1. Fitness guru Artie Levin in March, 1981 on a balanced life based on an hour-long workout, six days a week: “If you’re in good shape physically, you’ll be in good shape emotionally. You’ll also be more mentally alert. Life has to be equally balanced on four sides, like a square – physically, spiritually, mentally, socially.”
2. World top-20 triathlete Pat Bateman in July 1990, soon after his retirement from competition to become a personal fi tness consultant: “There’s nothing greater than setting a goal and working toward it. That’s as true for a middle-aged businessperson who completes a four-mile footrace as it is for a world-class bicyclist who completes the Tour de France.”
3. Ophthalmologist/triathlete Dr. Junius Crowgey, then 61, in November 1985 on the weather and sustaining his bicycling and running: “There are all kinds of fabrics now to keep people going through the cold months. Roanoke’s weather isn’t all that bad. With a good polypropelene suit you can keep going in about any weather.” And Crowgey’s perspective from not far south of age 65: “At 65 and after you can be young one year and old the next.” But also this: “Artie Levin’s an amazing guy – he has 4,500 miles on his bike already this year and he’s seventy-damn-two years old!”
4. Crowgey, nearly a dozen years later, in August/ September 1996: “Churchill told his troops before the invasion of Normandy to concern themselves with solutions, and that the problems would take care of themselves. With exercise it’s this way: Concern yourself with doing, and the off days will take care of themselves.”
5. RAC exercise development director Glenn Englebert in April 1987 on the best exercise machine: “The cross country ski simulator is considered the best aerobic exercise in the whole wide world.”
6. Cardiologist Dr. Marta Sayers in July 1984 on a factor beyond weight control, monitoring of blood pressure and blood sugar and not smoking on women’s heart health: “Where men tend to store discontent and not say anything, women tend to speak up and say what’s bothering them. That’s important because it affects you less.”
7. Phys-ed teacher Jerry Anderson in March,1990 on nutrition monitoring: “My wife and I went to the grocery store and read the labels. It takes hours at first, but you find the hidden fat sources.”
8. Attorney Larry Davis in March 1984 on his regimen of every-other-day free weights and a half hour of hard sprints every evening: “I’m out there to sweat – just trying to stay in shape and keep myself together. My view is if it doesn’t hurt, you’re not getting it done.”
9. Orthopaedic doctors Thomas Miller and William Mirenda, writing in June 1988 on the aging athlete: “Only a maximally trained athlete is obliged to see a dip in his or her performance with age. That means the rest of us can still hope to improve our tennis forehand, cure our golf slice, and in some cases, even improve our times in foot or bike races.”
10. Psychologist Dr. Paul Woods in July 1984 on stress management: “I haven’t been angry for over a year. I’ve been productive, but I’ve given up that everything must go right all the time.”
11. Registered dietician Lee Ann Matthews in July/August 1997 on diets: “Instead of thinking of yourself as being on a diet or getting ready for a class reunion, start considering what you’re doing as habit changes that will last forever. The same changes you’re making to lose weight are the changes that will keep the weight off and make the improvement last.”
12. Psychiatrist Dr. Jitendra Desai in July/August 1997 on managing stress: “Find something you can get joyfully lost in. It doesn’t matter what it is – hobbies or involvement with a group. For me it’s playing Indian drums.”
13. Therapist Jane Hundley in May/June 1998 on contact with others: “It’s important to connect with someone or something else each day, because emotional isolation is often an underpinning that leads to depression.”
14. Dr. Wayne Harris in January/February 2010 on remaining true to an exercise regimen: “You have to start by saying ‘I have but one body and it’s my responsibility to take care of it.’”
15. Oncologist Dr. William Fintel in July/August 2003 on dealing with cancers: “Cancer therapy is getting better and easier, but if you can avoid a late diagnosis of cancer you may never have to hear the word ‘chemotherapy.’ Catch it small and get it all.”
