Conquered old age. How an 82-year-old grandfather became a jock.

There is a perception that a person becomes less active as he or she gets older, and even more so when old age sets in. In contrast to this stereotype, Jeffrey Life, an American therapist with diabetes and heart problems, started exercising after the age of 60. And he not only gained control over the disease, but also became an example for many young people.

Why did Jeffrey Life decide to take up sports?

The story of Jeffrey’s transformation began in 1997. A family therapist who had spent his whole life working, suddenly realized that it was worth focusing on the most important patient – himself. As the man aged, he developed a large belly, shortness of breath and chronic fatigue. At 60, Life began to feel like an old man. It was difficult for him to climb even one flight of stairs.

Then the American began to exercise on an individual training program with a personal trainer. For five months he followed it, and then he read in a magazine about a competition of the popular author of publications on healthy lifestyle Bill Phillips – The body for life (The body for life). According to its rules, contestants competed in a makeover. Grandpa decided to try his luck and sent “before and after” photos to the contest.

Life won the contest and later described the impressions of the victory in his own book “Life Plan”:

Just 19 weeks of proper nutrition and regular exercise, and I became the champion of Bill Phillips’ Body for Life contest.

That started the war on old age. Despite eating right and working hard at fitness, after age 63, the man noticed that he began to lose muscle mass and gain weight. Age began to take its toll on his body.

One day, Jeffrey came across a brochure from a medical conference about the importance of nutrition in disease prevention. After attending the event, Grandpa met doctors who specialized in an anti-aging program. Life followed a new method and, he says, after a couple months of practicing he felt a significant change in body and spirit.

Life has been keeping himself in shape over the years. He devotes time to strength training, cardio, stretching and swimming. But fitness is far from the only activity that allows Jeffrey to look good. He has taken an interest in martial arts: the man trains for a black belt in taekwondo and does Thai boxing. And his interest in his own nutrition has led him to become a professional in the field of dietetics. It seems that the 82-year-old American never stops halfway and brings everything he starts to perfection.