From Dentist to Champion

Charles Eugster may have been the most important athlete ever to live. When he died at the age of 97, he had forever changed the perception of what was thought possible late in life.

Charles held records in sprinting, decathlon, rowing and bodybuilding. He inspired countless others to get off the couch and move and he was proof of one of the most important points of TOA Fitness, it’s never too late.

The retired dentist took up rowing at the age of 63 when he noticed he was putting on weight.

At 85 he added running to his workouts and at 87 he began lifting weights. At 95 he took up sprinting.

“I read about high intensity interval training being good for your heart,” he remembered. “So I started sprinting.”

Not only did he enjoy competing, he says he thrived on it.

“When you get to my age the competition is not all that fierce so it’s probably not as difficult as it sounds!”

Charles loved his status as the world’s greatest athlete over 90. Even in his mid 90s, as we learned in an interview with Growing Bolder Radio he had a passion for life.

“To me, every day is fantastic, stupendous, amazing, exciting, glorious and wonderful!”

Eugster was anxious to share the wisdom he gained over the years, and his first bit of advice was somewhat of a surprise. “Never to stop working, never retire,” he said.

“That’s the most important advice I can share.”

His takeaway for TAO Fitness can be summed up in one word: variety.

“Variety is the key to everything,” he said.

“Your diet should consists of all kinds of things that have not been manufactured, that are naturally produced. And the same goes for exercise. It should be extremely varied. You should never do the same type of training for more than five weeks.”

To hear Charles’ story in his own words, head to http://bit.ly/2yzyznZ

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