Charles Murray Williams, 82, is determined to help other older adults realize it’s never too late to start exercising or set new life goals.

Williams’ fitness journey began in his fifties.

“I thought I was pretty fit at the age of 54, but I found out I had cholesterol problems and decided to take up running,” he says.

His new fitness regimen was challenging, but he says he soon realized he “wasn’t going to die by going the next 100 yards.”

What’s age got to do with it?

Williams is adamant that age has nothing to do with your fitness level.

“If you make a great big deal out of age, you’re fighting yourself,” he says. “I think the whole point is the idea of a personal triumph you’re proud of. I call them ‘wow moments’ – ‘Wow, I did this.’”

‘Wow moments’ include achieving things you thought you couldn’t achieve or being proud of your accomplishments. These moments, Williams says, are what make life worth living.

“Those little instantaneous things that you can’t describe to others because it might be inconsequential to them, but it wasn’t inconsequential to you.”

Start making changes now

Don’t wait to start making positive changes, he says.

“If you want to begin at any time, now is the time,” Williams says. “People tell me they’re too old to do something or too ‘whatever’ to do something. If you tell me that, you’re right. But if you keep your mouth shut and give things a try, you’re liable to get one of those ‘wow moments’ I’ve been talking about.”

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