In the Sports section of this edition of the Sun Day, youāre going to meet Sun City resident Nick Koplos. Nick is 73 years old and runs, swims, rollerblades, skis, and hikes probably hundreds of miles per year. All around, he is in wonderful shape (as is his wife Joanie, who is an avidāmore actually, constantāswimmer) and still has energy to burn for several other activities. And you will also meet Judy Fried, a woman of triumph and exceptional health in mind and body. After meeting Nick (who was featured in the Gallery of Stars at the Feeling Great Is Ageless Expo on May 26) and reading about Fried, I couldnāt help but make some comparisons.
Fried after she finished racing in the 2008 Super Sprint Triath- lon in Chicago. (Photo provided)
For those of you who have not seen or met me, hereās a general description: Iām roughly 6ā2ā and weigh about 150 lbs., which makes me, as many people like to say, a ārailā or ābean pole.ā I look at a rack of dumbbells and think, āMy gosh, those are just too heavy.ā
Further compounding my lack of physical stature is my disinterest in sports. When I take stock of previous endeavors in sports, hereās what I come up with:
I played T-ball and soccer for a time as a boy; however, in the funny way time has on memory, I suspect I played it far less than I remember. I played little league for one terrifying season in junior high and tried football my freshman year in high school. Right away, I realized football wasnāt for me, but I was too scared to quit, so I faked a knee injury that kept me out of practice and games for half the season. And somewhere in the mix, I took a Karate class, one Karate class, but continued to wear the Gi for an embarrassing amount of time after. In high school, I found skiing and beach volleyball, both of which I excelled at and enjoyed, but I havenāt done either for about 13 years.
In the past, I even dedicated myself to working out regularly, which my body seemed to always reject. No matter my efforts, I remained the same size when I stopped as when I started, much to the disbelief of my more active friends and whoever was paying attention at the gym. And my one attempt at jogging almost crippled me.
After all these attempts, I finally relented and decide that Iām fine with being thin but not in shape.
But leave it to a little male pride to change my mind on the matter.
Being in journalism, which never stops, Iām not able to attend many family parties. Because of which, I didnāt see one of my nephews for almost two years. The last I had seen him, he was scrawny, thin (in the typical adolescent way), and not much of a threat to anyone comparing. When I finally did see my nephew again, now about 20 years old, I was shocked. It seems that he found weights and put them to some real use. Standing next to him, I couldnāt help but feel like a waif. His arms and chest were impressive, but most of all, it was his entire carriage.
The image of my nephew festered in me for about six months, when I finally said enough was enough. I couldnāt have my 20-year-old nephew in that better of shape than me. I began working out like a madman. However, the key was designing a regime that fit my hectic schedule. As well, being adamantly opposed to weights, I decided to use my own body weight and focused on push-ups and sit-ups to do the job. Also, my wife (who is always in spectacular shape) and I walked three miles every day.
Soon, a transformation started to take place. I firmed up and had more energy, and for the first time in my life, I didnāt look like a perpetual teenager.
Since starting the Sun Day, I have been unable to work out at all, and Iām feeling the effects of not doing so. And now that Iāve met Nick Koplos, Iām just itching to get back in the race with my nephew.
