Staying Fit As You Age (Without Going Full Ironman)

Show Notes

May is Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate older adults, recognize advocates supporting aging communities, and embrace the journey to healthy aging. It’s also Physical Fitness and Sports Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, making this the perfect time to explore the connection between fitness and healthy aging with five-time reigning California’s Strongest Man and physician, Dr. Andrew Mock. When Dr. Mock isn’t pulling 16-wheelers or lifting 225-pound scuba tanks, he’s promoting health, wellness, and longevity as Director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum.

Throughout his career, he has championed the long-term benefits of exercise and made it his mission to lead by example. Join us as we discuss the many benefits of movement and share simple ways to begin your own fitness journey.

Episode Transcript

Katie Riley:

Hello, and welcome to This Is Growing Old, the podcast all about the common human experience of aging. I’m Katie Riley, vice president of communications at the Alliance for Aging Research, and I’m pleased to be your host today. May is Older Americans Month, a time to celebrate the contributions of older adults, recognize the work of advocates supporting aging communities, and embrace the journey to healthy aging. May is also Physical Fitness and Sports Month, so who better to explore the connection between fitness and healthy aging than four-time reigning California Strongest Man and physician, Dr. Andrew Mock, who we have with us today. When Dr. Mock isn’t pulling semi-trucks or lifting 225 pounds scuba tanks, I hope we get into that a little bit later, he’s promoting health and wellness and longevity, as the director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine residency curriculum.

Throughout his career, Dr. Mock has championed the long-term benefits of exercise, and has made it his mission to lead by example. Today, we’re excited to talk about some of these benefits and share a few easy steps to get you started in your fitness journey, whether you can lift tons or lift a few pounds. Dr. Mock, thank you so much for joining us today.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Thank you for having me, Katie. So excited to talk about one of my favorite topics, and it’s taken me a long time to feel comfortable talking about myself, but I can officially say as of March of this year, it’s officially five time California Strongest Man.

Katie Riley:

Well, congratulations.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Thank you.

Katie Riley:

As a fitness expert, physician, and champion athlete, you’ve dedicated your career to health and wellness, obviously five time California’s Strongest Man, but you weren’t always the Strongest Man. What inspired you to get into this fitness space and become a leading voice in this area?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

There’s a very related, silly quote, “Even the man that wants to move mountains starts by lifting small stones.” So, I started with my own health journey. I actually dropped out of high school for health reasons, I had four abdominal surgeries and was very sick, and it was my own fitness journey that actually helped me regain control of my own health. And through that journey, learning about nutrition, learning about exercise, I really realized that I enjoy teaching. And the root word for doctor is docere in Latin, which means to teach. So, that is what brought me to medicine is wanting to be able to teach all of this great information that I was learning about nutrition and exercise. And then, as I got involved in medicine and I realized we spend so much time taking care of people that are sick, and people come to us at the hospital, at the clinic, when they are sick, but we don’t do this extra piece, which is going to them where they take care of their health.

So, this whole idea, could the gym and the clinic be the same thing was something that sat in my head ever since my first year of medical school. And we’re doing a great job of working our way towards that being actuality, with my current program and our national efforts, but it’s a journey, and it’s an important one because we know that exercise is medicine that improves so many chronic health conditions.

“Even the man that wants to move mountains starts by lifting small stones.”

Katie Riley:

Yeah. Well, let’s get into that a little bit. According to an April 2026 study, very recent study, fewer than half of Americans meet the federal physical activity guidelines. It’s even worse for adults 65 and older, with roughly 14% meeting these recommendations for both aerobic and muscle strengthening activities. What do you feel are the biggest factors contributing to inactivity in the United States?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

This is such a multifactorial problem, but let’s do our part to address one of those issues right now, and that’s knowledge. So, the current guidelines are for all adults, regardless of age, to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity throughout the week, and a very important and not or, and two days a week of muscle strengthening for all major muscle groups at least two days per week. So, both the conditioning as well as the strengthening activity, the factors that contribute to it can go all the way from public health design. In the US, we are a very car-centric environment, we are much less likely to actively commute to work. And then when we think about the unique issues that impact older adults, when we collect more laps around the sun, that gives us greater exposure to things that are likely to impact our health.

So, older adults have a greater prevalence of chronic health conditions that may impact their ability to remain active. And then there’s a very important cultural event that happens, it’s actually one that makes me very cautious in my clinic, and that is retirement. So, now instead of being in the workforce, being forced to leave the house, being forced to socially interact, and move to be able to do our occupation, that stress is taken away. And so, now there has to be an active choice to leave the house to maintain your health.

Katie Riley:

Collecting laps around the sun, I love that. We may start using that. We’ll have to give you a credit on that one.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Yeah, I think it frames it as an accomplishment, right? So, I forget how many billions of miles that is in a person’s lifetime, but it is quite a lot if you want to think about it that way.

Katie Riley:

Yeah, I love that. So, I think part of the issue that feeds into this is that many people focus on the aesthetics of fitness, chiseled abs, weight loss, making that perfect body, getting that achieved, but those goals aren’t always sustainable and may not address the unique challenges that come in older adulthood, like you’ve mentioned with health, such as declining functional strength or loss of independence. So, in your opinion, what are some healthier or more meaningful motivators to getting fit?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Absolutely. And very important to focus on these health side effects because the aesthetics… And you probably should think about the aesthetics as a side effect that just happens to happen with all these other additional benefits that come in. But we know that strength, your ability to produce force, power, how fast you can produce that force, and cardiorespiratory fitness are three of the largest predictors of long-term health. But not just long-term health, also adding life to those years. Having that function to be able to do all those tasks that you wanted to do while you’re in the workforce, and now you’re retired and have the opportunity to be able to do them. So, just an important statistic for us all to remember, by being physically active, you are less likely to die for any reason by about 25%. So, as I like to frame it, physical activity literally makes you harder to kill for any reason.

Katie Riley:

I like that. While exercise can certainly help people reach their ideal physique, many of the greatest benefits just aren’t visible. So, with May also being Mental Health Awareness Month, what are some of the mental health benefits to exercise that people can feel even if others can’t see them?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

And the mental health benefits are actually one of the most important ones that people should focus on, because our brains do much better focusing on short-term outcomes. And when it comes to lifestyle interventions, there is no intervention like physical activity that provides the second to second return on investment compared to being physically active. Because it only takes 30 to 40 seconds of effort, whether that’s standing up and down from your chair 10 times in a row, or doing what I call the water cooler walk, which is that three-minute brisk walk back to the water cooler and back, to start getting mental health benefits. And that’s improved mood, improved social interactions, our thinking is more clear, and then that stress reduction piece is immediately recognizable.

So, I think everyone’s high school coach, if you had one, taught you this when you were acting up, what did they do? Granted, this was in the form of punishment, but now you can think about it as a reward to yourself to help improve health, take a lap and you’ll immediately feel those benefits.

…there is no intervention like physical activity that provides the second to second return on investment compared to being physically active.

Katie Riley:

I have a cross-country high school runner, my son, who has that, “My sport is your sports punishment.”

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Yes.

Katie Riley:

He’s a big runner, I’m a big runner. So I know that on the days that I don’t get my run in in the morning, I am not as happy to be around, as pleasant to be around, and I’m sure my coworkers have noticed that too. But it’s so true, just getting up and getting a drink of water, moving your body, pumping your blood, so important for your mental clarity. For many older adults, building a sustainable fitness routine can just feel really intimidating and is really unrealistic for a lot of folks. So, what are some simple approachable exercises that aging adults can incorporate into their daily lives? Kind of like your example of just walking to the water cooler, some simple things like that.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

And it’s a great point, because if I framed it in terms of you need to be getting that at least 150 minutes and you’re currently doing zero, that feels like an astronomic amount. So, the important thing is that all activity, any amount of time starts providing benefit. So, what can you do to make today not be what I call a zero day? Because even if I don’t go to the gym today, if I do that one squat when I get out of my car before I walk inside and choose to be inactive because it’s been a long day, that one squat is better than that zero. So, some great behaviors to do are to attach it to something that you’re really good at doing already. So, if your morning routine includes walking your dog, so when you walk your dog after you hang up the leash on the hook in the house, why not go ahead and knock out those 10 squats? It’s a great way to incorporate it in just the daily life. And then if you do additional exercise, planned exercise on top of that, it’s also additional benefit.

Katie Riley:

Great. Great tip. I think most people can visualize coming in, closing the door, taking off your shoes, okay, what do I do next? Instead of just sitting, do something else, and it can be small. What is one thing you’d tell an older adult to do if they wanted to begin their fitness journey tomorrow?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Find the place to start, and that can be challenging if you have those health conditions that are currently limiting your mobility. So, of course I’m biased as a physician, talk to your physician and find out about what resources are available to you. There are plenty of community-based resources that are out there, whether that’s your local SilverSneakers program or the Council on Aging, then find someone that you can connect with with your activity. So, it’s a great way to increase success is having that social connection that’s part of it. But just remember that any amount of activity is providing benefit, so if you ever find yourself saying, I will do that later, or I will do that tomorrow, what if in that moment you just decided I might still do it later or tomorrow, but what can I do right now just to make sure that later isn’t the thing that pushes it off? We’ve at least checked the box in make today not a zero day.

Katie Riley:

Yeah, you can start any day, it doesn’t have to be a Monday. I think a lot of people say, “Oh, I’ll do that on Monday,” and then Monday comes and weeks go by. Doesn’t have to start on Monday, and that’s great to think about it even more condensed as in the time of the day. So, one more, and we’ve got a lot of great information here, and thank you again, Dr. Mock. We’ve got one more serious question before we get into the fun stuff. So, over the years, the Alliance for Aging Research has done a great deal of education and educational campaigns around sarcopenia, we found that a lot of older adults don’t know what that is or don’t realize that they’re experiencing it until it is too late. And as you know, sarcopenia is a condition that causes extreme loss of muscle mass and strength as someone grows older. Can you talk about the importance of strength training as we age and how this can possibly combat future muscle loss?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Absolutely. And again, remember that if you cannot stand up from a chair, you cannot do a walking program or take those vacations that you want to take. So, right now we estimate that with older adults, around 15% have this sarcopenia or this age-related muscle mass and function loss. I actually think it’s higher than that, we are just not good at screening for this in healthcare. And what are the consequences of that? One out of four older adults falls each year, and one out of four of those falls causes a significant injury that requires medical intervention. And so, that is such a palpable place that we can create this change is reducing that fall risk. Because if we do not do something, the natural process is that for every decade after 30, we will lose three to 8% of our body’s muscle mass. And then that accelerates at 60 for lots of reason, retirement, the R word, might be one of those reasons, and that cultural shift that happens with that.

And so, actively doing something, and very important to remember that there is no age that is too late to start because we have research with 90-year-olds in nursing homes that are not currently walking, that are started on a progressive strength training program, and then over several months they’re able to progress to independently standing.

…there is no age that is too late to start…

Katie Riley:

Wow.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

And being able to be more active. So, just picture that person who is confined to their room because of physical capability, and what that progressive resistance training is able to do to bring them back into the world and that social interaction with their friends around them.

Katie Riley:

Wow, that’s incredible. Yeah, it really is never too late. Well, thank you for all of the awesome information here. We have two questions that we ask all of our guests at the end of each episode. So, the first one is, when you were younger, what did you imagine that growing older would be like? Did you think you’d be California’s Strongest Man five times?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

No, back then I actually thought that I was going to be a professional bodybuilder, but I realized that your legs have to grow. There’s not a lot of tall bodybuilders, it takes a lot more muscle to be able to accomplish that. But to be completely honest, Katie, my dad died at 62 of esophageal cancer.

Katie Riley:

Oh, I’m sorry.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

So, the math will tell you that I’m going to be the longest living male in my family. And so, thinking about all the lifestyle factors that contributed to my dad’s health and those years that he missed as a consequence of that have been such a huge motivator. So, in a lot of ways it’s create the silver lining for things like that, where that is very strong motivation to make sure that people get this very powerful intervention. And yeah, it just brings a lot of perspective to things. But I don’t know that I could have ever envisioned the crazy life that I have owning a gym, picking up very heavy rocks, getting to do the thing that I love every single day, which is teaching people how to improve their health.

Katie Riley:

Yeah. I saw a few videos just doing a little bit of research of throwing, it looked like kegs over a wall kind of thing.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Yes. Yes.

Katie Riley:

I don’t know who comes up with the design for this competition, but I would never have thought to throw something like that. I don’t know if that was on your purview or not.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Yeah, sometimes you just have to embrace the circus act. And at the end of the day, one of the biggest reasons that I remain physically active, and have despite the very challenging rigors of medical education, is because I realize that if I do it, I am that example of this is the health impact that it can have. And so, when I talk to my patients about physical activity, because I am living it, it just shows all that much more that I feel it is absolutely critical.

Katie Riley:

Yeah, it’s important to be a good example and it sounds like you’re a great one. Final question, what do you enjoy the most about growing older?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

I think the most important thing is to continue to grow older, collect those laps around the sun as we talked about it. And I think the perspective changes with time, and I’m sure there’ll be things 38 years from now when I say, ah, I really just did not understand that. So, for me, it’s just that additional knowledge that comes with time and part of those experiences, and getting to meet great people every single day and that list just continues to grow.

Katie Riley:

Great. Well, thank you again for being on the show today. Any final thoughts? Anything else you’d like people to think about?

Dr. Andrew Mock:

I think the most important thing is that everyone in your life that you love should be physically active. So, be that accountability partner for that person, get them moving in a way that they can move, but they should absolutely be working towards doing both that conditioning, walking type exercise, as well as that strengthening, and that’s the key that’s going to help you take those vacations with them for a very long time.

Katie Riley:

Yeah. So, that the R word, when retirement comes, you can enjoy it, right? That’s the dream.

Dr. Andrew Mock:

Absolutely.

Katie Riley:

Well, thank you again for joining us on This Is Growing Old, and thank you to everyone listening to the podcast. To hear more episodes like this one, just visit us at agingresearch.org. We’ll see you next time.

This episode of This Is Growing Old was produced independently by the Alliance for Aging Research with support from Novo Nordisk and Amgen USA, members of the Alliance’s Corporate Partnership Council.