How to Stay Fit and Active as You Age: Tips and Insights

Inspired by my conversation with Jeff Seckendorf on The Audacious Living Podcast

Aging has a funny way of whispering limits into our ears.

Slow down.

Take it easy.

You’ve earned the right to rest.

But what if those whispers are lies?

In a recent conversation on The Audacious Living Podcast, I sat down with cycling record-holder, coach, and mindset disruptor Jeff Seckendorf, a man in his 70s who is not just staying active, but breaking world cycling records, coaching people with Parkinson’s disease, and redefining what’s possible as we age.

What became clear very quickly is this: staying fit as we age is not about chasing youth. It’s about choosing power, purpose, and presence in the body you have today.

Movement Is Medicine

Jeff shared something that stopped me in my tracks: for people with Parkinson’s disease, exercise is currently the only known therapy shown to slow progression. That truth alone reframes movement. Exercise stops being optional. It becomes essential.

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And that principle applies to all of us.

Movement protects our independence.

Movement sharpens our minds.

Movement reminds us that we’re still capable.

Whether it’s cycling, walking, swimming, strength training, or mobility work, the goal isn’t intensity for intensity’s sake. The goal is consistency and intention.

Train, Don’t “Just Exercise”

One of Jeff’s most powerful reframes is this: stop thinking of yourself as “just exercising” and start seeing yourself as an athlete in training.

Not a professional athlete chasing medals, but a professional when it comes to showing up.

Athletes don’t wait until they feel like it.

Athletes honor the process.

Athletes understand that training today protects tomorrow.

This mindset shift alone can transform how we approach aging and physical health.

My Personal Reflection

Listening to Jeff, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own journey with movement.

I didn’t learn how to ride a bike until adulthood. For years, I told myself it was “too late.” When I finally got on one, it felt like reclaiming a part of myself I didn’t know I was missing. That single decision led to long rides, quiet reflection, unexpected conversations with strangers, and a deeper connection to my own body.

What I learned then, and what Jeff reinforced now, is this: we don’t stop moving because we age. We age faster when we stop moving.

Staying active isn’t about proving anything to others. It’s about honoring ourselves.

Practical Ways to Stay Fit as You Age

Choose activities you enjoy. Fun fuels consistency.

Build structure. Put movement on your calendar.

Focus on progress, not comparison.

Train your mindset as much as your body.

Remember your “why”. Longevity. Independence. Joy.

🎧 Want to hear this conversation in full?

Listen to my interview with Jeff Seckendorf on The Audacious Living Podcast, where we dive deeper into mindset, aging, movement, and redefining what’s possible at every stage of life.

👉 Listen now and be inspired to move differently.

The Audacious Takeaway

Audacity doesn’t fade with age. It deepens.

Staying fit isn’t about defying aging. It’s about living powerfully right up to the moment we can’t anymore.