February 17, 2014. Today is my 46th Birthday. I still feel like I’m 23 years old, yet when I look in the mirror I see a much older version of myself. When I 
raise up my arms, I feel severe shoulder pain; when I take a step to walk, my right quad is stiff and painful. This might depress some people. But I ascribe to Andre Maurois’ outlook on aging: “Growing old is no more than a bad habit which a busy person has no time to form.” Running, driving, and flying around the world on a regular basis keeps me from aging. It simply doesn’t fit into my schedule.
IFBB President Jim Manion must also buy into Maurois’ theory because today he turned 70. That’s right, the man who started the NPC and who currently runs the IFBB Pro Division has reached his 70th year on this planet, and by looking at him you’d swear he wasn’t a day over 49. Healthy eating, daily training, and living his passion is what keeps Manion so young and vibrant. He truly is a role model for all us gym-rat-muscle-heads out there.
As this 17th day of February draws to an end, I can’t help but contemplate what exactly old age is all about. Bernard Baruch explains, “To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am.” Well, I like this rationalization; it perfectly explains why I’ll never truly be old. Yeah, it might take me a little longer to get up in the morning; however, I’ll never stop weight training, eating healthy, or living my passion. Why? Because I love what I do. And Jim Manion has proven that if you do what you love, you’ll live a long, happy, prosperous life.
To me, sharing a birthday with Jim Manion insures one thing . . . that I’ll never forget to say, happy birthday and thank-you for being a role model to our industry and for showing us the way to the bodybuilding promise land!
