This 96-year-old rides his bike every day – these are his 3 sports tips

Instead of retiring after retiring at age 60, Jack Eckenrode moved to a farm and worked there for 15 years. And instead of finally relaxing when he sold the farm at 75, he took on a challenge — new cycling.

Research suggests it’s never too late to start exercising. A 2023 study published in the Journal Preventive Medicine found that participants ages 80 and older who were physically active lived longer than those who were not — even if they were previously inactive .

Eckenrode, is now 96 and lives in Pittsburgh in the USA. He has twelve children, which is why he didn’t have time to keep fit while raising them and working as an insurance salesman. Now that he’s retired, he has time to work out an hour a day, he told Business Insider (BI). He has collected some tips to make his exercise routine easier.

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Eckenrode does 30 minutes on an exercise bike as well as 30 minutes of outdoor exercises that work his entire body, from head to toe. He learned the routine, push-ups and leg exercises on a mat, as a pilot in the US Air Force in his mid-twenties. He also cycles every day on paths near his house.

This training has enabled Eckenrode to compete in the National Senior Games for the last twenty years, in four cycling races and the 50 and 100 meter sprints. Last year he won five medals at the Pittsburgh Games, including in the 20-kilometer cycling race.

“My legs never get tired, and my muscles or my back never get tired.” “I can go on forever,” he said.

He shares his sports tips for people who want to get fit and also want to “keep going forever”.

Be active for at least an hour a day

National Senior Games Association

“I consciously go on the home trainer. I try not to miss a day. “I feel so much better afterwards,” he said. “What’s an hour a day?”

“Whatever you do, be very active, be it golf or tennis or something else, but get out of the house and be active and breathe fresh air. The more you do that, the happier you will be,” is his ultimate Sports tip.

A physiologist and healthy aging expert recently told Business Insider that spending just three percent of the day exercising can have huge longevity benefits. This is about 30 minutes and can prevent chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer.

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Eckenrode’s tip: Do sports together

When the weather is good, Eckenrode goes on bike rides with some of his children who live nearby. He also used to ride bikes with his late wife.

“We always rode bikes early in the morning and even late at night.” “We always rode bikes together,” he said.

A Harvard paleoanthropologist previously told Business Insider that the best way to motivate yourself to exercise is to have a workout partner. And Generation Z is increasingly combining sport and socializing in running clubs and fitness studios.

Combine training with something beautiful

“I try to meditate on the exercise bike to start the day and then plan my day while I cycle.” “Or I even pray a little,” Eckenrode said. These tips would help him look forward to exercise because meditating and being organized “leaves a gut feeling.”

“And I always have music on when I do it.” I talk to Alexa and she gives me my music — whatever I request, she plays it. “I need music when I train,” he added.

In 2021, an analysis of studies was published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. It found that participants’ physical performance was better when they exercised with music they liked.

Another review, published in 2024 in the “Journal Mental Health and Physical Activity,” showed that combining physical activity and mindfulness may be associated with improved mental health. They can prevent symptoms such as depression, anxiety and stress.

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