Two or three times a week, the downtown Denver YMCA is visited by a man whose face is familiar to everyone on staff and most of its users. John Madden, 80, has been exercising at the Y for more than 40 years.
Madden doesn’t look or act his age. He’s filled with energy and enthusiasm. He’ll make you laugh as he describes how he’d beat the other John Madden, the famous former NFL coach, in a 100-yard dash. He’ll inspire you with his dedication to exercise. He has been dedicated to his health since he was a teenager and says he’s always been athletically inclined.
“I still keep going, and I’ve enjoyed it very much,” Madden said of his lifestyle. He’s not just active in the gym. He still works as a trial attorney for the Madden Law Firm.
While exercise won’t add years to your life, exercise can prevent or delay problems with your heart, reduce depression and help maintain your strength, according to the National Institute on Aging. Exercise also helps people maintain cognitive ability, studies show.
“A huge portion of (older) lawyers in my practice have retired by now. I’m thrilled to see I am as active intellectually as I am. If you would’ve told me that (80-year-olds can still work) when I was 23, I would’ve said, ‘Come on, those people are old people,’” Madden said.
Madden started going to the YMCA after he was discharged following nearly three years in the Army. He wanted to stay active. He used to play basketball at the Y, though he’ll admit that he wasn’t the best player. Now he spends his time jogging and lifting weights. He still skis and recently returned from an eight-day bicycle trip in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Not everyone enjoys exercise, Madden knows, but he encourages people to keep at it, even as they get older. “You won’t do it at the same level, but your health is better,” he said.
Walt Thompson, president of the American College of Sports Medicine, a sports medicine and exercise science organization, said older people are increasingly focusing on improving their health through exercise. He cited research that suggests your quality of life increases with exercising.
He emphasized the need for quality exercise and says older people should be shown what they can do to boost their health.
Staff members at the downtown YMCA say they’re seeing more older residents use the facility. One group of seniors heads out on regular runs.
“The people who have been exercising here for 20, 30, 40 years, they are in phenomenal shape. Healthwise they are in better shape than (many) younger folks,” said Melissa Bowen, the downtown Y’s executive director.
One in five Coloradans age 65 or older is considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The percentage of obese Coloradans is even higher for residents ages 35-64. Thompson urges people to focus on their health through exercise, no matter their age.