The competition for the Pepsi grants are intense. I believe in the mission of encouraging children and young adults to live a healthy life. I need your help. Please vote daily at www.refresheverything.com/agelesstimelessathletes. You may also text a vote 102371 to
73774. Thank you for your help.
Please help me obtain a $50,000.00 Pepsi Challenge Grant. The grant will enable Featured Ageless Athletes to present to school districts across the USA. The goal is to positively influence students to adopt healthy lifestyles. Please go to www.refresheverything.com/agelesstimelessathletes. You may have to create an account. Nevertheless, you can vote one time per day throughout September for the grant. Please vote each day and ask your friends and associates to do the same. Thank you for helping.
Ageless/Timeless is proud to announce our new featured athlete Jujie Luan. Jujie is a four time Olympic fencing competitor representing two countries. She won Olympic Gold in 1984 and was an Olympic competitor at the age of fifty. Her inspirational story may be read at www.agelesstimeless.com/featured/jijie_luan/jijie_luan.html
An ageless athlete should be aware of his or her performance levels as they relate to a normative group. We all have 
our niche and typically excel within a certain skill set. For example, as a USPLA power-lifter, I am aware of how I rank on a state and national level. It is tempting to disregard other athletic genres, however that would ignore a comprehensive fitness profile. I may be quite capable of lifting massive amounts of weight but lack flexibility or be aerobically conditioned, but not capable of performing an average number of push ups or sit ups. It is tempting to become isolated within a certain athletic skill area and ignore other challenges. Accolades are typically bestowed upon us for outstanding performance within a particular sport or activity. To step out of that area may reduce us from superhuman to mere mortal status. Even so, all ageless athletes should consider venturing from a comfort to a foreign zone.
Many years ago, I met Master Adam, an amazing featured athlete and yoga teacher, while vacationing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He noticed me as I was practicing Hapkido martial arts and invited me to train with him privately. With quite a bit of trepidation, I conceded. I felt very uncomfortable leaving my athletic comfort zone. Though I was in great shape, my flexibility and balance were very poor relative to his amazing abilities. That session led me to become a practitioner of yoga and dramatically improved my abilities in martial arts, power-lifting and general flexibility. Had I not taken that step, I would have continued to believe I was performing at a high level, when in fact I was missing some key fitness components.
There are two web sites that quantify performance levels based upon age norms. They are the YMCA Fitness Challenge and The President’s Challenge-Adult Fitness Test. The respective URL locations are: www.adultfitnesstest.org/adultFitnesstestLanding.aspx and www.adultfitnesstest.org/
I encourage you to visit these sites and begin the assessment process. You may not be interested in becoming a runner or a sit up aficionado, however your total fitness is determined by multiple facets and should be measured based upon a comprehensive viewpoint.
Ageless/Timeless is proud to include Dr. Joseph Maroon as a featured athlete. Dr. Maroon has distinguished himself as a world renowned neurosurgeon and and triathlete. His success is grounded by faith and family. Welcome Dr. Maroon!
I have tried many different types of exercise regimens to develop strength, cardiovascular conditioning and flexibility. These genres are as diverse as powerlifting, yoga, sprinting and Hapkido Martial Arts. All of the aforementioned activities can be quite challenging, especially if you attempt to reach your maximum potential. One activity I have experienced has proven to be consistently demanding and downright grueling. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is one of the most physically and mentally taxing sports. Similar to wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu involves grappling which requires two individuals to utilize a strategic approach to defeat his or her opponent. This can be accomplished in competition by a point total or a joint lock or choke that leads to submission. Unlike wrestling the practitioner could be considered in a superior position if on one’s back. The position is called a guard which is a position of offense or defense. In wrestling, you would be defeated if on your back or pinned.
This type of martial art is not for everyone. You have to be comfortable engaging in close contact with an opponent. If you are self conscious, this may not be your forte. However, if you thrive on challenge and don’t mind “mixing it up” then Jiu-jitsu is for you. What makes it so difficult is the introduction of an opponent trying to exert his or her strength, strategy and stamina against yours. There is very little rest. Demands are placed upon your entire body throughout the match. You will develop superior conditioning as you develop a remarkable self defense. Make sure you find an authentic instructor, preferably a black belt. The Gracie Family, is responsible for remaking this Japanese art and expanding its worldwide popularity. Most instructors will have an affiliation with the Gracies either directly or indirectly.
One would think Ageless/Timeless is only for those over the age of 50. Though the featured athletes are in fact ages 50 and above, their stories can have an impact on all age groups. The featured athletes all have a common thread indicative of their ageless lifestyles. Each of them started at a very young age, teen or preteen. Their quest for outstanding health and fitness started early and continues to this day. They may have been influenced by a parent, idol, peer, coach or a combination. Nevertheless, each has a remarkable story and outcome that is a treatise to an ageless pursuit. I would encourage all ages to visit the site and gain the wisdom of the featured athletes. Starting early and never quitting is one of the keys to Ageless/Timeless success.
Ageless/Timeless is pleased to announce the addition of Clarence Bass as a featured athlete. Clarence has excelled as a bodybuilder, weightlifter and health and fitness author. In his seventies, his physique is Ageless and a treatise to the benefits of a lifetime of exercise.
I competed in the Iron Lion Open, USA Powerlifting competition, conducted on the campus of Penn State University on December 5, 2009. The primary competitors were from Penn State University, Temple and Yale. I competed as a Masters II 220 pound lifter. I beat the Pennsylvania state records in the squat, deadlift and overall total pounds lifted. I also had a personal best in the bench press. The lifts are as follows: squat 440.92 pounds, bench press 336.20 pounds and dead lift 534.62 pounds for a total of 1311.75. I am very thankful to have performed at this level. The preparation was demanding, but it was worth the effort.
Today I traveled 7 hours to train with an amazing powerlifter and coach, Niko Hulslander. The trip today was in preparation for the upcoming Iron Lion Open powerlifting competition which is being held on the campus of Penn State University. These long training trips have been a way of life for many years. I routinely travel 7 hours to train with my Hapkido Grandmaster Jin Pal Kim or my Jiu-Jitsu instructor Francisco Neto. These trips are an integral part of my Ageless/Timeless lifestyle. The challenges that I encounter during these training sessions and subsequent competitions require me to diligently strive to improve. Maintaining a status quo is not acceptable. By challenging myself to make lifting gains, I will continue to find that drive that is Ageless/Timeless in nature. It is essential that you continue to challenge yourself physically and mentally. This is a mantra that echoes throughout the ageless athletes that I have interviewed. Embrace challenges and stay young!
George Kattouf
