#2. When the Body Changes/ Brilliant Aging
What Makes Reaching 75 So Significant?
In longevity circles, it’s often called the “biological cliff.” The idea is simple—and unsettling: sometime in our 70s, physical and cognitive function can begin to decline faster than in earlier decades.
That’s where the distinction between lifespan (how long you live) and health span (how well you live) becomes impossible to ignore. Seventy-five is considered a cliff because, without a proactive approach to exercise, nutrition, and stress management, the body’s systems tend to break down more rapidly.
What This Means to Me
I often remind myself that the Bible calls the body a temple—though these days it can feel more like the Temple of Doom. In my 20s and 30s, I treated it less like a sacred structure and more like an amusement park.
At this stage of my life, most of my body systems are still functioning reasonably well. No heart disease. No diabetes. No cancer. That’s likely a combination of good habits and good genetics—or, as I like to say, being born into the right family. Orthopedically, however, it’s a different story. Years of activity layered on top of genetic predisposition have left me with a history of knee and shoulder surgeries and a growing familiarity with arthritis.
But it’s about more than physical training. It’s about a life well-lived. I would say this: speak your truth, do the work, love God and others, and accept what you can’t control. And that, in turn, brings us back to training.
My Approach to Training
I train for strength, mobility and heart health. I’ve been doing it for a long time, and it’s been a big part of my successful aging. Notice that I said successful aging, not anti- aging. The only anti-aging strategy that I can think of is dying, More about that in the last section.
The earlier you start, the more likely you are to have a good outcome. But I am also training people who are coming to the gym for the first time in their 70s and 80s. They are learning to move better as they get stronger and more mobile. The important thing is not when you begin, but that you take the step to begin at all.
Performing full-body workouts 2-3 times a week, with strength exercises that support how you move in real life, is a good start. Elevating your heart rate both in and outside the gym is also a part of it. And doing mobility work as often as you can rounds out a balanced training approach. That’s how I train myself and my clients.
Training Body, Mind, and Spirit
Aging successfully involves a dynamic tension between “raging against the dying of the light” and graciously accepting the things we cannot control as we age. Time shortens. Strength changes. But you get clearer about what matters.
For me, I am inspired by the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 4:16). “So, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Here’s to renewal.
If you have any questions, you can reach me at bruce.coach@gmail.com
If you like this blog series, please share it with a friend.