I Didn’t Start Working Out Until I Turned 70

On James Owen’s 70th birthday, he saw a video of himself hunched over and shuffling up to the podium where he was giving a talk. “I looked like an old man,” says Owen, who built a successful career on Wall Street. Even worse, he felt like an old man.

He was about 25 pounds overweight and had chronic trouble with his back, knees, and shoulders. But instead of giving in to age, Owen decided to set an ambitious five-year goal: He wanted to be pain-free, and he decided the way to get there was through exercise—even though at the time he couldn’t do a single push-up.

Owen began his new exercise regimen by walking, though he started huffing and puffing after five minutes. But that didn’t discourage him. He kept at the walks every day, along with some stretching.

Once he had those basics down, he started weight lifting and hired a personal trainer to teach him and to design a routine he could follow on his own. The last piece was finding other activities he enjoyed, which turned out to be cycling and swimming.

In less than five years, Owen was able to do three sets of 50 push-ups each and walk for miles each day. And yes, he was free of aches and pains.

“Aging well is only about 20 to 25 percent genes, and the rest is lifestyle,” he says. “As long as you’re still mobile, it’s never too late to become more fit.”

Owen used his experience to write a book called Just Move! A New Approach

50, in which to Fitness After he details how older adults can safely get off the couch and add more movement to their lives. The key: getting started, even if you walk just three blocks, which was all he could manage at first.

“Think of it as movement, not exercise,” he says. “The key is slow and steady progress.” Now 81 and retired, Owen exercises an hour a day, six days a week.

“It is the best investment I’ve ever made in my life,” he says.