He looked to be in his sixties as he jogged down the beach on Grand Cayman Island. I had seen him many times before but that day, I decided to run along with him so I could ask about his exercise program. When I jogged up beside him, he stopped and talked. He was 75, ran three miles down the beach Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. “And then I have to run back”, he pointed out. He rides a stationary bike for an hour and lifts weights all the other days, “except Sunday. I don’t exercise on Sundays”. He is Italian and has eaten a Mederitanian type diet all his life. He loves fish. Eats a lot of vegetables and fruits, as well as nuts. He likes pasta and eats cereal with lots of fruit most every morning. I congratulated him on his lifestyles and told him I admired him for it. He just looked at me and said: “this is my life. This is how I live.”
But the very best part of his story was his telling me someone brought a complete health machine to the island several months ago. “It cost me a few hundred dollars but I took the test,” he told me in his thick Italian accent which was a little difficult to understand. “I am 75 but the machine say I was 61. I’m younger than I am.” He flexed his arms and pulled his shoulders back as he made that last statement. “Most of my friends my age on the island are old. They sit around and drink, and play cards, and watch T.V. Plus, they’re fat — most of them.” That is when he made the statement that caused me to admire him the most. That is when he said, “I want to be active when I die.” He then smiled, and trotted off down the beach, waving with one hand, without even glancing back. He probably doesn’t know medically why he can say “I’m younger than I am” but he is doing most of what Prescription For Life is all about. Read it and see for yourself.
Share with Dr. Furman the impact that Prescription for Life is having on you life. Leave him a note using the form below.
