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Key Points
Jim Owen transformed his health and fitness starting at age 70 through gradual exercise.
His routine includes strength training, walking, stretching and prioritizing emotional well-being.
Owen’s key advice: progress slowly, emphasize functional movements and balance fitness with overall health.
Jim Owen, an 85-year-old athlete, author and documentary filmmaker in California, says he was a “pain-wracked couch potato” at 70. His back killed him, his knees were shot, he wasn’t happy with his weight and his right rotator cuff was frozen.
But it was a statistic he read at 70 years old that turned his life around.
“I read that if you make it to 70, the odds are, you’ll live at least another 15 years,” he recalls. “I couldn’t help thinking, ‘If I look and feel this bad now, what’s it going to be like when I’m 80?’”
He started his fitness journey by walking a few blocks, then walking farther and faster each week. “I was surprised by how much better I felt after just a couple of months,” he tells Parade. “That encouraged me to take the next step and give the gym a try.”
At first, Owen says he couldn’t do a single “real” pushup and felt embarrassed—but he didn’t let that stop him. Rather, he hired a personal trainer who was experienced in advising older adults and people in rehab.
The results came through: Owen’s back pain eased in about a year and disappeared in roughly two years. His knees and shoulders improved too.
“In all honesty, it took four to five years of steady effort and improvement before I could truly say I was in the best shape of my life, doing, for example, sets of 50 pushups—something I never would have dreamed of before,” he says.
If you think you’re too old or in pain to get into the best shape of your life, learn from Owen. He feels empowered by the control we have over the aging process and believes that “it’s never too late to become more fit.”
Ahead, he shares the workout routine that works so well for him.
Related: ‘I’m 100 and in the Best Shape of My Life—This Is the Exact Workout Routine I Swear By’
Owen’s Weekly Workout Routine
Strength training
Three times a week, Owen engages in strength training that’s focused on functional movements with free weights and machines. More specifically, this typically entails:
Planks for 20-60 seconds
Squats (first with just body weight, then gradually adding weight) for 8-10 reps
Lat pulldowns (starting with a resistance band over a high bar and moving to a machine) for 8-10 reps
Lunges (starting with just body weight, then gradually adding weight, then moving into a walking lunge) for 8-10 reps
Pushups (starting from a bar/bench, then progressing to elevating his feet on a bench and Bosu ball) for 8-10 reps
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Walking
Owen goes on 30-minute walks three times a week too. Walking has a ton of benefits: lowered blood pressure, less stiffness and joint pain, improved bone and brain health, a lower risk of cancer, improved sleep, stress relief and more.
Related: This One Change Will Make Your Walks More Effective, According to Personal Trainers
Other Ways Owen Stays Healthy
Being “in shape” and healthy is about more than just consistent workouts. Owen also incorporates the following into his life:
Maintaining a positive attitude and emotional well-being, including self-confidence
Prioritizing sleep
Managing stress
Listening to his body when it needs recovery
Focusing on reducing inflammation through his food choices
Remembering that small, incremental progress can lead to cumulative results
Related: This Is the Absolute Best Walking Workout for People Over 50, According to a Physical Therapist
Owen’s 7 Key Lessons About Getting Fit When You’re Older
With all he’s learned, Owen wants other adults to know seven key truths if and when they pursue a more structured fitness routine.
1. Think in terms of functional fitness
What types of movement do you need to do in your everyday life, and how can you practice them now to reduce pain and stiffness later? For example, functional strength training could entail squatting to make it easier to get up from your seat, hinging from the hip to help with grabbing laundry or a vertical push-up if you often find yourself storing luggage in an overhead compartment at home or on a plane.
2. Ease into it (and keep it steady)
You don’t have to go too hard or too fast. In fact, that can be unhelpful. Owen started with five- to 10-minute walks a day. He encourages aiming for slow, steady progress, noting that small steps can build up to long strides.
3. Don’t forget about strength training
This is especially important as you age. By building strength in various areas of your body—from your arms to your legs to your core—you can preserve both muscle and bone mass (which decreases as you get older) and promote longevity.
Related: This Is What Happens to Your Body if You Do 10 Pushups Every Day
4. Build a foundation
Core strength is important too, Owen says. It helps mobilize your body and can reduce back pain.
5. Keep it simple
As mentioned, you don’t have to go fast or hard. It’s OK to keep to the “basics” and do at-home workouts with some squats, pushups and planks, for example. You also don’t have to lift heavy, Owen adds—more isn’t necessarily better.
6. Remember flexibility exercises and stretching, too
Before and after workouts, remember to stretch and work on your flexibility. This could look like the “pigeon stretch” or using a foam roller on your hamstrings, to name a couple of examples.
7. Practice balancing
Last but not least, consider adding in some exercises that improve balance, like walking backward. This is key to avoiding falls.
Related: This Is the #1 Way to Improve Your Workouts if You’re Over 50, According to a Physical Therapist and Personal Trainer
Owen adds that his goal isn’t perfection or even longevity, but prevention, strength and the ability to live life fully. He knows he needs to do something for his body and his health, and he does what he can.
“Somewhere between 50 and 70, the aging process begins to take hold if you’re not doing something to counteract it, especially if you’ve spent years sitting in front of a laptop or TV screen, in some vehicle or behind a desk,” Owen says.
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