There’s a great quote from George Bernard Shaw that says something to the effect of: ‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.’
It’s generally interpreted as a commentary on our attitudes towards the world, but it’s just as true – if not more so – in the context of exercise and movement.
At the risk of getting nostalgic, my very first weights set was given to me by an elderly lady who lived a few doors down from me growing up. They were a set of vinyl-coated adjustable dumbbells that her husband, Len, had apparently used nearly every day until he passed away in what must have been his 90s.
Even as a young boy, it struck me that Len didn’t seem like the other ‘old’ people I knew. He got up every morning, marched to the shops for the paper and milk, and marched back. He walked a few more times each day, and now I was finding out that when he wasn’t pounding the pavement, he was indoors slinging dumbbells around.
This has always stuck with me. I didn’t know then what I know now about the longevity benefits of building muscle – for instance, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine revealed that people who regularly strength train have a 40% lower risk of premature death compared to those who don’t – but I had an intuition that the fact Len was so mobile and active was, well, because he was so mobile and active. Even at a young age I had this sense that (injury and illness aside) strength, fitness, mobility and vitality all came on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis.
Back to the present, I look to men like our new cover star, Ben Shephard, as the gold standard of not just what’s possible in your forties, fifties, and perhaps beyond, but also what I think we should be aiming for. Not because he’s ridiculously chiselled, can do more pull-ups than me, and has a mini Ninja Warrior obstacle course in his basement – but because his relationship with his body is so bloody good.
He doesn’t frame his routine and discipline as some macho badge of honour to wear, but as simply treating his body with the respect it deserves – and supporting that with a bit of organisation.
He doesn’t train hard to punish himself or uphold an aesthetic standard – he does it so that he never has to turn down an opportunity to play a new sport or have a new experience.
While many people view their fitness and nutrition through the sour lens of all the things they now have to say ‘no’ to, for Shephard, it’s about making sure he can always say yes.
Making regular, consistent movement – a mixture of weight training, cardiovascular conditioning, and a generally active and robust lifestyle – your norm won’t just keep you in the game for longer, it will also make the game more enjoyable.
If you’re reading this and worried that it’s too late for you to get started, I’d argue that it’s too late for you not to.
Whatever your age, your best days in the gym can still be ahead of you – just ask Ben Shephard. At age 50, our cover star is fitter and stronger than he’s ever been. But bodies like his don’t happen by accident. Sign up below to gain free access to our six-week Fit at 50 training plan, created by Shephard’s long-time coach Steve Coleman.
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With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.
As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.
Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.
You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.