A 78-year-old man from Chiayi County takes pride in maintaining his physical strength.
From doing 100 pull-ups to 100 one-arm push-ups through to running a distance of 6km, Lin Ching-hsiu (林清秀) often amazes onlookers with his stamina.
Weighing about 50kg, Lin, born in the county’s Lucao Township (鹿草), has incorporated exercise into his daily life for the past 40 years.
Photo: Wu Shih-tsung, Taipei Times
Lin said he usually begins his day between 4am and 5am by jogging for 4km on the eastern section of Sianghe Second Road in the county’s Puzih City (朴子).
No matter the weather, the senior exercise enthusiast almost always exercises in the same costume — wearing nothing but sports shoes and a pair of shorts.
Lin said his daily workout and outfit often surprised sports-minded youngsters, with some even giving him a thumbs-up.
However, he said that a police officer whom he ran into during a patrol was so worried that he might catch a cold that he requested Lin “to put some clothes on.”
“The truth is I have not caught a cold in the past 50 years,” Lin said, adding that it was one of the benefits of daily workouts.
When he was younger, Lin even started his exercise routine at 2am at a playground of a nearby school, around which he could run about 30 laps.
To prove his acclaimed physical stamina, Lin yesterday staged a “sporting showcase” at the county’s Andong primary school for the Chinese language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper), during which he performed pull-ups, speed walking and one-arm push-ups.
“Grandpa [Lin,] you are awesome,” a number of young children said.
As for his recipe for maintaining physical health, Lin said that he has never touched cigarettes, alcohol or betel nuts and he only eats home-cooked vegetables and fish.
Lin’s healthy lifestyle seems to be paying off, as his latest medical report showed that aside from having cataract, the 78-year-old is perfectly healthy.
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