A busy dad who got fit at 75 is now 96 and cycles daily. He shared 3 tips for getting into exercise at any age.

“I go out of my way to get on that stationary bike for sure. I try not to miss one day. I feel so much better after I do it,” he said, adding: “What’s one hour out of the whole day?”

“Whatever you do, be very active, whether it’s golf or whether it’s tennis or something, but get out of the house and be active and get fresh air in your lungs. The more you do that, the happier you’ll be,” he said.

A physiologist and healthy aging expert recently told BI that spending just 3% of your day exercising — which is around 30 minutes — can have huge longevity benefits, including preventing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Exercise with people

When the weather’s good, Eckenrode goes on bike rides with some of his children who live nearby. He used to bike with his late wife, too.

“We always biked early in the morning and even late at night. We would always bike together,” he said.

A Harvard paleoanthropologist previously told BI that the best way to motivate yourself to exercise is to have a workout buddy. And Gen Z is increasingly combining exercising and socializing in running clubs and at gyms, BI previously reported.

Multitask while exercising

“I try to meditate on the stationary bike to start things off, and then try to plan my day when I’m biking. Or I even pray a little bit too,” Eckenrode said. He said this helps him look forward to exercising, because meditating and being organised “makes you feel good.”

“And I always have music on when I do it. I talk to Alexa, and she gives me my music — whatever I request, she plays it. I need music when I do my exercise,” he added.

A 2021 review of studies published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology found that participants’ physical performance when exercising was better with music they liked. Another review, published in 2024 in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity, found that combining physical activity and mindfulness could be linked to improved psychological health, including helping to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.