mostly lean protein and vegetables."
This is a factor as important as the exercise or MORE.
A diet high in natural fats (lard, coconut oil, butter, olive), medium amounts of meats and eggs, and low in carbs (about 60 a day) of low- glycemic vegetables, (no grain, no dairy except for organic butter, and no sugars) is a virtual time machine for turning back the years and weight loss.
I am in my late fifties and look and feel much younger. I am active, but get nowhere near the amount of exercise this woman does.
Exercise is important for health for sure, but DIET is the key to optimal health and longevity.

Having pumped up muscles doesn't mean a person is healthy.

"My favorite thing about Ernestine Shepherd, though, is that she wasn't remotely athletic until she was in her late 50's, when she went to try on swimsuits with her sister and ... well, we all know how motivational THAT experience can be."

I really don't understand this sort of mentality.

Black people age so much better.

And weight lifting is such an underrated form of exercise, especially among women. Keeping your body's muscles toned will tend to keep the facial muscles toned, which keeps the face looking young. Lifting weights regularly is simple and only takes a couple of sessions a week to get results.

Many weight lifters ruin their looks trying to look tan all the time, I doubt this lady hit the tanning bed very often.

But weren't there articles here about how exercise doesn't improve health? I thought according to sott we should all eat lots of bacon and smoke a pack a day and not exercise, ;) .

"Black people age so much better."

All of them?

In what sense?

Maybe it just applies to their looks. It is a well-known observation that blacks and asians looks age more slowly, their skin handles the sun and weather better such that they usually get much fewer wrinkles than a caucasian person would.

I personally doubt its just the diet and exercise; But no doubt in my mind that those are significant factors.

However, I have seen many older people who train and very athletic, and they look terrible. In other words, they exercise too much. I can see the strain in their faces and bodies.

And what about the recent article ( not sure if it was here ) about the old black lady who didn't really exercise at all but was a vegetarian. If I remember correctly she was in her 70's but looked like she was a young 30 year old.

Not advocating vegetarianism but I think genetic factors and knowing your body and what to do with it optimally is the key. What's best for one is not best for the other. I think the lady in this article and the one I am referring too are but two individuals who have found the sweet spot for themselves.

Jack Lalane exercised as or more than anyone,but he didn'nt even make 100. It seems that after 90 or so,no matter how much exercise one gets it doesn't completely counteract the aging process.

"I think genetic factors and knowing your body and what to do with it optimally is the key."

Seems bizarre to me that someone would want to be a muscley granny.

But hey.

NugaBurd said:

"In today's urban crime environment, being "muscley" might come in handy."

Actually, I think in this case, as in many others: it's a bit of extremely bizarre narcissism.

I'm sure there are valuable things to be learned from bodybuilders, but in general, "faith in body is stupidity".... [Link]