Fitness Guru

Alt

hough it has been 21 years since the speedy, high-leaping wide receiver Lynn Swann retired from the Pittsburgh Steelers to join ABC Sports, he has hardly gone to seed. At 50, the 5-ft. 11-in. Hall of Famer with four Super Bowl rings weighs just 180 lbs., has a 31-in. waist and keeps himself in shape. And as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, he talks about why you should too — and how you can do it.

How are you doing at 50?

My quality of life is actually better today than when I was 25. I've got knee and hip problems, so I can't play football or run eight miles — if I did, I might have to have a hip replacement. We all have problems as we get older. So I count my blessings. My health is good, I've got healthy kids, and I can be active with them.

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Is it true you do 300 sit-ups every morning?

Almost every morning. When I'm not on the road, I work out five or six days a week at the Y. I get up at 4:30, put in 45 minutes to an hour of cardio on the elliptical machine, the stationary bicycle or the treadmill. Then I do the sit-ups. On three of those days I do an hour of weight lifting with a personal trainer. When I'm on the road, covering college football for ABC, I'll use the team workout rooms.

Do you ever run with the players?

When I first retired I did. Some of the guys would want to cover me. But not now. They'd run me into the ground.

Have you ever experienced a middle-age slump?

I got up to 197 lbs. two years ago. I'd gotten away from any real consistent workout, and my diet wasn't balanced. I was working out with friends at the time, so I challenged everybody to see who could have the most benefit after three months. I went from 197 to 167. I gained in strength and a little flexibility. I won the contest, but everybody benefited.

What about the President's Challenge? You're setting up a new website.

It should be up in a few months. We're encouraging all Americans, including senior citizens, to have a more active lifestyle. When you decide you want to get healthy, you can go to presidentschallenge.org and get the help you need.

Few people of any age could match your regimen.

We're not talking about creating a society of athletes. We just want people to do some kind of physical exercise 30 minutes a day five days a week. There are people who didn't start working out until age 60, and now they're running marathons. Next, eat a balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables. And avoid risky behavior. If you don't smoke, don't start, and be mature about your intake of alcoholic beverages. And take advantage of medical screenings. If you catch something early, you have a better chance of beating it.

All this seems to work for you.

When you look at the benefits of an active, intelligent lifestyle, it's surprising more Americans don't do it. I'm involved in more things at 50 than I was at 25. I've been with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America for the past 22 years, I'm on the boards of three corporations, and I'm chairman of the President's Council. So at 50, it's still a brand-new world.