An 83-year-old man who got transformed from a couch potato to a superfit athlete in later life has revealed the secrets to his success.
In his early 40s, Joseph Maroon, a neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was so unfit that walking up a flight of stairs was challenging.
And he was struggling mentally too following his divorce and the death of his dad, which led to a brief career break.
Dr Maroon was desperate for anything to make him feel better – and a friend suggested he go for a run.
This marked the start of an epic fitness journey and physiological transformation. By the age of 83, more than 40 years later, he’d completed eight Ironman triat
Since the dawn of his health kick, Dr Maroon has set aside one hour a day for exercising, six days a week.
This includes a mix of aerobic activity like running, resistance training and flexibility exercises, as well as swimming and cycling.
Over the years, his fitness improved and, eventually, he began competing in races, working his way up to triathalons.
Dr Maroon, 83, has spent the past 40 years building up his fitness to champion levels
In 2022, he entered himself into the 2022 National Senior Games triathlon – which involved a 750m swim, a 20k bike, and a 5k run. He emerged the winner in his age category.
Dr Maroon completed the race with his 27-year-old daughter Isabella, and the pair hope to do more triathlons together in the future.
He said: ‘The bottom-line is not everyone needs to train as if they will become a triathlete.
‘But there are so many benefits to exercise and sport participation that, no matter what your age or prior training, you should consider it.’
Dr Maroon has sworn by certain lifestyle habits, the first of which is reducing stress.
He aims to balance four priorities in his life: work, family and friends, spirituality and exercise.
Chronic stress traps the body in fight or flight mode, he told Business Insider, causing depression, anxiety, bad sleep and migraines.
In the longer term, stress is also considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
He also recommends making time for spirituality.
‘I bring spirituality into all things that I do,’ Dr Maroon said, such as caring for patients, relationships with his family and his day-to-day ethical outlook.
Spirituality is not just confined to religion, he said.
‘I mean spiritual beliefs that are unfolded in rituals and in various ethics, or a belief in a higher being or that there’s something bigger than us.
‘It can be in nature or whatever you choose.’
Previous research has suggested that spiritual practices can create purpose and generate psychological resilience, and in turn, longevity and increased life satisfaction.
A study from 2016 found that going to a religious service at least once a week was linked to a 33 percent lower mortality rate.
His next pearl of wisdom is to avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. None of these align with longevity.
Tobacco kills more than eight million people a year, while more than 106,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021.
And although some research suggests drinking wine could be beneficial, the World Health Organization has always said that no level of alcohol is safe to drink.
Next is getting sufficient sleep, Dr Maroon said. It has a myriad of health perks, including a better metabolism, which can keep obesity at bay, superior immune system and a lower risk of coronary heart disease.
Studies have also shown that sleeping enough aids people in keeping to diet and exercise goals.
Dr Maroon is not the first to find fitness later in life.
Jennifer Fisher, 56, is a hybrid athlete from Austin, Texas, is known as @thefitforkofficial on TikTok, where she shares her healthy recipes and workouts.
The health-minded content creator fills her TikTok and Instagram feeds with videos of herself running, lifting weights, and competing in obstacle races.
Nancy Cox, 67, had never considered herself athletic, and never played sports at school.
But five decades on, she is in the best shape she has ever been in.
In 2011, her friends suggested Nancy and her husband join them for a group ice skating lesson.
‘I just fell in love with it,’ she told AARP. ‘I thought, If I work at this, I can get better.’
