Welcome to the happiness podcast. I'm Dr. Robert Puff. Several years ago I went on a beautiful backpack to the high country in the

Sierra Nevada Mountains. I was out there for over a week, when as high as 12,000 feet, and average about 6 to say 12 miles a day.

It was a beautiful backpack and I was with several other people, many of whom I did not know before the trip.

In the group, there was a couple and a friend of there is a woman who were backpacking with me.

They were in great shape, but the part that might surprise you is that

they are all in their late 70s or early 80s. That's right. This strenuous backpack they were

all able to do with ease I would say. Mind you we were all

tired and sore at the end of the backpack but we all were not just these three people

that were clearly older than the rest of us.

Well, I don't know if you've ever backpack before, but the only thing there is to do is have conversations

with your people you're back picking with, or just be quiet in nature. So when you backpack with people

for a week, you really get to know them. So as I'm a curious person, I ask them, how are you

able to do it? All three of you are around 80 years old

and yet you're in great shape

and going on a very strenuous backpack.

And I got the same answer from all three of them.

They said,

they've just always been in good shape. They've worked on it. They've kept themselves in shape.

And because they've been working on it, they've been able to maintain their health, even into their 80s.

Any of you think that's impressive, let me tell you another story.

When I was in my 20s, I ran in my one and only marathon.

It was the LA marathon, and I wanted to give it a try.

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