“The Fit Generation” is an award-winning documentary that portrays the lives of active Canadian seniors, particularly those in their 70s and 80s. Directed by Elton Huebner and produced by IZE Multimedia, the film challenges conventional thinking about aging and highlights the benefits of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle into older age.
In the video above, you can hear inspiring stories of older adults who continue to engage in physically challenging activities and live vibrant lives despite facing serious health challenges such as cancer, arthritis and heart disease.1
“The Fit Generation” emphasizes that age is not an obstacle to fitness, but may be an opportunity to pursue an active lifestyle and find joy in life. Furthermore, the documentary shows that making bold choices that bring you joy can significantly improve both your mental and physical health.
Healthy older people prove age is just a number
Imagine being a full-time ski instructor at age 82. Here’s a day in the life of George Chelios Nicholas, one of the film’s more active characters. Outside of winter, Chelios Nicholas can be found biking and paddle boarding around Whistler.2
“George Chelios-Nicholas is one of the protagonists in this documentary and is truly a character! He’s a former smoker, has had multiple surgeries and still suffers from chronic back pain – all reasons enough to stay home and bide his time,” reports Eyes Multimedia.3 But Tjelios-Nicholas doesn’t see it that way.Four
“Teaching skiing is very rewarding! That’s why I love ski school. I love people and my job is to make them comfortable. It’s a great motivation to keep going… Technically, my skiing is still improving, believe it or not. I’ve had people say to me, ‘Oh, you’re too old for that’. I’m not crazy and I don’t do big jumps, but I ski pretty fast.
I got stitches in my head after a ski hit me, I dislocated my shoulder, I had two tibial osteotomies because my knees were worn down from skiing, and then I had two knee replacements. I’ve had prostate cancer, but I beat it. I have bad back pain, arthritis, but I’m still functional, but I believe the more active I am, the less it affects me.”
Other characters featured in the film include Lawrence Hazard, a 79-year-old who plays hockey three times a week and keeps himself busy the rest of the time building and fixing things in his backyard – the perfect pastime for a retired mechanical engineer. “I’ve never been sick in my life. I don’t have a doctor,” he says.Five Although Huzar has been living alone since his wife passed away, he is not lonely.
He says he’s content to be on his own and enjoys hanging out with other hockey players on his team, several of whom are his age. Gwen McFarlan is another inspirational athlete featured in the film. At 81, McFarlan is a world record marathon runner, former teacher and cancer survivor who continues to compete in races despite injuries.6
“There are so many people out there who can help you and so many running groups you can join, so if you want to get out and do something, you can. But you have to want to do it – no one can force you to do anything… Having breast cancer has made me so much more positive.”
Now I’m grateful every day I wake up because when something like this happens and you don’t know if you’re going to get out of it, you’re just so happy to be alive and whatever today is, you can forget about it and start a new day tomorrow. I’m aiming for 100, at least 100. I want to run as much as I can before then. I know my pace will slow down, but I’m not going to stop.
Optimism, joy and social connection are common threads
Although the people featured in the film all have different interests and life stories, you will discover they all share some commonalities: optimism, joy and a genuine excitement for life. They all have strong social connections in their communities, they all live each day with a sense of purpose and they all live life to the fullest, in the moment.
Despite facing health challenges, the deaths of loved ones, and other hardships, the characters in the film all lead vibrant lives filled with joy and passion — a joy that is deeply connected to their physical activity and the strong sense of community that is forged through their shared experiences and social interactions.
“For me, the greatest joy is to put myself in a place where I can give something to others,” says yoga instructor Ava Stone, who is in her 70s. She uses class time to teach breathing and stretching techniques as well as meditation, story-sharing, and jokes. Outside of class, she likes to drive around town in her black sports car and encourages others to have fun and create their own joy.7
“Stress comes from not being grateful for the way we are, not appreciating life, the life we have created for ourselves. We attribute stress to causes outside of ourselves, as if it were some mysterious other. In simple terms, do you know what stress is? Right now, you hate it. You want to let go of something you don’t want, or you want something you don’t have.
And I would say to my friends, “Listen, I had so much stress, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Because of what my husband and kids did. Oh, work… and yet you continue to create stress… your stress is your resistance to life putting itself in front of you. This realization has brought me so much joy. It comes from yoga. If you’re any smarter, you know that the mind helps keep you healthy. Open your eyes and be aware of the world.”
The world here is really amazing, isn’t it? Another joy is that people who have come to see me for years understand me and want to come back and talk to me and do fun and crazy things. In other words, they are agile and enjoy life and socializing.
… Only those who have goals, who have plans, who have joy, want to keep their body healthy and realize them. To keep the body moving, to move and strengthen, to exercise the muscles, to stimulate digestion, to sleep well, to stay healthy and in communication with life. You have peace, you have joy.
From this joy and peace came the pure knowledge that if I am unhappy, it is entirely of my own making. The ego creates it all from the beginning, because it has to be important and right. If you let it go, it doesn’t matter. And you will be at peace, but you have to practice it, feel it, communicate it. And if you don’t take it so seriously, you can’t enjoy it. If people take everything so seriously, where is the enjoyment?
Optimizing mitochondrial function makes it easier to make life choices that bring you joy
Fundamentally, joy comes from curiosity and the ability to make choices in life. But without enough cellular energy, you can’t think properly, much less have enough energy left to make positive life choices. That’s why improving mitochondrial energy production can give you joy.
The brain is the most energy-hungry organ, taking up only about 2% of body weight but consuming 20% of the energy used by the entire body.8 Therefore, the brain needs an overproduction of cellular energy to function optimally.
Avoid dietary pitfalls such as overeating Linoleic acidWhen consumed in the form of vegetable or seed oils, it can help optimize mitochondrial function and maximize your ability to experience pleasure. estrogen Endotoxins can also deplete cells’ energy reserves.
However, regular exercise is also a powerful way to boost mitochondrial health and contribute to improved energy metabolism: Exercise stimulates the production of new mitochondria and improves the functioning of existing mitochondria, helping to produce more energy more efficiently.
Remember, in your mid-40s and 50s, and into your 70s and 80s, exercise should be fun and stress-relieving, not competitive. In his analysis, Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist at MidAmerica Heart Institute at St. Louis Hospital in Kansas City, emphasizes the importance of “social exercise,” like playing hockey with friends, over solitary exercise.
In 2018, O’Keefe and her colleagues published a study that looked at detailed, long-term data on physical activity and lifespan.9 The results showed that playing tennis increased life expectancy by 9.5 years, badminton by 6.2 years, soccer by 4.7 years, jogging by 3.2 years, and health club activities such as weightlifting and treadmill running by 1.5 years.
At first, O’Keefe thought the analysis was flawed, but then he realised the social aspect of sport offered added benefits.
“Making social connections while exercising is a gold mine of longevity activities. So, walking with your dog or a friend; [playing] Pickleball is super popular. It’s all about having fun, getting active and being social.”
Happiness and health go hand in hand
This combination of fun and social physical activity is evident in the “fitness generation.” Furthermore, the concept of “pleasure” i.e. The joy of expectationTheir happiness and well-being also improves significantly as they are able to savor future pleasures — a concept that the people featured in the film also fully embrace as they engage in everyday activities that they enjoy and look forward to each day.
Joy and wellness have a deep and intricate connection, and the characters in this film enjoy both. They don’t dwell on hardships and loss, choosing instead to focus on the good around them. The ability to recognize and change this negative thought pattern is another key to cultivating a more joyful mindset.
Instead of dwelling on the negative, shift your perspective and appreciate the small joys and social opportunities. Ultimately, as Stone said, Build the life you wantit’s never too late to start afresh.Ten
“Even if you’re old and lonely, there’s a lot you can do. You have to talk to your friends and neighbors and tell them what you’re doing, where you’re going, where the next community center is, what programs they have. You have to make it a habit like brushing your teeth or doing certain things. Then you can start to enjoy it. There’s no joy in the world. The only joy there is is what you give to it.”
