97-year-old’s secret for staying fit

Incredible 97-Year-Old WWII Veteran's Fitness Secret

Came across one of the most impressive stories the other day:

97-year-old, World War II veteran, Dave Keaggy is continuing a little birthday tradition he started when he was in his 20’s. He has given himself a physical challenge on every birthday, which started with doing 85 push-ups in under a minute.

Here are a few of his other ‘birthday celebrations’:

Age 70: He jumped out of a plane.
Age 82: He bench pressed 225 pounds.
Age 90: He knocked 83 push-ups in a row.

This year?

He didn’t slow down.

He decided to carry 100lbs for 100 yards (called a farmers walk). He did this by holding two dumbbells (one 30lb and one 40lb) with 15-pound ankle weights on each leg.

When the big day arrived, a crowd filled the gym to cheer on the local legend. Keaggy strapped the weights to his legs, grabbed his dumbbells and stormed around the perimeter of the gym. After crushing this feat, the crowd sang happy birthday – and handed him a birthday cake.

Over the last year, I’ve seen more and more of these physical birthday celebrations. It’s truly inspiring because these are people who are not willing to settle. They continue to blaze a trail and show what’s possible with age.

(And sometimes continue to break personal records year after year)

It’s a powerful way to celebrate another year on this planet – and inspire others to possibly start a ‘celebration’ of their own.

(My wheels are already turning…)

In Keaggy’s case, he has a belief that pushing your limits like this is key for staying youthful and living a long life. And he has no plans of stopping anytime soon.

"It works and I recommend it for anybody that wants to live to be one hundred, and I will." – Dave Keaggy

Kelan Ern

P.S. Pushing your limits can come in many shapes and sizes. For some it’s running marathons. Or competing in strength competitions. For others it’s creating a physical challenge that is unique to them – and that they find meaningful. This is the essence of finding your fitness rhythm – and if you haven’t already you can get a crash course on the topic in the July 2023 Mind-Body Breakthroughs.