“The Fit Generation” is an award-winning documentary exploring the lives of Canada's active seniors, particularly those in their 70s and 80s. Directed by Elton Hubner and produced by Eyes Multimedia, the film challenges conventional views on aging and highlights the benefits of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle into old age.
In the video above, you'll hear inspiring stories of older adults who are engaging in physically demanding activities and living active lives despite facing serious health challenges like cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.One
“The Fit Generation” highlights that age is not a barrier to fitness and can inspire people to pursue an active lifestyle and find joy in life. The documentary also shows how making bold choices that bring joy can greatly improve your mental well-being and physical health.
Healthy Seniors Prove Age Is Just a Number
Imagine being a full-time ski instructor at age 82. That’s just the routine for George Tjelios-Nicholas, one of the more active people in the film. When it’s not winter, you can find Tjelios-Nicholas biking around Whistler or paddleboarding.2
According to Eyes Multimedia, “George Thieleos-Nicholas is one of the main characters in the documentary, and, well, he's that kind of character! He smokes, he's had multiple surgeries, and he still has constant back pain. All good reasons to stay home and wait it out.”three But Tjelios-Nicholas didn't think that way.4
“Teaching skiing is so rewarding! That's why I love ski school. I love people, and my job is to make them feel comfortable. It's a huge motivation to keep going… It's hard to believe, but technically I'm still getting better at skiing. I've had people say, 'Oh, you're too old for that.' I'm not crazy, I don't do big jumps or anything, but I ski pretty fast.
“I got hit in the head with a ski, had stitches in my head, dislocated my shoulder, had two tibiofibular fractures from skiing… and had two total knee replacements. I also had prostate cancer and got over it. My back hurts a lot and I have arthritis and it's still functioning, but I think the more active I am, the less it affects me.”
Another person featured in the film is 79-year-old Lawrence Hujar, who plays hockey three times a week and spends the rest of his time building and fixing things in his backyard. It's the perfect hobby for a retired mechanical engineer. “I've never been sick in my life. I don't have a doctor,” he says.5 Hujar lives alone after his wife passed away, but he is not lonely.
He says he is content to be alone and enjoys spending time with other hockey players on the team, some of whom are about the same age. Gwen McFarlan is another inspirational athlete featured in the film. At 81, the world record marathon runner, retired teacher, and cancer survivor has continued to race despite her injuries.6
“There are a lot of people out there who can help you, and there are definitely a lot of running groups you can join. If you want to go out and do something, you can, but you have to want to do it, because no one can force you… My breast cancer has made me very positive.
Now, I wake up every day and I'm grateful because when something like that happens, when I don't know if I'll ever get out of it, I'm so happy to be alive and I can face whatever today is and forget about it and start a new day tomorrow. I'm looking at 100, at least 100, and I want to run as much as I can until then. I know I'm going to slow down, I know that, but I'm not going to stop.”
Optimism, joy, and social connection are common themes.
Each character in the film has different interests and life stories, but they share some commonalities: optimism, joy, and a genuine excitement for life. They each have strong social connections in their communities, and they live each day with purpose, living fully in the moment.
Despite health issues, loss of loved ones, and other setbacks, each character in the film lives a vibrant life filled with joy and passion. This joy is deeply connected to their physical activity and the strong sense of community they build through shared experiences and social interactions.
“For me, the greatest joy is being in a position to give something to others,” says Ava Stone, a 70-something yoga instructor. She uses her class time to teach breathing and stretching techniques, as well as meditate, share stories, and tell jokes. Outside of class, she enjoys driving around town in her black sports car, encouraging others to have fun and create their own joy.7
“Stress now comes from not appreciating life as it is, not appreciating life, the life you have created. We blame stress on something outside of ourselves, as if it were caused by some mysterious other person. In simple terms, do you know what stress is? You don't like the moment you're in. You want to get rid of something you don't want, or you want something you don't have.
Then tell your friends. Listen, I was so stressed. I can't believe what my husband and kids did. Oh, at work… And yet I keep creating stress… Your stress is resisting what life presents to you. This awareness has brought me a lot of joy, and I got it from yoga. And if you're smart, you know that it helps you stay healthy. Open your eyes and be aware of the world.
Isn't this world amazing? Another joy is that people who have been coming to me for a long time understand and want to come back and talk to me and do fun and crazy things. So these people are awake, enjoying life, and being social.
… Only those who have goals, plans, and joy want to move their bodies well and move around. Lubricating and moving the body to build strength, move the muscles, digest well, and sleep well is what keeps you healthy and able to continue communicating with life. There is peace and joy.
In this joy and peace, you have reached the pure knowledge that if I am unhappy, I am completely creating it. The ego is something you create from day one, and it has to be important and right. If you let it go, it doesn’t matter. Then you become peaceful, but you have to practice it, feel it, communicate it, and if you don’t take it seriously, you can’t enjoy it. If people take everything so seriously, where is the fun?”
Optimizing mitochondrial function facilitates life choices that bring joy.
At a basic level, joy comes from curiosity and the ability to make choices in life. But if you don’t have enough cellular energy, you can’t think properly and you won’t have the energy left to make positive life choices. That’s why improving mitochondrial energy production can bring joy.
The brain is the most energy-dependent organ of all, accounting for only about 2% of body weight but consuming 20% of the body's total energy use.8 Therefore, for the brain to function optimally, it needs an abundance of cellular energy production.
Avoiding dietary pitfalls such as excessive linoleic acid in the form of vegetable and seed oils will help you optimize your mitochondrial function and maximize your ability to experience pleasure. Factors such as estrogen and endotoxins can also deplete cellular energy.
However, engaging in regular physical activity is also a powerful way to boost mitochondrial health, contributing to improved energy metabolism. Exercise stimulates the creation of new mitochondria and helps existing mitochondria work better, more efficiently, and produce more energy.
As you enter your mid-40s and 50s, and especially your 70s and 80s, keep in mind that exercise should be enjoyable and stress-reducing, not competitive. Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist at the Mid-America Heart Institute at St. Louis Hospital in Kansas City, emphasizes the importance of “social exercise” over solitary exercise (like playing hockey with friends) in his analysis.
O'Keefe and colleagues published a study in 2018 that examined long-term detailed data on physical activity and longevity.9 Playing tennis increased life expectancy by 9.5 years, badminton by 6.2 years, and soccer by 4.7 years. Jogging increased life expectancy by 3.2 years, and gym activities such as weight lifting or treadmill running increased life expectancy by 1.5 years.
At first, O'Keefe thought the analysis was flawed, but he realized that the social aspect of sports offered additional benefits.
“The combination of exercise and social interaction is an absolute goldmine of longevity activity. So even just walking the dog or a friend or playing (pickleball) is huge… The key is to make it fun and enjoyable to move your body and be social.”
Joy and health go together
This combination of fun and social physical activity is clearly evident in “The Fit Generation.” Furthermore, the concept of “vorfreude” or anticipatory pleasure greatly enhances happiness and well-being by allowing people to savor the anticipation of future pleasures. This is a concept that the people in the film also fully embrace by engaging in everyday activities that they enjoy and look forward to every day.
Joy and health share a deep and complex relationship, and the characters in the film enjoy both. They choose not to dwell on hardships or losses, but instead focus on the good around them. The ability to recognize and change negative thinking patterns is another key to cultivating a more joyful mindset.
Instead of catastrophizing and focusing on the negative, change your perspective and appreciate the small joys and social opportunities. Ultimately, as Stone says, you can create the life you want, and it’s never too late to turn a new leaf.10
“If people are old and lonely, there are a lot of things for seniors. They have to talk to their friends, their neighbors, and tell them what they are going to do, where they are going to go, where the next community center is, what the programs are. It has to become a habit, like brushing your teeth or doing certain things, and then you start to enjoy it. There is no joy in the world. There is only what you put into it.”
