My Journey: From Muscle Magazine to Physical Rehabilitation

In my younger years, my idea of physical fitness was pretty straightforward: build an attractive physique, develop bigger muscles, and become stronger. Like many enthusiastic young men, I wanted to see how much weight I could lift and how many repetitions I could squeeze into a workout.

I subscribed to Muscle Magazine and religiously followed its workout routines and dietary recommendations. Eventually, I began receiving compliments about my physique. Some folks even asked my children, “Is your dad on steroids?” Naturally, that encouraged me to work even harder. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a little admiration when walking past a mirror?

As my professional responsibilities as a physician increased, I had less time for the gym. Nevertheless, I continued lifting weights, although at a much lower intensity. In fact, I was still doing resistance exercises just two months before undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

At 77, I was still climbing ladders, using a chainsaw to trim tree branches, and tackling yard work. I suppose I was still operating under the assumption that my body had the same warranty it came with 50 years earlier!

Then came my heart surgery.

Following CABG, my physical condition was dramatically different. After a prolonged hospitalization, I could barely walk independently. I had lost considerable muscle mass and strength. My balance was impaired, my hands trembled, and even feeding myself became difficult.

Imagine going from lifting weights in the gym and climbing trees in the backyard to struggling with the simple task of getting around the house. That was a humbling experience.

Fortunately, physical therapy helped me regain much of what I had lost. After about two months of rehabilitation, I began making meaningful progress, although it took several more months before I could comfortably return to activities as ordinary as yard work.

That experience changed my understanding of physical fitness.

Today, my exercise priorities are quite different. I regularly walk, including about 15 minutes after meals, and perform resistance exercises to maintain muscle strength. I also pay attention to balance, mobility, and the ability to perform everyday activities.

I am no longer particularly interested in seeing how much weight I can lift. These days, my greatest satisfaction comes from being able to get up, walk around, exercise, and take care of things without having to call for assistance.

My wife might disagree about that last part. She has a long list of things she would like me to take care of!

But seriously, my objective has changed: I exercise not simply to build muscle, but to preserve function, independence, and quality of life.

Why Healthy Aging Fitness Matters More Than Ever

As we grow older, our bodies undergo biological changes that affect muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular capacity, coordination, and balance. Some changes begin in our 30s and become more pronounced with advancing age.

One important process is sarcopenia, the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical performance associated with aging.

Muscle loss can make ordinary activities increasingly difficult. Carrying groceries, climbing stairs, getting out of a chair, lifting a grandchild, or recovering from an illness may require more effort than they once did.

The important point is that aging-related muscle loss is not entirely inevitable or irreversible. Regular physical activity, particularly appropriately prescribed resistance training, can help preserve and improve muscle strength and physical performance.

Let’s look at four important reasons why exercise becomes increasingly valuable as we age.

1. Healthy Aging Fitness and the Fight Against Sarcopenia

Muscles are not merely decorative features that make us look good in a T-shirt. They are essential organs of movement and important contributors to metabolic health.

As we age, muscle mass and strength tend to decline, particularly when we become sedentary or experience prolonged illness and hospitalization.

Resistance training helps counter these changes.

Why maintaining muscle matters:

• Everyday independence. Strong muscles help us perform routine activities such as standing up, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, and getting out of bed.
• Metabolic health. Skeletal muscle plays an important role in glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity. Maintaining muscle helps support healthy blood sugar regulation.
• Recovery from illness. Having adequate muscle reserves may provide an important advantage when the body faces surgery, infection, hospitalization, or other major physical stress.
• Protection against frailty. Maintaining strength and physical capacity helps us remain active rather than gradually withdrawing from activities because they have become too difficult.

My CABG experience gave me a firsthand appreciation of this last point. The muscle and strength I had spent years developing did not disappear entirely, but prolonged illness and immobility took a tremendous toll.

It was a reminder that muscle is not something we should take for granted.

2. Maintain Bone Density: Strong Muscles Need Strong Bones

We often concentrate on muscles when discussing fitness, but our bones deserve equal attention.

Bones are living tissues that continually undergo remodeling. Appropriate weight-bearing activities and resistance exercises provide mechanical stimulation that helps maintain bone strength.

As we age, bone loss can contribute to osteopenia and osteoporosis, increasing the risk of fractures.

A hip fracture, for example, can be a life-changing event for an older adult. It may lead to prolonged hospitalization, rehabilitation, loss of independence, and other complications.

What can help?

• Weight-bearing activities such as walking, when appropriate.
• Resistance exercises that progressively challenge the muscles and bones.
• Balance and coordination training to reduce falls.
• Adequate nutrition, including sufficient protein and appropriate calcium and vitamin D intake.
• Medical assessment and treatment when osteoporosis or significant fracture risk is present.

The objective is not to develop unusually large bones or become a weightlifting champion. It is to maintain a strong skeletal foundation that can support us through the activities of daily living.

3. Improve Balance and Coordination: Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Staying Upright!

Here is a fitness goal that probably never crossed my mind when I was younger: learning how not to fall.

When we are young, we rarely think about balance. We run, jump, climb, turn suddenly, and recover from awkward movements without giving them much thought.

As we age, however, our balance and reaction time may deteriorate. Changes in vision, sensation, muscle strength, joint function, and the nervous system can make us more vulnerable to falls.

And a fall that might have resulted in nothing more than a bruised ego at age 25 can have serious consequences at age 80.

Balance training should therefore become an essential part of an older adult’s exercise routine.

Examples include:

• Practicing supported single-leg standing.
• Performing controlled sit-to-stand exercises.
• Walking in different directions under safe conditions.
• Practicing heel-to-toe walking.
• Incorporating appropriate tai chi or other balance-focused activities.

The key is to practice safely, using a stable support when necessary.

Think of it this way:

Balance helps prevent the fall. Muscle strength helps us recover our footing. Strong bones help reduce the consequences if a fall occurs.

These three elements work together to preserve independence.

4. Train for Function, Not Just Appearance

This is perhaps the biggest change in my thinking about exercise.

Traditional bodybuilding and aesthetic fitness programs often emphasize muscular size, symmetry, definition, and body-fat percentage. There is nothing inherently wrong with these goals. I certainly enjoyed pursuing them in my younger years.

However, longevity-focused exercise places greater emphasis on what our bodies can actually do.

Consider the difference:

Fitness priority	Traditional aesthetic training	Longevity and healthy-aging training
Primary goal	Muscle size, definition, appearance	Strength, mobility, independence
Muscle training	Emphasis on individual muscle groups	Strength for everyday movements
Exercise selection	Curls, extensions, presses, machines	Squats, supported lunges, carries, presses
Balance	Often secondary	An essential component
Mobility	Sometimes overlooked	Regularly incorporated
Cardiovascular fitness	Often aimed at conditioning and body composition	Supports heart health and endurance
Long-term measure of success	How the body looks	What the body can continue doing

This doesn’t mean we should abandon resistance training or stop trying to build muscle as we age.

Quite the contrary.

We should continue challenging our muscles, but with an emphasis on appropriate resistance, good technique, progressive improvement, and recovery.

The objective is to build a body that is capable, resilient, and useful in everyday life.

A Word About Extreme Bodybuilding and the Pursuit of Physical Perfection

My appreciation for bodybuilding remains. Discipline, consistency, dedication, and hard work are qualities worth admiring.

However, there is a difference between maintaining a healthy, muscular body and pushing the human body to extreme competitive limits.

A 2025 study published in the European Heart Journal examined 20,286 male athletes who participated in International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness competitions between 2005 and 2020.

Researchers identified 121 deaths during the follow-up period. Of these, 46 were classified as sudden cardiac deaths, representing approximately 38% of the recorded deaths. Professional bodybuilders had more than five times the risk of sudden cardiac death compared with amateur competitors.

The findings deserve attention, particularly because some of the affected athletes were relatively young.

The study does not establish that bodybuilding itself caused these deaths, nor does it suggest that ordinary recreational resistance training is dangerous. It examined competitive male bodybuilders, a population whose training practices and physical demands differ considerably from those of the average person exercising for health.

Nevertheless, it raises important questions about the risks associated with extreme competitive practices.

Potential contributing factors include:

• Anabolic steroid and performance-enhancing drug use. These substances can adversely affect blood pressure, cholesterol levels, heart structure, and cardiovascular function.
• Extreme body mass and prolonged heavy training. Excessive physiological demands may contribute to cardiovascular strain, particularly when combined with other risk factors.
• Severe dieting and dehydration. Aggressive weight-cutting practices and manipulation of body fluids can cause electrolyte disturbances and place additional stress on the cardiovascular system and kidneys.
• Inadequate medical supervision. Failure to recognize underlying cardiovascular problems or complications associated with performance-enhancing substances can have serious consequences.

The lesson is not that lifting weights is dangerous. Properly prescribed resistance exercise is one of the most valuable tools we have for healthy aging.

The lesson is that more is not always better, and extreme physical appearance should never come at the expense of long-term health.

We should admire strength, but we should also respect the limits of our bodies.

What Does a Good Fitness Program Look Like as We Age?

A healthy-aging exercise program should address several areas rather than concentrate on just one.

1. Cardiovascular endurance

Walking, cycling, swimming, and other aerobic activities help maintain endurance and support cardiovascular health.

2. Resistance training

Use weights, resistance bands, machines, or body-weight exercises to maintain muscle strength. The intensity should be appropriate for your health, physical capacity, and experience.

3. Balance and coordination

Include exercises that challenge stability and coordination. These become particularly important as fall risk increases.

4. Flexibility and mobility

Maintain the range of motion needed for daily activities. Gentle stretching and mobility exercises can help keep joints moving comfortably.

5. Recovery and nutrition

Exercise is only part of the equation. Adequate sleep, appropriate protein intake, hydration, and recovery between workouts are equally important.

For older adults, the goal is consistency rather than occasional heroic efforts followed by several days of recovery.

And remember: people with cardiovascular disease, recent surgery, significant osteoporosis, or other medical conditions may need an individualized exercise prescription. Medical guidance and cardiac rehabilitation, when indicated, are important safeguards.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned is that our definition of fitness should evolve as we move through life.

When I was younger, I measured progress by the weight I could lift, the number of repetitions I could perform, and the compliments I received about my physique.

Today, I measure progress differently.

Can I walk comfortably? Can I climb stairs? Can I maintain my balance? Can I get up from a chair without assistance? Can I work in the yard, travel, enjoy time with my family, and participate in activities that give my life meaning?

These may not be impressive achievements by bodybuilding standards, but at my age, they are victories worth celebrating.

My experience with coronary bypass surgery taught me that physical independence can be lost much faster than we imagine. It also taught me that rehabilitation, perseverance, and regular exercise can help us regain much of what we thought we had lost.

So, where do we go from here?

I believe we need to rethink our approach to fitness at every stage of life.

• If you are young, build a strong foundation through exercise, good nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits.
• If you are middle-aged, don’t wait for warning signs before taking your health seriously. Maintain your muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness, and healthy body weight.
• If you are older, don’t assume that slowing down is an unavoidable consequence of aging. Keep moving, keep strengthening your muscles, and work on your balance and mobility.
• If illness or surgery has set you back, don’t automatically assume that your best days of physical activity are behind you. With appropriate medical guidance and rehabilitation, meaningful recovery is often possible.

We don’t have to look like bodybuilders to enjoy the benefits of exercise. We don’t need to lift the heaviest weights in the gym or compete with people half our age.

We simply need to remain as strong, mobile, and independent as our circumstances allow. Remember, one of the greatest benefits of healthy aging fitness is maintaining independence.

I have come to appreciate that the greatest benefit of exercise isn’t necessarily adding more years to our lives. It is adding more life to the years we have.

After all, the ultimate goal isn’t simply to live longer. It is to live better, remain independent, and enjoy the journey for as long as possible.

And if I can still take a walk, do some exercise, and occasionally tackle a little yard work without needing a physical therapist on standby, I’ll consider that a pretty good day!

That’s what I call living For The Good Life.