As you get older, you realize that your body does not work the same way that it used to. However, there are some examples that make you believe differently.
100-year-old Les Savino is one such example. And perhaps the reason for his ability to stay active at such an age is the consistency he has displayed throughout his life…
Les Savino turned 100 years old in August this year. But even though he has become an official centenarian, he has no plans of slowing down. The pilot who taught pilots how to fly B-17 Flying Fortresses during World War II is still living his life large!
He joined the Hanover YMCA in 1983, and since then has been a loyal patron. He drives himself over from his retirement home to the YMCA, five days a week without fail to get in a workout of three hours! Even on his own birthday, he made the time for a visit.
“Most people, when they get older, give up,” Savino says. “You know, it’s an effort to come in here every morning. An effort to go through that, those machines take a lot of effort and people don’t want to extend that effort. They just wanna sit in their chair and watch television. So I come in here and spend three hours here every morning.”
His effort is clearly working in his favor as he proudly reports that his weight has not changed in 35 years.
He has divided his five days of exercise up so that he can get in different types of workouts in. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he lifts weights. While on Tuesdays and Thursdays he does aerobic exercises.
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He also walks on the treadmill for two miles and does eight miles on a stationary bike! A feat not even some in the prime of their life can execute!
“I used to joke that he worked out harder than my 20-year-old sons,” a retired YMCA employee Gary McClure commented. “They’d just shake their head at that and say ‘hey!’ But you gotta see it to believe it.”
His drive for hard work has been exemplary and something he has observed for almost all of his life. As a young boy, he used to deliver papers to former President Calvin Coolidge.
He also met Charles Lindbergh after flying across the Atlantic. And also boasts about a meeting with the engineer who taught Amelia Earhart everything she needed to know about the engineering of planes.
He eventually settled down in Hanover, where he worked in the food industry before eventually retiring as a consultant. He worked well into his 80s, refusing to give up his career until he absolutely had to.
The employees at the YMCA always look forward to Savino’s visit. He has been a loyal patron for the last 39 years and does not plan on stopping any time soon. They helped him celebrate his 100th birthday and look forward to celebrating more with him!
It is so incredibly special that Les Savino still works out and does what he has enjoyed in his life for so long! We wish him a very happy birthday and hope that he celebrates many more to come.
Share this piece so others can be inspired by Les and wish him a happy birthday too!
