging, but rather is self-imposed.

 And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Women's Push Up Half Your Age Fitness Challenge

In this video, Mary Mayhew, 64, takes a challenge to push up half her age. She does this solely to demonstrate that falling apart as we age is merely an option. Because she's 64, Mary is attempting to perform 32 push-ups in 64 seconds or less.

It is important to keep in mind that Mary Mayhew:

• Has no history of great athletic achievement or even any real interest in athletics at all
• Would have struggled to do more than a handful of push-ups (if that) when she was in her 20s and 30s
• Has never had a personal trainer or even a gym membership
• Takes no strength-building supplements other than a little protein powder in her post-exercise yogurt/kefir/blueberries snack
• Developed the muscular strength displayed in the video that follows with just 3 strength sessions per week (with minimal equipment)

With this in mind, take a look at Mary's demonstration of strength in this not-to-be-missed video. May it give you and women everywhere hope and inspiration (and may it embarrass many a man into taking better care of himself).

 

64-year-old takes the Women's Push Up Half Your Age Fitness Challenge

If aging means losing muscle and getting weaker, then how do you explain what you just saw? Mary Mayhew has gotten stronger in recent years -- considerably stronger than she was in her 20s and 30s and substantially stronger than most women decades younger.

In this push-button world  we sometimes forget the importance of strong muscles:

• Strong muscles tug on the bones, keeping them strong (preventing osteoporosis)
• Strong muscles take pressure off of joints, greatly lessening arthritic pain
• Strong muscles prevent potentially disastrous falls as we age
• Strong muscles increase our metabolism rate, helping us to burn more fat 24/7
• Strong muscles help us get up out of chairs and off the pot -- stay independent in later years

Your Turn?!

One way to see if you are getting stronger or weaker -- holding your own -- is to take the push-up challenge from time to time. It is important, however, to check with your health-care professional before taking or training for any fitness challenge/test to make sure you can participate safely. 

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

  

Can You Match the Prowess of These Septuagenarian Athletes?

Can we, even at our current age, match the athletic prowess of the following septuagenarians? This is just a sampling of some of the astonishing athletic feats turned in by folks in their seventies just this summer -- and this summer is far from over.

First up, is 70-year-old Dr. John Williams of New Brunswick, Canada. Dr. Williams, a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, got in a cage to fight former pro-wrestler, Larry Brubaker, 49, as part of the "Wild Card" event for Elite 1 MMA Productions on July 24 at the Casino New-Nouveau Brunswick in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. This was not some publicity stunt; this was a real cage fight which Dr. Williams won in the second round with ankle-lock submission. This makes Dr. John Williams the world's oldest MMA cage fighter.

Dr. Williams started his martial arts and boxing career back in 1947 as a seven-year-old. Over the years he's continued to study and master various martial art forms, including Kodokan Judo, Tani-Ha Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo, Hapkido and Kyokushinkai Karate. As a young man he did strongman demonstrations in which he bent spikes, tore telephone books and performed other impressive feats of strength. In his late fifties he set a Guinness world record for breaking an 11-inch thick stack of ice slabs (a record that still stands). AND, all the more impressive, in an interview for this summer's match he said, "I'm just as strong as I was 40 years ago." Now, that's saying something.

Dr. Williams' fight was a test of his martial arts skills. It was a chance for him to show the world that "age is just a number." He could show us that falling apart as we age is merely an option, because he has continued to train in his later years as he did in his earlier years.

Now let's shift our focus to middle distance running where we'll look at what some women in their seventies have done this summer to push back the limiting boundaries of age. At the Hayward Classic track and field meet in Eugene, Oregon earlier this summer, professor emerita and grandmother, Mary Harada, 75, set a World and American Record in the mile run. Her 7:55.74 annihilated the former record of 8:16.3 set by Suzi MacLeod just last year. Speaking of Suzi MacLeod, at this same meet, Suzi bettered the 21-year-old American Record for 800 meters (3:37.19 by Pearl Mehl in 1989) with a time of 3:35.22 -- a 7:10-per-mile pace -- not too bad for a 75-year-old!

A little more about Mary Harada is in order. She's had a good summer of running because besides her mile World Record run, she set a new American Record in the 5000 meters, too. At the USA Outdoor Masters Championships in Sacramento, California in July, she posted a 26:55.11 in this event, crushing the former record which had stood for 19 years (27:10.76 by Algene Williams in 1991) by over 15 seconds, and averaging 8:39 per mile for the 3.1-mile race. Oh, and she does all this despite having asthma, for which she must take medication; during a recent one-mile race she wheezed and gasped her way through the last three laps to a new World Record she's since broken.

Mary is able to break these records because she takes care of her body and trains intelligently; that is, she doesn't try to overdo, which she has found leads to injuries. In this light, she only runs four times per week, with a long run of eight miles. Her runs include some speedwork on the track and maybe a little hill work. Hitting the gym for some strength work is also a part of her typical week, as are core work (Pilates ...) and some stretching at home. Her diet includes a lot of white rice and vegetables (she's married to a japanese man), small portions of meat and fish and dark chocolate (desserts, however, are not a regular fixture of their meals).

Mary's 75-79 age-group records may not last long, because 73-year-old Fayetteville, Georgia's running phenom Jeanne Daprano will be aiming at them in just two years. Meanwhile, Jeanne, at the Bob Boal classic in Raleigh, North Carolina in June, ran a blistering 7:01.29 mile. That time turns out to be an age-graded 100.29% (in this rating system, 100% is equivalent to a World Record in one's prime). This was the highest age-graded performance score of the whole track meet.

There you have it -- four men and women athletes in their seventies who are challenging the rest of us to get off the sofa and live life to the fullest. They are all having fun -- the time of their lives -- smashing through age barriers that the rest of us think are real. They are faster and stronger than people decades younger, something which is -- due to the edicts of "aging" -- not supposed to be possible.

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.comand  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Making an Amazing Athletic Feat All the More Astounding

Last October, 74-year-old Californian, Harriet Anderson, was the oldest female to complete the ultra-endurance-demanding Ford Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Making this amazing athletic feat (in which this septuagenarian had to swim 2.4 miles in the ocean, bike 112 miles and THEN immediately complete a full 26.2-mile marathon) all the more astounding is that Harriet persevered through the final 58 MILES with a broken clavicle and injured hip and leg. These injuries were the result of her being knocked off her bike at mile 80 of the bike leg when another rider clipped her back wheel. Because of sharp pain in her thigh when she tried to run, and with her arm taped/secured to her waist due to the broken bone, she had to walk the marathon portion -- which she could afford to do and still finish within the 17-hour cutoff because of her excellent times on the swim and bike. She completed the 140.6 miles of racing in 16 hours 53 minutes -- with seven minutes to spare.

In completing this severe test of endurance, despite her substantial injuries, Harriet kept alive her streak of finishing every race she's ever entered. This streak includes 18 Kona Ironmans, of which she's won her age group nine times (including this last time) and a host of 70.3 Ironman races (formerly called half Ironman), century bike races and rides, swimming events and shorter triathlons in her 20-plus years of competing.

Lest you think Harriet was some great athlete carrying on her athletic prowess from her youth, a little background is in order. Harriet played some tennis in high school. A school nurse by trade, her exercise while raising her family consisted mainly of taking family hikes with her husband, Gary, and their two children. When the kids went off to college, she joined an exercise class that led to 5K and 10K running races. Like so many masters athletes, she had no great goal to be an Ironman or run a marathon, but gradually, as she got in better shape, Harriet took on the challenge of longer and longer races. Not a strong swimmer, Harriet joined a masters swimming club where she greatly improved this skill. Eventually she found her way to the shorter sprint triathlons.

In May of 1989, now 53, she tried her greatest challenge to date, a half Ironman. She was quite surprised when she won her age group at this initial foray into longer triathlons. As the result of her first place finish she automatically qualified for the full Ironman race in Kona. She decided to give it a try and spent the next four months training for the event. In October of 1989, she competed in her first Ironman, did well, and the rest is history, as they say.

What are some of her "secrets" to having the staying power to compete in these 140.6-mile ultra-endurance races through her sixties and well into her seventies? Here are some in no particular order:

• Harriet maintains a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources
• The natural cross training of the triathlete (biking one day, running another day and swimming on others) is easier on the body and psyche than, say, just being a runner or a cyclist
• She keeps flexible and strong with regular yoga and Pilates classes
• Running on trails, instead of the hard asphalt of road running, just three outings per week, and maintaining a healthful weight makes her running easy on her joints ...
• Her near daily massages can't hurt
• Gradually increases her training as major races approach and makes sure she doesn't overtrain or undertrain
• By putting family first and having a number of other interests, Harriet keeps from getting too stressed over her athletic pursuits -- excess stress tears the body down and ages us quickly

To get a better perspective on what Harriet has accomplished when she wins her age group in an Ironman event, let's imagine that someone has challenged you to see if you can keep up with or beat Harriet's time last Fall -- 16:53 -- only you get two weeks to do it. To make it interesting and worth your while, they have committed to paying you $100 if you succeed.

Here's what you'll need to do in this 14-day endurance challenge. The first four days are devoted to swimming. By dividing 2.4 miles by four we get .6 miles of swimming per day or a little over 19 lengths of a 50-meter Olympic-size pool. Assuming you can maintain a little over a two-minute-per-length-of-the-pool pace, this will be an approximate 40 minutes of non-stop swimming per day for a total swimming time of 2 hours 40 minutes.

Next up is the cycling portion. If we divide the 112 miles into 6 daily sessions, that would be five 20-mile bike rides with a 12-miler on the sixth day. Assuming you are fit enough to maintain a brisk 10-miles-per- hour tempo for 20 miles, this will be two hours of peddling the first five days and an hour and 12 minutes on the sixth day. That totals 11 hours 12 minutes of biking; add that to your 2 hours 40 minutes of swimming and you have 13 hours 52 minutes of biking and swimming over the first 10 days. Just 4 days to go.

Finally we come to the running. Since a marathon is 26.2 miles you'll need to run a little over 6.5 miles each of the final four days. Let's say you can maintain a little over a 9-minute per mile pace for the 6.5 miles (this is an average pace for those who run 10Ks or 6.2 mile races). That means each day's run will take about an hour or a total of four hours for the 4 days.

By adding these last four hours of running to your previous total, you have swum, cycled and run the 140.6 miles in 17 hours 52 minutes. That means that Harriet outperformed you by an hour despite her handicap of doing her last 58 miles with a broken collarbone and other injuries -- and she did it on one day -- not in two weeks. Oh, by the way, we hate to rub it in, but you didn't make the 17-hour cutoff, either -- even though we gave you a generous two weeks to complete the faux-Ironman.

Are you telling me that you can do better than my time and pace projections? Well, talk is cheap. You know there's only one way to prove it, and that is to actually take the two-week Ironman challenge. Harriet Anderson has thrown down the gauntlet. If a woman well into her seventies, who is not some great athlete from decades past, can compete successfully, even when severely injured, in 140.6-mile Ironman races, then what can we do at our age that we THINK we're too old to enjoy?! Of course, before you go flying out the door to tackle this 2-week Ironman, you need to check with your health-care provider to make sure it is safe for you to do all this swimming, biking and running AT YOUR AGE!

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Age Blasters' Rope Jumping Fitness Challenge

How many times can a 65-year-old jump rope in 65 seconds? Make your educated guess based on what you believe about aging. Now watch this 2-minute video to see how close you came and to see if this man proves that falling apart as we age is really merely an option.

 

 

Your turn?

The challenge is to see how many jumps you can make in the number of seconds you are old. A 40-year-old, for example, would jump for 40 seconds with the following levels of achievement:

Gold Level = 120 jumps or more (3 or more jumps per second/year)

Silver Level = 80 to 119 (2+ jumps per second/year)

Bronze Level = 40 to 79 (1+ jumps per second/year)

IMPORTANT

Always check with your health-care professional before trying a fitness challenge or training for a fitness challenge to see what a safe level of activity is for you. 

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Tamara Savage -- Weight-Loss Champion

Watch this video to find out:

• How little weight you have to lose to benefit greatly
• What MUST accompany any weight loss to gain the most
• Be truly inspired by Tamara's life-transforming story

 

 

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and  http://www.amazon.com/Age-Blasters-Steps-Younger-You/dp/1598589083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276528674&sr=1-1 (click here for paperback or Kindle editions of AGE BLASTERS)

Why Is This the 2nd Best Time of Her Life - at Age 80?

Apopka, Florida's Ann Kahl is enjoying the "second best time of ...[her] life" -- at age 80. This is because she now has the complete freedom to do exactly what she wants to do, and that includes fully enjoying her two main passions. One is running -- not a usual interest for an octogenarian, for sure.

As you'll see in the video that follows, Ann's quite the runner. In a 5K she ran just this past May, for example, her time of 35:46 (11:32 per mile) beat 139 of 262 (or well over half) of the decades-younger female competitors; this included a host of teenagers and only one other participant past age 60. In this race she also arrived at the finish line ahead of 11 of the 32 30- to 39-year-old MEN! Not bad for an 80-year-old who didn't start her running career until age 50.

As further proof that she's not just shuffling along like comedian Tim Conway's little-old-man character, this last fall Ann ran a 4 miler in 45:39, or an impressive 11:25/mile. A couple of years ago when she was a mere youngster of 78, she ran a Thanksgiving 10-mile race in 1 hour 58 minutes 58 seconds (11:53/mile); that was just one second slower than she ran the same race two years earlier. You do realize how much effort, stamina and determination it takes to race/run 10 miles? It's not an easy feat at any age, but at 78, wow! Obviously, Ann is really into her running and has no intention of slowing down very much at all in the forseeable future.

The other activity Ann is extremely passionate about is her home-based business, a calligraphic service. She didn't begin her calligraphy business until age 65, but now has customers from all around the world. Unlike most of her competitors in this field, who rely on computer graphics, Ann does all her work by hand. This is of particular interest because this art form requires a strong steady hand and most folks consider deteriorating fine motor skills to be part and parcel of the aging process. It's not. Ann, with the exceptional work she does (as you'll see in the video), is showing us that much of the loss of fine-motor skills is due to declining usage of them (use it or lose it) -- not aging itself.

Take a look at the video to see Ann Kahl's exceptional artwork, the spring in her running stride, and to enjoy her wonderful sense of humor. One viewing of this brief 4-minute video and you'll know why Ann considers this the 2nd best time of her life and how you can follow in her footsteps. Ann Kahl shows us that we have a choice -- we can thrive in the years and decades sure to come, or we can just cling to life with no real purpose or true joy like so many do in their later years. Enjoy the video!

 

 

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life , the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and www.Amazon.com 

Overcoming and Shining Through Adversity -- Stories of Four Who Absolutely Are

Some folks seem to shine when dealing with and overcoming major adversity, while others of us wilt at just the thought. In my own case, a mere broken fingernail greatly bothers me and rivets my attention until it can be filed down or trimmed smooth again. That some people appear able to deal with life-threatening health issues and repeated setbacks without breaking stride is somewhat mind boggling to me. How about you? Here are four who haven't let adversity stop them.

Florida's Sandy Scott took up competitive cycling at age 64. About a year later, in his third race, he had a horrific accident in which his neck was broken -- a C1-vertebra fracture, a break that is most often fatal. His doctor advised him to have his vertebrae fused together and to give up vigorous activity, such as racing on a bike. Sandy, a former skydiver and airline pilot, had other ideas. After nine frustrating months of setbacks and unsuccessful attempts to heal, including wearing a neck brace, Sandy was finally healthy enough to get back on his bike.

In the three and a half years since his possibly fatal or paralyzing injury, Sandy has captured 12 Florida-state cycling titles in the 65-69 and 70-74 age groups, including state records in the 20K time trial in both age groups. Because he didn't let adversity stop him, Sandy Scott is enjoying setting new personal bests and going faster than ever at age 70.

A three-pack-a-day cigarette smoker who'd smoked for 25 years, Texan John Fredrickson had clearly done some serious damage to his lungs. When he was told the damage included the development of deadly emphysema, that was a wake-up call. The ex-smoker decided to try running to improve his health and lung function and to lose some of his excess weight. At first he struggled to run even half a mile without having to stop and rest. After three weeks, however, he was able to run a whole mile and was noticing his lungs starting to clear and his poundage decreasing, so he stuck with it.

At age 53, John ran his first marathon and another just two weeks later. He was hooked. This spring, now a fit and healthy 71-year-old, he ran his 104th marathon. He now enjoys the challenge of seven to eight marathons each year. Think where John Fredrickson would be today, the quality of his life (if he were even still alive) if he'd let his tar-filled lungs and emphysema diagnosis stop him in his tracks.

This past January, Houston's Judy Loy ran the Houston Marathon in 5 hours 30 minutes, a 12:36 per mile pace. Not bad for a 71-year-old who has had five knee operations, three since the rollerblade enthusiast took up running 10 years ago. Her doctors say that the long runs she does in training for the 26.2 milers (she's run seven) is therapeutic; after the first six or seven miles of a run, the natural lubrication of the knees kicks in and they stop hurting and start to feel pretty good. As long as she doesn't run too frequently, the doctors approve of her running and think it helps her operated on arthritic knees. They know that lack of movement is what does the most damage to one's knees. Because Judy Loy hasn't let one operation after another stop her, she enjoys training for and running marathons -- and training novices to be able to run them, too -- by serving as as coach and mentor in the Katy Fit marathon training club.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. That's one reason why 47-year-old Gary Resnick's story  is so inspiring. In January of 2009, Gary underwent six hours of surgery to deal with his stage-3 pancreatic cancer, during which his spleen, part of his pancreas and 19 lymph nodes were removed. This was followed up with six months of chemotherapy. Gary, however, wasn't going to let a little malignancy stop him. He would, for example, keep his goal within reach by running the four miles to and from his cancer treatments; he was determined to run in the ING New York City Marathon in Novmeber of 2009 AND finish in under four-and-a-half hours.

In preparation for the NYC race, on March 29, a little over two months removed from his life-saving surgery, Gary ran a half marathon in an impressive (even for a completely healthy 47-year-old)two hours and six minutes. In May he bettered this time, running a 1:54 in another half-marathon tune-up. Now completely cancer free, on November 1, 2009, this father of three achieved his goal by running the NYC Marathon  in 4:01:37. Continuing his amazing recovery, in April of 2010 he ran Boston in 4:00:30 or 9:11/mile. In 2009 alone, while dealing with this lousy hand life had dealt him, Gary ran 17 races and in the process, he raised about $9,000 for cancer research.

Sandy Scott, John Fedrickson, Judy Loy and Gary Resnick give us hope. They show us that we can look straight into the face of adversity and know that we don't have to let our troubles get the better of us. Like these four inspirational heroes, not only can we overcome all manner of adversity, but we can choose to shine through it.

And now I'd like to invite you to claim your FREE Fitter After 50 / Fitter for Life e-newsletter when you visit http://www.FitterforLife.com

From Ed Mayhew -- the author of Fitter After 50, Fitter For Life and other books, CDs, videos and articles on how you, too, can make falling apart as you age merely an option -- NOT a mandate. Why not make the rest of your life , the BEST of your life? http://www.FitterforLife.com and www.Amazon.com