I have devoted a couple of posts to 77 year old golf legend Gary Player and his lifelong devotion to fitness. In response to my most recent post a reader sent the video clip below about 86 year old gymnast Johanna Quass. I have been thinking about exercise and aging for a long time, but the clip below is among the most remarkable things I have ever seen. Clearly a lifetime of training, talent, and injury avoidance are required to make a performance like that happen. However, nothing like it happens without staying with it.
click here for video
I have been doing more body weight calisthenics and strength training over the last year, but this video has me thinking maybe I should take a tumbling class or start jumping rope again like I did in high school to improve my footwork for basketball. In the end, loss of strength and balance leads many older people to become frail and lose their independence, maybe we need to rethink what we tell middle aged people to literally keep them independent and off the floor.