80-Year Old Powerlifter Can Still Pump 800 Pounds And Inspire Seniors to Hit the Gym:
Mike Palen has practiced Olympic-style weightlifting since he was 12, and 68 years later, he’s still going strong, 800 lbs. strong to be precise. The 80-year-old has been keen to get back in his local New York Sports Club after the easing of lockdown restrictions, wanting to resume training two to three times a week as he has done since Kennedy was in the White House. Palen lifts weights now to keep himself young and this sentiment rings true. Weightlifting stimulates the brain's ability to build new neurons and helps maintain bone density, both of which decline with age. He has also advocated for a company called SilverSneakers, a company that provides workout programs for older adults, and said, “I’m a member of SilverSneakers and I have to say honestly, it should be offered to everybody that’s getting old because it keeps us off the insurance liability!” To this day, he continues to go to the gym 2-3 times a week, serving as an inspiration to older adults to live happier and healthier lives.
One of Britain’s Last D-Day Veterans Returns From France Completing His ‘Final Mission’ – and 68 Years of Charity:
One of Britain’s last surviving D-Day heroes returned home from France after completing his ‘final mission’ and got straight back out collecting for the 68th consecutive year. 96-year-old Harry Billinge has completed what he described as his ‘last duty' to pay tribute to his fallen friends who died on the Gold Beach during the landings in 1944. After collecting at least £50K ($67k) towards the construction of the memorial, he said he was incredibly moved to see the names of his fallen friends carved in stone during the unveiling last month. Instead of coming home to St Austell, Cornwall, to put his feet up, Harry has already been out collecting again to help maintain it and build an education center on the site. He has now spent an incredible 68 years raising money for military charities and said his newfound ‘celebrity status’ meant people were queuing this week to put money in his tin.
Marathoner Runner Stopped By Lupus is Racing Again Thanks to Amazing Treatment for Autoimmune Disorder:
When a marathon runner was put out of action by lupus, a debilitating auto-immune disorder, an experimental trial got her back on track and may prove to create the first safe therapy to stop the progression of the disease. It was during the training for the 2020 NYC Marathon that 35-year-old Sasheen Reid had the unfortunate honor of living in the city with the harshest lockdown in the country, putting her marathon plans on hold. A trial was opening at the same time at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset to study the effects of a lupus drug called Benlysta. The drug has been approved for patients with Lupus for over ten years and has been seen to stop the progression of Lupus and help alleviate symptoms of the disease. Before the trial, she experienced consistent joint pain and hair loss, but after taking Benlysta she found that she said was feeling much better. Now Sasheen continues her running training schedule in preparation for the 2023 NYC marathon, serving as a role model for her three kids and not letting Lupus get the best of her.
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