I've Fallen and I ...

You know the rest of that. I've fallen and I can't get up.

I'd bet that most of us know of someone older who fell, broke a hip and soon died. It happens all too often. The New York Times this past weekend looked at the issue and described how doctors are treating falls as serious issues.

I thought of one thing when I read that article -- if they'd maintained their muscle tone, the chance they would've fallen would have to have decreased significantly. It just makes sense.

I never want to fall and not be able to get up so I'm going to do everything I can to maintain my muscle tone as I age.

Age is Meaningless

A close friend of mine was fretting a bit the other day over the fact that she just turned 36. "Age means nothing when it comes to you," I said. And I meant it. She looks better than she did when I met her at 21.

Super trainer Alwyn Cosgrove agrees that age is meaningless (and if that photo isn't inspiring, then I don't know what is).

Better at 40

Trainer Josh Hills shows what you can accomplish when you're 40. And Turbulence Training creator Craig Ballantyne has an interview with Fit Over 40 co-author Jon Benson.

You're Just Like a Lawnmower

It's getting easier and easier to find fitness role models for those of us over 40 who are trying to stay fit. Today's L.A. Times has a great story about people in their 50s, 60s and beyond who continue to work out.

Bill Bell, who still does triathlons in his 80s, tells the Times, "My advice to anyone is simple. Keep moving. I call it the 'lawnmower theory.' If you leave a lawnmower out on the grass and it rains, you better get out and push that thing before it gets rusty. I'm creaky and rusty every day when I get up in the morning, but after I get moving, I feel pretty damn good."

"Age is Just a Number"

That's what trainer Keith Scott writes over and over in his post about a 67 year old who was looking for performance training.

Over the Hill at 28?

Trainer Craig Ballantyne has a great post today about aging and fitness. His take? "As a 30 year old male, I expect to live at least another 70 years. And I plan on being as active, as strong, and as sharp as I can be."

Pumping Iron at 90

If you doubt the benefits of resistance training as you age, just ask Ben Sann. He's 90, and still lifting, according to today's New York Times.

Working out gave him a "whole new life," he tells the newspaper, and helped him fight the depression that descended upon him after his wife died. Oh, and when shoppers push him in the always-crowded Fairway supermarket in Manhattan, he has the strength to push back. (I shop there, too, and there's plenty of pushing, unfortunately.) He aims to do better every workout.

"He is determined to be the oldest man on the planet," his son tells the Times.

Too Old? Never

Trainer Jason Ferruggia has a great post today about aging and staying in shape. My favorite part: A 34-year-old client once told him "there's no way I can compete with these high school guys (at the gym), I'm way too old for that." Ferruggia writes that "I couldn't look at him for the rest of that workout without wanting to throw up."

Surfing and Sex

I love it when I find stories of older people who are still active. They make me believe that my quest is possible.

So when I was cleaning up today I found a couple of pages I tore from Surfer magazine last year -- an article about Doc Paskowitz, who still surfs at 85. As I note, I don't completely agree with everything he says, but when someone can still do what he does at his age, it's at least worth considering what he has to day.

He had five simple rules for living a long, active life.

"1. Keep Your Weight Down. Stay slim, trim and elegant. Get to be about 15% body fat and stay there the rest of your life. An easy way to check if you're not at 15% body fat is to pinch-an-inch anywhere on your frame. If it's an inch or over, you're too fat.

2. Fat Makes Fat. Forget all the crap you're hearing about carbohydrates. Concentrate on fat. ... The longest-lived people on earth eat only about 40 to 50 grams of fat per day. If you're like most Americans, you're eating four times that amount. (I don't agree with this one completely, because I do believe that excess carbs are a big problem.)

3. To be Alive, You've Got to Eat Life. Throw it on the ground. If it grows, it's first-class food; if it doesn't grow, it's not. You can't grow Ritz crackers, potato chips or French fries, but a grain of 3,000-year-old red wheat found in Tutankhamen's tomb sprouted when planted. Green leafy vegetables, grains, beans, peas -- these are living things and they make up the bulk of what most people on earth eat -- a lot of fruit and vegetables and a little meat -- the universal meal. (Again, I don't completely agree with this one, mainly on the issue of meat.)

4. Move, Move, Move. Movement is life-like. Movement is life. But you have to give your first priority to the big muscle of the lower extremeties. It's not enough to just arm-paddle. The great exercise of all is walking, brisk walking. I never walk less than 20 minutes a day, though I often walk much, much more than that. I can do it even when I feel lousy. (As you know by now, I'm a big believer in intervals, which you could do while walking.)

5. Surf, Surf, Surf -- as much as you can. Not just for exercise and fun but also for recreation. It's easier to understand the word "recreation" broken up; it's "re-creation." Every time you paddle out, you re-create and re-inspire yourself. You only die once but you have to worry about living each and every day of your life. We did only when we stop living."

By the way, here's what Paskowitz says he does for fun -- surfing and sex.