Health
Basketball players, college kicker, redefine perception of aging
Though many older adults are looking for ways to get active as they enter retirement age a group of men in New York City found are simply sticking with a hobby that they have loved for more than 40 years. Four players, all at least 65 years old, have been going to the same gym in Greenwich Village to play basketball since 1971, The New York Times reports.
Among those who has been part of the tradition since the beginning is 71-year-old Bob Gold, a retired lawyer. Gold says that he sees no end to the weekly full-court games and he and his cohorts often keep up with younger players in their 20s, 30s and 40s who stop by.
In their decades on the court, Gold and the others, Bob Ganz, 65, Dan Rudolph, 66, and Lenny Braunstein, 68, have played alongside some great players, even legendary coach Phil Jackson when he played for the New York Knicks back in the 70s.
"I remember Phil scoring 25 for the Knicks on a Sunday afternoon in Atlanta and coming back here to run with us on Monday night," Gold told the Times.
Gold and his friends are not the only ones breaking down commonly-held beliefs about the athletic ability of older adults, either. Alan Moore, 61, has not only gone back to school but is also staying active by serving as the placekicker on the Faulkner University football team, making him the oldest player to score in a college football game, CNN reports.
Regardless of who you're exercising with or what your sport of choice is, the benefits of staying active through retirement age cannot be overlooked. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy adults over 65 should get about 150 minutes of exercise each week and may want mix in two or more days of muscle-strengthening exercise.
Even if you don't play basketball or football, there are still plenty of chances to stay active in retirement at Sun City Texas. There are a wide variety of clubs and classes available to homeowners whether their sport of choice be tennis, softball, swimming or pickle ball. Additionally, if you're looking just to get a quick workout in, the community offers a state-of-the-art fitness center.
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