He looks excellent for 78. Is he an actor, he looks familiar. No one looks that good without hard work and years of doing the right thing with exercise, eating properly, and living a healthy life. But it's easier if you are from Hollywood, and have lots of time and money to hire trainers, etc. But, that is from the outside looking in, because I am not from Hollywood.
Yes, Ernie Hudson from the original Ghostbusters. Harvey Levin from TMZ is 73, I was guessing low 60s.
Watched this brief videos for the umpteenth time recently, and realized that I was once again slowly creeping into overtraining territory: Good reminders.
I went to the gym yesterday and instead of working out, I attended a fitness class called Body Combat. They lead us doing basic movements related to boxing, tai chi and tae kwon do. It's lead by a woman that is about 5 foot 1 and weighs about 95-100 lbs. But I would like to have her on my side in a bar fight. At the end of the class she said she had an announcement to make. I thought she was going to announce that she was going to cancel a class for family obligations etc. Unfortunately she told us that she had recently turned 40 and decided to get a mammogram because that is what women are suppose to do. When she got the results, she learned she had stage 3 cancer and it was moving to her spine. She is going to start chemo. I and the others, felt bad for her because she is married and has 2 small kids. Normally, when class ends, the mood is elevated, but not yesterday. It was muted. Myself and others wished her well and I said I would pray for her. There isn't really much more you can do for someone in this situation. I guess everyone that reaches their 50th birthday gets a colonoscopy. I have had mine. I have had 1 endoscopy. I have had cataracts and had my lens replaced. I asked my doctor about a bone density test, but she said no because it was basically oriented towards women and men don't usually receive them. I recently had a physical, and they checked my blood work, it was good except she told me to drink more water. I exercise regularly and take several vitamins and supplements. I have never smoked and I only drink 3,4 times a year , perhaps on a holiday. I have a positive outlook. I have goals. ---- But.....what do you say to someone, you know casually like this fitness instructor, who drops a bomb like this? Without insulting them or making them feel bad about the situation? And what do you do to look out for your health? Do you take any medical tests that might reveal an unknown medical situation?
I believe that genetics is 2/3 of healthy longevity. I'm lucky that the last 3 generations of women in my family reached around 100 years old (my 82 year old mother can easily pass for 10 years younger). The 1/3 remaining is making the effort to stay in good health, which I believe is based on 4 key drivers: nutrition, muscle strength, cardio and flexibility, all of which complement each other. We may not excel at anyone but we must give them all serious consideration.
Nothing is guaranteed in life and life isn't fair. I usually say, anything can happen over 50. (well, literally anytime, but most people make it to 50 and that is when everything starts to fall apart) So enjoy your life, live and use everything in moderation and cross your fingers. Lots of factors are out of your hand. And don't wait until your retirement to fill your bucket list, you may not live that long.
I work out at the gym about 3x a week and attend yoga once a week. I do my best, but it would help if I stopped drinking Diet Coke.