Become an Athlete

It's never too late to take up, or go back to, a sport.

Today's L.A. Times has a story about four people who later in life went back to a sport they took part in during high school or college. 60-year-old Richard Dessert started wrestling again. His most prized possession? A badge with his name and the word "athlete" that he wore at the U.S. National Wrestling Championships last year, the Times says.

Taking up a sport is a great way to stay in shape over the long haul because competing gives you a goal.

Train Like Tomorrow's NFL Stars

Tomorrow the NFL begins its annual combine in Indianapolis, where hopeful draftees will run through drills like the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle run and bench press. You can watch it on the NFL Network (if you have a cable company other than Time Warner, which is what I'm stuck with).

According to the schedule, the real stuff begins Saturday morning, when tight ends, kickers and offensive linemen start running drills.

It's killing me that I won't be able to watch -- there are few places you can find this much athleticism on display.

But the combine's drills are good for more than just future pro cornerbacks. They're good for us. As Men's Health pointed out a while back, becoming proficient at the combine's drills will help you in plenty of sports beyond football.

And think about this -- the 20-yard shuttle run or the L drill could easily become your interval training.

Work Ethic

My father always taught me that no matter what you're doing, do it as well as you can. So when he put me to work on the shirt factory floor as a teenager, I worked as hard as I could.

It's always important to take that same work ethic into workouts. What's the point of doing it half-assed anyway?

Think about this: Peyton Manning practices with the same intensity that he plays. "Peyton practices like that every week ... like it's the Super Bowl," coach Tony Dungy said, according to SI.com's Peter King, after Manning ended a 2-minute drill with a touchdown strike.

And Manning, of course, just won the Super Bowl.

Winning at 40

Gail Devers won the 60-meter hurdles last night at the Millrose Games in New York's Madison Square Garden. She's 40.

OK, I know that track and field has had its share of issues with performance-enhancing drugs. But let's go with the assumption that she's clean, and no one is suggesting otherwise now. If that's the case, then she's certainly a stellar example of how it's possible to maintain, or even improve, your athletic performance as you age.

She also indicates that she has no plans to retire. "My grandmother lived until she was 98 1/2,'' Devers said, according to Tim Layden's column today on SI.com. "I'm going to live a long life.''