“Frailty is the Ultimate
Enemy as You Age.”
— Gary Player
Gary Player is one of the greatest golfers of all time, winner of numerous major tournaments. At age 86, he is a firm believer in exercise for fitness and longevity, and to avoid the weakness and physical frailty that too often comes with aging. He was one of the first golfers to employ exercise and fitness as a staple in his golf training.
You don’t have to be a fitness enthusiast or exercise fanatic to do the exercises you need to live longer and better. But Gary Player has ten tips for fitness and longevity which were first published in Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated Magazines. These tips can apply to anyone, athlete or non-athlete, young or old, if you believe that exercise is important to living a longer, stronger and better life.
These 10 Tips for Fitness and Longevity have been around since he was 80 years old. Player still applies them today to sustain his own health and fitness. The bold type are his words and the commentary is mine.
- Make fitness a part of you. Being a fit person should be part of your own personal identity.
- Walk at a Good Clip. Don’t dawdle when you walk. Keep a good pace and stop only when necessary. Take the stairs when you can. Studies have demonstrated that the faster you can walk, the longer you will live.
- Develop both sides of your body. Don’t let your body get out of balance. If you do something on one side, do it equally on the other.
- Work on your core. Your core is your powerhouse. This is where most physical movement originates. Make yours strong. Player used to do 1000 crunches and sit-ups, each day for four days a week.
- Focus on your hands and wrists. Although this message is for everyone, Player is a golfer and this one is meant for golfers. I do a lot of exercises where hand and wrist strength is necessary, so do some hand and wrist rotations and other hand and wrist exercises. You can find a ton of them online. Search for hand and wrist exercises.
- Fight becoming overweight. This pretty much goes without saying. We are an overweight nation and it comes home to roost in our lower energy levels, susceptibility to chronic illness, and the way we move as we age.
- Eat Super foods. Player emphasizes fruits, veggies, nuts, avocados, etc. He claims to be 90% vegetarian. Since there are some nutrients that can be only found in animal products, I am not a fan of vegan or pure vegetarian diets. It’s a personal choice.
- Try to get winded 10 minutes a day. Walk faster when you can. Seniors don’t need to run fast unless you are a senior competitor. Do something to make you breathe hard.
- Be smart about weight training. I prefer exercise bands for Seniors. They work well, are portable and are easier to use. I’ll be doing some videos soon and will demonstrate some great exercises for Seniors using the bands. Do something to keep up your strength Remember what he said about frailty being the enemy.
- Get energy from young people. Ahh, the energy of youth. Surround yourself with high-energy people of any age and you will feel the energy bursting from within you too.
These rules, secrets, tips, etc. are a terrific set of fitness guidelines for longevity and fitness. I don’t know whether Gary Player does the same 1000 crunches and sit ups a day that he did in his early eighties, but at age 86 he is still going strong and remains active as a person. He just last year was an honorary starter at the Masters Tournament along with Lee Elder and Jack Nicklaus. He maintains an educational foundation for children in his native South Africa and was awarded America’s Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021.
We can’t all be as fit as Gary Player as we age, but we can look to him as a good role model for avoiding frailty and keeping our own Personal Energy levels high. Moderate exercise is important to keep our bodies strong and flexible as we get older. It’s never too late to begin.
This has been a SeniorFlow Moment. Thank You for reading.
