Mike Flynn has been an Arena Fitness fixture for many years now. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, coming this weekend, we wanted to take the opportunity not only to honor him for his fitness accomplishments, but to also give him the chance to share his insight into the impact that fitness has had on his life since he started 11 years ago. He is a perfect example of the degree to which exercise can positively impact life at ANY age and we are honored to have the chance to feature him. Mike is a great guy; funny, personable, successful, the kind of guy you want to hang out with. We are privileged to have him as a member of Arena Fitness and very proud of his dedication and the dedication demonstrated by Ani Oksayan (his first trainer) and Max Williams (his current trainer) on his behalf. Happy Birthday, Mike! You inspire us all and we love having you in the Arena family.
Ageless: A Fitness Story
By Mike Flynn
I started training about 11 years ago when I was age 69. I had retired in August and on the following Christmas my wife gave me a present of a dozen sessions with a personal trainer thinking it would be a good idea to keep me alert and healthy.
By keeping to a regimen of regular exercise I feel good about myself. I feel younger than my age. My posture is good and have I have maintained good balance and muscle tone. I feel energized after each session.
If you believe that aging is just a process of deterioration, that is exactly what will happen to you—you will deteriorate, in body and in mind. At 80 I feel as though I will be able to keep going until I drop. That may not, in fact, happen, but it’s sure better believing that to be possible than to give in to the concept of gradual deterioration.
I absolutely feel that exercise enables me to fight the effects of aging.
My family is pleased and proud that I have maintained a plan of fitness for over 11 years. My wife brags about me to her friends and my sons (currently ages 49 and 42) find it tough to believe that I can outlast them doing the plank by almost a minute.
It’s never too late to start a plan of physical fitness. The degree and type of exercise that you can do may vary based on your current physical limitations, but that’s where a good trainer comes into play. Having a personal trainer also caused me to stick with it. It became a twice a week commitment that would have been so easy to ignore if it weren’t for the fact that someone was waiting for me to show up at Arena and I pride myself on keeping appointments.
I can’t tell you how good I feel about myself as I turn 80 and how much my working out at Arena with my trainer, Max Williams, has had to do with that feeling!
