Accept ageing<\/p>\n
I\u2019m 90 now and I\u2019ll never be younger than that again. I have at best five to 10 years to live. People tell me I look like I\u2019m 70, but that can only mean that a 70-year-old has not been keeping themselves in good condition: that the 70-year-old we\u2019re talking about is non-exercising or overweight. And that person is in terrible trouble if so because they have shortened their life.<\/p>\n
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For me, it\u2019s very important not to fight agains<\/a>t<\/a> the fact you\u2019re going to get older<\/a>. Nearly everything that lives, whether it\u2019s a tree or a worm or a human being, will wind down. If you can integrate that into your thinking, you realise that what you must do is try and make yourself as optimal as you can for your age.<\/p>\n The fact we are living for longer<\/a> than we have historically has mostly been worked out by environmental factors: vaccines, housing, all the rest of it. All that was given to me \u2013 I didn\u2019t do anything. But what was in my control was the following pillars.<\/p>\n Choose exercise that won\u2019t bore you \u2013 and never stop<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been physically active<\/a>, but when I was about 50 I decided that I had to be serious about it: exercise has long been known to have a very positive influence on keeping some diseases at bay.<\/p>\n Crucially, I chose an exercise I loved<\/a> \u2013 cycling \u2013 and then thought about whether the exercise was good for me or not. I didn\u2019t say I\u2019m going to go to the gym and jump 100 times because I knew that would bore me, it wouldn\u2019t satisfy me, and so I\u2019d stop.<\/p>\n So whether you play squash, tennis, or walk around the block, that automatically is going to give you the benefit of being out and loving what you\u2019re doing, as well as the health benefits.<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve gotten older, the amount of cycling I can do has gone down, but the important thing is I\u2019ve never stopped. In other words, do not quit what you\u2019re doing simply because you can\u2019t do it the way you used to. This is an important mindset to counter: that exercise, if you love what you\u2019re doing, is going to support your mental wellbeing. <\/p>\n If you also accept that you are not going to be able to do what you did five years ago, you are mentally prepared to still enjoy it. I cycle about once or twice a week, which at my age is fine \u2013 I go at a speed appropriate for me, I climb hills when I can, and if they\u2019re too steep, I walk up them.<\/p>\n Make regular weight training accessible<\/p>\n While cycling is fantastic exercise, it\u2019s not a weight-bearing exercise<\/a>. You\u2019ve got to remember that your muscles must be kept optimal for your age, too.<\/p>\n I obviously can\u2019t lift enormous amounts of weight, but I have covered weights at home which I rest on my arms and on my leg: they give resistance but don\u2019t overburden. I use it on my arms, I use it on my legs, I do the plank exercise and push ups most mornings (about five times a week).<\/p>\n Sometimes I get up and don\u2019t feel like doing it, but I do it most mornings.<\/p>\n Eat less, not more, as you get older<\/p>\n The key thing I do is make sure I don\u2019t overeat<\/a>. You can find your own limit by going online, looking up your age, height and sex, and it will tell you the correct amount of calories you\u2019ve got to eat for your age.<\/p>\n As you get older, the amount of food you need decreases because the amount of exercise you can do decreases, and you yourself are physically decreasing in strength and size. It\u2019s another one of these things you\u2019ve got to incorporate into your mindset and into your lifestyle.<\/p>\n Cut the snacks and start cooking<\/p>\n I never snack<\/a>, which people think is terrible \u2013 but what I mean is I keep snacking as a very, very small part of my diet. I eat in the morning, I eat at midday, I eat in the evening, and then I will not eat between meals. I know that I\u2019m eating the correct amount of calories to do what I want to do, and I really don\u2019t need more.<\/p>\n If you just throw away all those snacks that come in those little plastic packets, that will really improve your diet 100 per cent.<\/p>\n As for meals, I know what I like. I don\u2019t have to go around looking for exotic foods. I make my breakfast with porridge and a bit of fruit and nuts. For lunch I make myself a variety of sandwiches \u2013 maybe a sardine sandwich, maybe a tomato sandwich \u2013 and I drink tea.<\/p>\n Then at dinner, my wife will make what I think is a proper meal: maybe meat with potatoes and vegetables and all the necessary ingredients of carbs, fats, and protein. It\u2019s much better to prepare your own meals than buy ready made stuff. You\u2019ve got time to prepare things as you get older, you can\u2019t use that excuse anymore.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t change your diet for the sake of it<\/p>\n My diet might seem boring to others but because of my age I\u2019ve eaten many cuisines and tried lots of things. My wife and I know what we like \u2013 through trial and error we have been able to modify our diet and find those foods that are suitable for what we want.<\/p>\n It also might seem difficult because eating is part of everyone\u2019s social life. It\u2019s integrated into the way our family is brought up and our heritage. People all have totally different approaches to the kinds of foods they eat.<\/p>\n
![\"Norman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_274070620_20c915.jpg\")
At 50, Norman Lazarus decided that he had to be serious about exercise and, crucially, chose an exercise he loved \u2013 instead of boring himself in the gym (Photo: LinkedIn)<\/p>\n![\"Article](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763977221_418_SEI_275032333.jpg\")
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