科
罗拉多州威尔市(Vail, Colo.)退休人员鲍勃·林恩(Bob Linn)与亚历克斯·林恩(Alex Linn)一年到头都在进行户外运动。隆冬时节,他们会去滑雪。盛夏之际,他们会骑车越过山川。
但他们的生活并非一直如此。
现年81岁的鲍勃·林恩曾经营着一家管理医用电脑系统的公司,他和妻子──现年75岁的艺术家亚历克斯──两人在四十五岁之前都没怎么运动过。除了要保持自己的体重,他们从未优先考虑过锻炼这回事儿。鲍勃说:"当你年轻的时候,健身的事儿,你连想都没想过,你整天忙于养家糊口。"加上之前婚姻所生的孩子,林恩夫妇现在共有七个儿女。
在某种程度上,亚历克斯开始进行锻炼是为了避免进行治疗慢性颈部疼痛的手术。如今,夫妻俩在上普拉提课,进行负重训练、有氧运动和增强式锻炼。
鲍勃承认自己的体力和精力都不如年轻时充沛,但这也能成为一个激励因素──就像夫妻二人能够在一起运动也能激励锻炼者一样。他说:"有个伴儿总是好的。当你动摇退缩、觉得自己状态不佳无法进行锻炼时,另一半可以说,'别这样嘛,我们今天就做个简单点儿的越野训练。'"
自从过了60岁以后,亚历克斯每年都会以这样的方式庆祝自己的生日:在威尔帕斯(Vail Pass)山脉一段长达8英里(约合13公里)、海拔为2000英尺(约合610米)的陡坡上骑行至海拔为10,662英尺(约合3.2千米)的高地。鲍勃则会登上自己的山地车和朋友们一起完成在威尔帕斯山的骑行路线,这样的骑行他每年夏季会进行两到三次。
David Clifford for The Wall Street Journal
他们的日常健身活动包括在其位于科罗拉多州威尔市的住宅附近骑自行车以及与詹尼弗·塞奇(Jennifer Sage)(图中穿黑衣者)一起进行训练。
周日的时候,夫妻二人会骑车或滑着雪橇去教堂。到了冬天,鲍勃会和朋友一起去征服威尔的陡坡或到比弗克里克(Beaver Creek)滑雪场锻炼,这样的活动每周会进行两次。亚历克斯则会在离家不远的地方套上越野滑雪板独自跋涉。
今年1月份,夫妻二人去了卢旺达度假,他们在那里的高海拔丛林徒步远行了好几个小时就是为了一睹野生大猩猩家庭的风采。鲍勃说:"如果不是为了锻炼身体,我们不可能完成我们现在做到的这些,连一半都做不到。"
锻炼
周一和周五,林恩夫妇会参加普拉提课程。长达一小时的课程包含了能够增强深层腹部肌肉的低强度核心训练。亚历克斯称,这些课程有助于提高自己身体的平衡性,而且能使身体关节的感觉更佳。
周二和周四,私人教练詹妮弗·塞奇(Jennifer Sage)会到林恩夫妇家进行融合了灵活度、力量训练和平衡性锻炼的混合课程。赛奇说:"通过进行这些活动,鲍勃和亚历克斯跌倒的几率更低了,他们因为力气不够举不动东西而感到劳累的可能性也更小了。"
夏天,当林恩夫妻二人跳跃着、做着弓步、快步行进和慢跑着上山回家时,赛奇会给他们加油鼓劲,为他们欢呼。有时候,她会陪着亚历克斯一起骑车,并让她在山路间的自行车上做间歇训练。
初冬时节,夫妻俩通过进行改良版的增强式日常活动来为滑雪季做准备,这有助于他们适应山间路面的变化。这些运动项目包括横向跳跃、快速蹲起、弓步和蹲跳。
隆冬之际,赛奇会让夫妻中的一人在一辆动感单车上锻炼30分钟,而另一个人则同她一起进行重量与核心训练。他们在很多活动中都使用了拉力带以锻炼强健臂膀和上半身,同时也有助于改善体态和协调性。她说:"鲍勃的肩膀有点儿毛病,亚历克斯的脖颈也有问题,所以我们不得不异常小心。每次他们觉得有任何的不适和疼痛,我们都会找到另一种锻炼方式。"
赛奇的课总会以拉伸运动或平缓的瑜伽活动作为结束。
饮食
早餐通常是拌了水果的燕麦粥和希腊酸奶。午饭一般来说量少清淡,可能只是一杯奶昔或一片水果以及酸奶。
晚餐通常有鱼和蔬菜,沙拉或谷物。小食可能会有一把杏仁或一片水果。他们有时会纵容下自己吃一片黑巧克力,并总在滑雪后啜饮兑了脱脂牛奶的热可可。
健身设备与花销
林恩夫妻为每次时长60分钟、带教练的课程支付100美元(约合人民币600元),他们的普拉提课程一周总共需要花费约77美元(约合人民币462元)。他们为两张高山滑雪通行证花了约1,300美元(约合人民币7,800元),还为一张场地滑雪与围绕当地高尔夫球场进行的越野滑雪通行证付了300美元(约合人民币1,800元)。他们的家庭健身房配有负重训练所需的器械,一台椭圆健身机,一台跑步机和一辆动感自行车。
Retirees Bob and Alex Linn of Vail, Colo., exercise year-round outdoors. In the winter, they ski. In the summer, they cycle through the mountains.
It hasn't always been that way.
Bob Linn, 81, who ran a company that managed hospital computer systems, and his wife Alex, 75, an artist, didn't exercise much until their mid-40s. It just wasn't a priority beyond maintaining their weight. 'When you're young, you don't think about it and you're busy raising a family,' says Mr. Linn. The couple has seven children total from their prior marriages.
Mrs. Linn started exercising in part to avoid surgery for chronic neck pain. The Linns now do Pilates classes, weight training, cardio and modified plyometrics exercises.
Mr. Linn admits his own stamina and energy aren't what they were in his youth, but that can be a motivating factor -- as can working out together. 'It's always good to have a partner,' he says. 'When you falter and you're not feeling up to it, the other one can say, 'Aw come on, let's do an easy cross-country today.''
Since she turned 60, Mrs. Linn has celebrated her birthday each year by riding her bicycle up a steep 8-mile, 2,000-foot climb on Vail Pass to an elevation of 10,662 feet. Mr. Linn makes the Vail Pass climb on his road bike two to three times in the summer with friends.
On Sundays, the two cycle or ski to church. In the winter, Mr. Linn hits the slopes of Vail or Beaver Creek ski area twice a week with friends. Mrs. Linn usually takes solo treks on cross-country skis near their home.
In January, the Linns took a vacation to Rwanda, where they hiked for several hours in the high-altitude jungle to watch wild gorilla families. 'We wouldn't be able to do half the things we do if not for exercise,' says Mr. Linn.
The Workout
On Mondays and Fridays, Mr. and Mrs. Linn attend a Pilates class. The hourlong class incorporates low-impact core exercises that strengthen the deep abdominal muscles. Mrs. Linn says it is helped her balance and makes her joints feel better.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a personal trainer, Jennifer Sage, comes to their home for a mix of flexibility, strength training and balance exercises. 'By doing this, Bob and Alex have a much lower chance of falls, as well as strains from not being strong enough to lift things,' says Ms. Sage, who has been training the couple together for seven years.
In the summer, Ms. Sage cheers the two as they skip, lunge, march and jog up the hill to their home. Sometimes, she will accompany Mrs. Linn on bike rides and has her do interval training on the bike on hills.
In early winter, the couple prepare for ski season by doing modified plyometric routines that help them respond to changes in terrain on the mountain. The exercises include hopping sideways, fast-paced squats, lunges and squat jumps.
In midwinter, Ms. Sage has one of the couple spend 30 minutes on a spin bike, while the other does weight and core exercises with her. They do a lot of work with exercise bands to strengthen arms and upper body as well as help with posture and coordination. 'Bob has shoulder issues and Alex has neck issues, so we have to be very careful,' she says. 'Anytime they have any kind of pain, we find another exercise.'
A session with Ms. Sage finishes with a stretch or a modified yoga routine.
The Diet
Breakfast is usually oatmeal with fruit and Greek yogurt. Lunch is typically light, maybe a smoothie or a piece of fruit and yogurt.
Dinners usually include fish and vegetables, salads or grains. A snack might be a handful of almonds or a piece of fruit. They sometimes indulge in a piece of dark chocolate and always sip hot cocoa with skim milk after skiing.
The Gear
The couple pays $100 per hourlong session with their trainer. Their Pilates class runs about $77 a week together. They pay about $1,300 for two downhill-ski passes and $300 for a pass to skate-ski and cross-country ski around the local golf course. Their home gym is equipped with weights, an elliptical machine, a treadmill and a spin bike.