THE AMAZING SUPER SENIORS

Yuichiro Miura, 80

Seniors are certainly pushing the boundaries in all areas. We have Yuichiro Miura, 80, the oldest man to climb Mount Everest, Fajar Singh, 102, the oldest man to run a marathon, and Dilys Price, 81, the world's oldest woman skydiver.

There's also Johanna Quaas, 86. The Guinness Book of World Records named her the world's oldest gymnast. Her display of strength and agility on the parallel bars is simply jaw-dropping.

Dilys Price, 81

The current crop of octogenarians and nonagenarians are re-defining the meaning of "old". They have changed forever our perception of the elderly. The traditional image of grandma sitting in the rocking chair by the fireside has long disappeared together with knitting socks. Dancers, models, yoga instructors, chefs, divers, surgeons, body builders - the sky, not age, is the limit to what the 'elderly' can do these days. We need new labels for these active senior citizens who simply refuse to age.

Ernestine Shepherd, 76, oldest woman body builder

Fajar Singh, 102, the undisputed oldest runner ever

As for youthfulness, who can beat the evergreen Grammy award-winning Tony Bennett? At 86, he has retained his good looks and is still making waves on the music scene, collaborating with much younger artistes like Lady Gaga, 27. By the way, he will be in Kuala Lumpur for a concert at the KL Convention Centre on September 9. 

The oldest actress is Betty White, 91. She recently made a comeback in the comedy series "Hot in Cleveland" now showing on Astro Channel 702. The world's oldest fashion model is Carmen Dell’Orefice, 82. She has been a model for nearly 70 years, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Carmen Dell’Orefice, 82, supermodel. 
Click here for more photos.

The new elderly are not only capable of amazing physical feats, but also of mental agility and sharpness. An excellent example is Israel's prime minister, Shimon Peres. He celebrated his 90th birthday last month.

And for fitness and good health, it would be hard to beat Prince Phillip, 92. He recently underwent abdominal surgery, and after 11 days recovered well enough to walk out of the hospital unaided!

Shimon Peres celebrating his 90th birthday with Barbra Streisand, Clinton and Netanyahu

Prince Phillip leaving the hospital 11 days after surgery

And right here in our midst we have our very own Dr S. Subramony, 77. He was featured in the article "Punching Fit" recently. The septuagenarian works out at the gym daily and follows a rigorous exercise regime that would put to shame men half his age.

Iron man: ‘Go on, punch me ... hard!’ Dr S. Subramony, 77, seems to be saying as
he invites trainer Nabil Afiq to punch him in the stomach. – SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star

So the next time someone asks you, "How long would you want to live?", your answer should be "At least 100!" If we take care of our health, who is to say that we can't all live to a ripe old age, still fit and still living life to the fullest.

Banish forever the thought that growing old means growing frail and senile. It doesn't have to be so, as these 'elderly' men and women above have shown.

Related articles:

Age-Defying Role Models

Age is just a Number... 

THINKING POSITIVELY ABOUT OLD AGE

Thoughts are powerful. A thought is like a seed. Once planted in the mind, and given the right environment to grow, it will thrive and develop into something concrete. From thought to reality. When a thought is translated into action, and sustained through commitment and perseverance, it will bring you the results you want.

This applies to ageing too. We are all familiar with inspirational quotes on ageing.

~ None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
~ How I feel about myself is more important than how I look.
~ When it comes to staying young, a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day.


It's not just about looking youthful at whatever age. More importantly, older adults who remain 'young-at-heart', who adopt a positive outlook on life are more likely to enjoy better health and longer life span. Ever wonder why some folks complain constantly of aches and pain, and seem to have endless health problems, while others remain active, healthy and happy even as they enter their 70s and beyond?

Keeping fit and active - positive age stereotypes.

The key lies in our beliefs. Positive beliefs produce positive outcomes. Negative beliefs produce negative outcomes. This is especially so when it comes to what psychologists call 'age stereotypes', that is, the beliefs people have about old age. This has an important effect on their health.

"When stereotypes are negative — when seniors are convinced becoming old means becoming useless, helpless or devalued — they are less likely to seek preventive medical care and die earlier, and more likely to suffer memory loss and poor physical functioning, a growing body of research shows.

When stereotypes are positive — when older adults view age as a time of wisdom, self-realization and satisfaction — results point in the other direction, toward a higher level of functioning." (Extract from 'Older People Become What They Think', New York Times. Click here to read the full article.)

More research to check out if you are interested:

• 'Association Between Positive Age Stereotypes and Recovery From Disability in Older Persons' - from The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA)
• 'Longevity increased by positive self-perceptions of aging' - from The Journal of Personal and Social Psyschology

It's time we changed how we view old age. If we embrace it positively, we will enjoy better health and longer life. If we continue to think negatively about growing old, we are likely to spend our old age feeling grouchy and bitter, and facing poor health.

“If you live to be one hundred, you’ve got it made. Very few people die past that age.” ~ George Burns