My grandfather Sam’s current exercise regime consists of 30 minutes on the rowing machine, 30 minutes of core exercises, 30 minutes of work with resistant bands, and a 2-mile walk. By the way, he’s 95! A former Marine, he’s consistently worked out every day of his life. No matter the weather outside, how he felt, or if he was on vacation or not, you could always find him in the gym or outside walking. My grandfather is in better health than some of my friends, who are a70 years younger than him. Over the years my grandfather’s health has become worse and he’s lost sensation in his legs. As his legs got worse and he had to use a cane to move around, he never quit his day job. My grandfather found ways to improvise in and outside of the gym. As his daily gym visits continued, he leaned on more stable workout equipment, such as the indoor bike, rowing machine, bench seat, and barbell. My grandfather always makes sure he gets a workout in at some point during the day, and oftentimes he works out multiple times during the day.
Last month I ran my first half marathon, the longest race I have done to date. I went from running maybe one mile a month, to running around 60 miles a month. There were many times during my training when I wanted to quit, and I felt like working out was just not for me. However, during those times of doubt, I would repeatedly look at my grandfather, someone who ran a full marathon at 70 years old; and know that if he could do it at that age, then there was no reason I couldn’t do it.. My grandfather’s pride in staying active always helped push me to better myself either in the gym or out on the track. Oftentimes I find myself waking up to my 6 am alarm clock that I set the night before, in hope that I get out of bed for a morning workout. There are many mornings when I don’t want to go to the gym that early, but I remember that my grandfather wakes up at 5 am and goes to the gym for two hours at the crack of dawn. That is the motivation that pushes me to get out of bed at 6 am, because if my 95-year-old grandfather can do it with no problem, then there is no reason I can’t too. Sam is a strong example of how fitness and working out have no age limit, and how there is always some type of workout for you to do!