Fitness trainer Barry’s living life to the full at the age of 67
Last updated 11:35, Wednesday, 02 April 2008
IMAGINE being retired and in your late 60s. Perhaps filling your time watching day time TV, before occasionally shuffling to the shops and preparing for a night playing bingo.
Now forget all that - the stereotype is at least ten years out of date. Today’s 60s are yesterdays 50s or younger - and inspirational Eaglesfield man Barry Johnson proves it.
Barry, 67, is a freelance personal trainer. He fills his days working full-time with a number of world class sportsmen, including Cumbrian World Rally star Matthew Wilson and other members of the M-Sport team.
He’s a keen fell runner and competes in a number of events - including the triathlon - at various competitions all around the country.
Barry is now preparing for a triathlon in Vancouver. He isn’t a typical pensioner and could easily pass for being in his early 50s, but that probably isn’t a coincidence.
According to research, exercise can have a significantly positive affect on the aging process and can dramatically improve older people’s quality of life.
For example, research shows that 12 months of regular cycling can increase the heart function of 60-year-olds by 25 to 30 per cent and amazingly 60-year old who exercise often have higher oxygen uptake levels than many 20-year olds.
Other research shows that when older people are tested for reasoning skills and memory, the best scores are recorded by the most active among them.
Moderate physical activity can delay the aging process, increasing longevity by as much as three years. In fact, doctors have begun rethinking the concept of “age-related” disease. Some research now suggests illness has more to do with inactivity rather than age.
Barry exercises every day - spending his time both in the gym at Cockermouth Leisure Centre and out in the open - often browsing the immense views of Skiddaw in the open breeze.
He insists anyone can get involved in sport and exercise, no matter how old, or just as crucially how unfit they are.
“I train with a 93-year-old, doing boxing and all sorts,” says Barry.
“The key is to make it fun. Training for just 10-15 minutes a day is enough to make a real difference.
“If you’re serious about getting fit, you’ve got to write down what you’re going to do and what you’ve done but the most important thing is making sure you drip feed it into your day to day lifestyle and that it’s enjoyable.
“The most important thing is that by exercising you enhance your life, it should never be a chore.
“I spend a lot of time working with athletes at the leisure centre in Cockermouth and there’s just so much you can do.
“ I think it’s probably the best centre in the area now because of its facilities and location.
“Anyone can get fit these days, age, gender and disability aren’t an issue because there are so many different machines designed to be comfortable for anyone.
“They're all so easy to use, I'd recommend exercise to anyone,” added Barry.
