After watching director/actor Sylvester Stallone’s two movies, The Expendables 1 & 2, I became aware of how physically demanding and challenging the stunts in the movie were for the actors. In fact, after a behind-the-scenes look at how the movies were made, my respect towards Stallone’s physical performance grew to new heights.
All the main actors in the movie were between the ages of 50 and 70. Stallone himself was 65 at the time, and his physical performance was extraordinary even for an athlete one-third of his age. Excellent physical conditioning and healthy nutrition can be the only explanations for his focus and hard work in the movie. Not only does he look extremely lean, but his stamina and endurance were out of this world.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 65, Bruce Willis, 57, Chuck Norris, 72, Dolph Lundgren, 55, Jet Li, 50, Mickey Rourke, 56, Jason Statham, 45, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, 52, are the main actors in the movies. Though not young in age anymore, they are obviously still in their prime based on their physical aptitudes. Norris is in excellent shape and is proof that you can be young forever.
The purpose of this article is to elaborate that with physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle, chronological age becomes irrelevant, and all that matters is how you feel – which is your biological age. By definition, one’s biological age is determined by physiology rather than chronology; factors of biological aging include changes in the physical structure of the body, as well as changes in the performance of motor skills and sensory awareness.
These men are examples of what physical fitness can accomplish at ANY age. Today especially, physical fitness and healthy lifestyle are critical in order to be competitive in any field. Professionals who have very demanding and challenging careers are especially advised to be physically active and fit in order to decrease their stress and win in a competitive corporate world. A recent study at the University of Minnesota involving more than 10,000 students found a distinct connection between academic success and student health. Researchers found that a healthy lifestyle was paramount, even when students may feel that they are in the prime of their lives.
With this being said, it doesn’t matter if you are an actor, a corporate professional, a teacher, a politician or a homemaker. It is imperative to be physically fit throughout your life. With physical fitness, healthy lifestyle, mental and spiritual balance, we can avoid 60-70% of illnesses – so that you too can be as fit as the “Expendables” and YOUNG for a very long time!
As originally published by Samir Becic in Health and Fitness Sports Magazine.
