Want to meet a man who is almost 80 years old and probably more fit and healthier than most people you know? Well then, watch this video and meet then 77 year old, now 79 year old, Jim Morris. His very being gives us reason to pause and reconsider so much of what we have always believed to be true regarding age, long-term health, medication, nutrition and wellness. As a once professional bodybuilder, Jim now devotes his life to sharing with others what he has learned about maintaining and restoring health, even in old age.
After years of eating a meat-heavy diet (the old must-eat-diet for professional body builders), Jim Morris was starting to get sick. He had had digestive problems for years, his vision was deteriorating and he now suffered from arthritis that was so painful and intense it kept him from being able to sleep at night. So, he was put on strong prescription medications to counteract his health problems. At one point his arthritis was so bad he had to give himself cortisone injections directly into his elbows just to experience some relief.
Then, at 65 years old he went vegan and everything started to change for the better. He told Frugivore magazine that, “Since becoming vegan, all my health problems have disappeared.” Cutting out meat and dairy turned out to be so profoundly beneficial for him that he now takes ZERO medications. Just B-12 supplements and testosterone supplements. That is it. And the glasses he absolutely needed to wear in order to see for over 35 years…? They practically never get used now. He says that adopting a plant-based diet led to such a dramatic improvement in his vision that it’s now a rare occasion he ever needs to put his glasses on, even to read.
Sounds pretty different from the average 80, 70, 60, or even 50 year old male we know…doesn’t it? So many people in their middle age and older are prescribed medications such as statins for cholesterol, pills for high blood pressure, pills for erectile dysfunction, pills to act as blood thinners, etc. and we have come to accept this medication as normal and necessary to be healthy in middle age and older. But as people like Jim prove, we do not need these medications to be healthy and thrive. And by the way, notice I’m comparing Jim’s zero medications to the many medications that people are often on in their middle age…as in 20-30 years younger than him. Quite the dichotomy, isn’t it?
With stories like Jim’s I always find it so compelling to hear that people really can live medicine-free, super healthy lives, even in old age. And if you remember from my previous posts, it actually was not my love of animals that led me to a plant-based/vegan diet. It was all the remarkable stories I’ve heard, like this one, of people who once were so riddled with medical problems and bogged down by prescription meds, who now live lives free of sickness, free of medications and full of plants.
According to Jim, the secret to staying so healthy and fit is as simple as this:
I do what everybody knows but they don’t do…
I pay attention to what I eat,
I get exercise and keep activity levels up,
And I keep my stress levels down.
That’s it. Those three things.
Want to learn more about Jim? Check out this 14 minute video below and learn more about his touching and inspirational story.
Oh and P.S. Jim still works as a personal trainer, lifestyle consultant, nutritional counselor and professional motivator in Venice, CA. Amazing!
