He\u2019s also the filmmaker behind a three-part documentary series, \u201cVirtuous Circle: A Geezer\u2019s Guide to Successful Aging\u201d<\/a>, now streaming on PBS.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n But just 15 years earlier, a three-decade-long career on Wall Street and subsequent book tour had left his body broken.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I turned 70 I was in god-awful shape,\u201d he tells Fit&Well.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the travel got to me\u2014it damn near killed me.<\/p>\n \u201cExcruciating lower-back pain\u2014I\u2019m talking crawling-on-the-bathroom-floor kind of pain. My right rotator cuff was frozen. I had no energy at all. I said, \u2018I\u2019ve got to do something\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n In that moment, Owen resolved to transform his life, spending the next decade reintroducing movement into his daily routine, building a foundation of strength and, in his own words, \u201cfighting off old age\u201d.<\/p>\n Here, the octogenarian breaks down the small steps he made to start reclaiming his health and fitness\u2014steps he hopes could help anyone at a similar crossroads.<\/p>\n How to reclaim your health and fitness at 70 <\/p>\n Before telling his story, Owen is keen to stress that he\u2019s \u201ca very, very ordinary guy\u201d.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I played football in high school but I was never a star athlete. I found my inner athlete when I was about 75,\u201d he explains from his home in California.<\/p>\n \u201cNow I\u2019m a competitive athlete. It\u2019s been a fun journey and, believe it or not, the best is yet to come. That\u2019s my attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n Rather than aiming to live longer, he\u2019s thinking in terms of living better.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not trying to live to 100. I just want to make every day count. It\u2019s been a good ride so far and I want to encourage other people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cAnybody can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n 1. Get specific <\/p>\n Having resolved to turn his life around, the first thing Owen did was grab a pen and paper.<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly think that the first step is setting very, very specific goals,\u201d says Owen.<\/p>\n Rather than simply committing to exercise more, as doctors would tell him to, the retiree identified three specific goals:<\/p>\n Reduce or eliminate his excruciating back painBoost his energyLose some serious weight<\/p>\n \u201cI was about 35lbs overweight,\u201d he remembers.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a certified couch potato. My doctor said I need to exercise and my wife said I need to get off the couch, but that\u2019s not motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n Owen wrote those goals down as a daily, tangible reminder.<\/p>\n 2. Start small<\/p>\n Next, he challenged himself to move in some way every day for a month.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in starting small,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall steps over time add up to big strides. To anyone just starting out at 65 or 70, don’t be overly ambitious. Start small.\u201d<\/p>\n For Owen, that meant walking.<\/p>\n \u201cI did a 30-day test. I said I\u2019m going to walk every day for 30 days and see what happens. On day one, after four blocks I was puffing and huffing.<\/p>\n \u201cThen every day I walked a little bit farther. By the end of 30 days I only walked probably a mile, but everyone seemed to notice, telling me I looked like I had more energy.\u201d<\/p>\n With that positive reinforcement, Owen kept walking.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I did was walk. I walked for probably three months.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. Build your foundation <\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Courtesy: Jim Owen)<\/p>\n After 90 days, daily movement was now part of Owen\u2019s routine, but walking alone wasn\u2019t going to cut it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does nothing for your back,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt strengthens your lungs and all, but I decided I needed to build a foundation of strength.\u201d<\/p>\n Owen joined a gym, insisting on wearing a figure-hugging compression T-shirt rather than hiding under a baggy top.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople must have been looking at me thinking this guy has no pride,\u201d he jokes. \u201cBut that has been a motivating factor. I\u2019ve worn a compression T-shirt ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n On day one, Owen says he couldn\u2019t muster one push-up.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how weak I was. It took about two to three weeks to do a real push-up. But I kept at it. At the end of three or four weeks I was doing two or three.\u201d<\/p>\n After five years, now 75, he was repping out sets of 50 push-ups.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat it shows you is, don\u2019t be too ambitious at the beginning. Take the long view.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Track your progress<\/p>\n Taking up strength training was a \u201clife changer\u201d, but Owen needed a plan to see results.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a schedule,\u201d he explains, \u201cand I believe that everybody needs a schedule, like a commitment, and I write this down. I can tell you how many days I exercised four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Owen works out six days a week for one hour at a time.<\/p>\n \u201cThree days of strength training, three days of cardio, which I do by walking up hills at a pretty good clip, and then I stretch three times a week.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople often say they don\u2019t have the time to commit to an hour a day. I tell them it\u2019s just 4% of your day. I don\u2019t care how busy you are.\u201d<\/p>\n To fit sessions in, Owen suggests breaking those 60 minutes into bite-sized chunks, such as stretching in the morning and walking after lunch.<\/p>\n But, he adds, it\u2019s important to work on your weaknesses, not just your strengths. For Owen, strengthening his core and working on his balance are \u201ccritical\u201d.<\/p>\n 5. Be patient <\/p>\n Lastly, Owen remembers to be patient.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what you do, there will be setbacks, plateaus, there will be injuries,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI broke my wrist a few years ago. I broke my hip about a year ago. These are all setbacks, but you have to keep at it and say, this is life.<\/p>\n \u201cThe progress is not a straight line. People think this guy must have found the secret. There is no secret. Show up, do the work, try to have fun with it and don\u2019t be too hard on yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n On low-energy days, Owen will cut back, do fewer reps and a lower weight.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd guess what, I feel so much better. I\u2019ve never worked out and not felt better afterwards,\u201d he says. \u201cThat’s the motivation to keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n After five years of coming back for more, Owen says he has built a foundation of strength. \u201cOnce you have that foundation, it becomes easier. It becomes fun.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Senior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/fTn7V6sMAojkfEoZ3MF9Z8.jpg\")
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