Living Well He turned a daily hobby into four world-championship titles. And he didn't start until he was in his 70s...
Richard Morgan had never really been into sports his whole life. As he told the Washington Post in January, he "started from nowhere" with his fitness journey at age 73.
But nearly two decades later, Morgan is a four-time master world champion in indoor rowing... at 93 years young.
Even more remarkable is what a case study published in December revealed about him...
Thanks to his regimen of rowing and weightlifting, Morgan officially had the heart and muscle mass of someone half his age.
He boasted 80% muscle mass and only 15% body fat... His heart rate peaked quickly to 153 beats per minute, which meant his heart was strong enough to quickly pump oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to his muscles.
As to how he accomplished this, we'll get to that in a moment. But first, let's go over what exercise does for aging in general...
Aging is a universal fate.
Each day, we creep (or hurtle) toward the inevitable pileup of damaged cells and molecules that lead to disease and death.
Our basic bodily functions start going downhill after age 30. That decline is to the tune of 1% to 2% each year. And if you sit on your butt for most hours of the day, you can lose up to 70% of functional ability by the time you reach your 90s – while the regular movers and shakers lose just 30%...
By moving your body every day, you can slow down that downhill process.
For instance, a Nature Aging study published last week found that exercising reduces levels of a molecular sign of aging. Researchers saw a type of fat molecule that grew in numbers with age in mice tissue samples. Then muscle-tissue samples from humans aged between 65 and 80 showed higher levels of the same fat, compared with samples from 20 to 30 year olds. It has a tongue-twister of a name – bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate ("BMP"). And previous studies have shown BMPs are also markers of diseases like cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease.
Finally, the team looked at tissue samples from 12 women who were postmenopausal (aged between 45 and 70), overweight, and worked out for fewer than three hours a week. After four days of daily hourlong exercise, BMP levels in these women dropped significantly.
Similarly, a 2021 Mayo Clinic study found that older folks who exercised regularly for 12 weeks significantly lowered their levels of "zombie cells" (which tend to build up with age) and improved their physical function.
As one of the researchers explained in a news article from earlier this year, "Exercise can actually counter some of the wear and tear and degradation that happens in the cells." And it can also "turn on the 'garbage disposal' in our bodies to recycle old and damaged things."
Even if you're older than Morgan when he began rowing, get up and move... An October 2023 study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found no difference in beneficial effects of exercise in folks aged 85 and up and folks aged between 65 and 75.
So, what's the best way to do it?
- You'll want to huff and puff, giving your heart and lungs a workout.
- You'll also want to give your muscles a workout.
- You'll want to do these aerobic and strength exercises consistently.
- And you'll want to eat plenty of protein.
Hitting the rowing machine like Morgan did combines both aerobic and resistance-training exercises. Or you can mix and match aerobic workouts (like brisk walking, swimming, and cycling) with strength-training exercises using weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight (more on that below).
As for how often Morgan worked out, he rowed for about 40 minutes a day (or almost 19 miles a week).
An average rowing workout consisted of 10% at high intensity, 20% at a less intense but still vigorous pace, and 70% at an easy, low-intensity pace. That's pretty reminiscent of my favorite way to get aerobic exercise: high-intensity interval training, or "HIIT."
I love doing HIIT on my bike, alternating between pedaling at an all-out, "a hungry bear is chasing me" speed and a slow, leisurely speed to recover my breath.
To build muscle, Morgan used dumbbells for lunges and curls, doing three sets about two to three times a week.
I travel a lot, often zipping between my homes on the East Coast and my vineyards in California. So if I don't have time to hit the gym, I turn to equipment-free exercises using my own body weight. Dumbbell-less lunges are one, along with pushups, squats, and planks. If I'm short on space, adding jumping jacks, burpees, and mountain climbers is also a way to get in aerobic exercise.
And to not let all that work go to waste, each day Morgan ate almost a gram of protein per pound of his body weight. (He weighed 165 pounds.) My tips on maximizing your protein intake include:
- Always having protein at every meal and tucking into it first before reaching for the carbs (plus, protein makes you feel full faster).
- Going Greek when it comes to yogurt, since Greek yogurt tends to have double the protein per serving compared with traditional yogurt.
- Always topping salads with nuts and well-rinsed canned beans.
- Slipping in some cottage cheese if you cook up some eggs for a creamy, tangy twist.
- Opting for whole grains like quinoa and couscous that have more protein and fiber per serving than just white rice.
Don't forget – you need to end each day with literally the perfect nightcap...
Sleep is crucial for repairing and growing muscle. But, as I covered in my latest issue of Retirement Millionaire, summer is just around the corner... and it'll wreck your sleep. Check out my latest issue of Retirement Millionaire for my tips on prepping your sleep hygiene. (Go here if you want to take a subscription for a test drive.)
What We're Reading (and Watching)...
- Something different: What if everyone on Earth jumped at the same time (video)?
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
April 18, 2024