Want To Be Lean and Mean at 70?

Who knew?  According to a new study, want to know the secret to being sexy and in shape at 70?  Play varsity sports in high school.

Fit and healthy 70 year olds who don’t frequently visit the doctor have something unexpected in common – they played varsity sports in high school, newswise.com reports.

"A new study tracked 712 World War II veterans who were healthy as young men – they had passed a rigorous physical exam when being screened for the military – and surveyed them 50 years later for behavior, background and personality factors that improved their health at 70," the Web site notes.

“The most surprising result was those who played a high school sport reported visiting their doctor fewer times a year,” Simone Dohle of ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) said at newswise.com. Dohle, along with Brian Wansink of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, conducted the study.

“We found that many of those who were active on a team over 50 years ago are more likely to be active into their late 70s and as a result have overall better health,” the Web site quotes Wansink.

He adds, “This study provides evidence that can be used to inform schools, youth centers, and program funders about the long-term, hugely positive impact of providing opportunities for children and adolescence to engage in physical activities.”

Now, I'm a klutz who never made JV, let alone varsity anything.  But my husband, who played varsity basketball, never goes to the doctor (the association may not necessarily be accurate!).

And I've had a broken wrist, eight stitches above my eye, two stitches in my knee and three broken ribs, all from jogging.  Guess we know what I'll be at 70!