My Golden Age Miracle | Mike Rilstone

By Mike Rilstone

Now in my 77th year circling the sun, I’m definitely in the best shape of my life, (relative to my age of course).

In the past, I have written a book and many articles, but this one about fitness excites me the most.

Here’s why: it could help a large spectrum of people, from children suffering from cancer to adults ailing with health issues. What a win/win! 

Read on …

This best-ever fitness in my 70’s has been derived from a personal, year-round exercise regime, increased annually, all based on helping cancer kids via the SickKids Foundation.

You help these kids by asking people to sponsor you on a rider page on the SickKid’s web site. People simply click on “DONATE” on your provided page and it’s all sent directly to the foundation.

Most Canadians, of all ages, can easily replicate this exercise regime, customizing it for themselves.

These year-round workouts have had very profound and positive results, to both my physical and mental health. 

I call it my Golden Age Miracle.

Recently, while watching me work out on my recumbent bike, my daughter Ali stated, “Dad, you have reversed the aging process! You look better than a lot of 40 and 50-year-olds.”

Before I explain my regime resulting in this Golden Age Miracle, I’ll share some of the life experiences and advice I’ve received or observed, which has shaped my overall Golden Age exercise philosophy.

This article will hopefully inspire fellow Canadians to live healthier and probably longer lives.

Over my three generations, I have watched the average way of life spiral downwards from very active lifestyles and eating wholesome foods, to sedentary behaviour with an abundance of greasy fast foods.

Have I struck a chord? Do you want to hopefully live many more years? If so, please read on. You can change. If this is you, you CAN do something about it.

Too many people today are dying many years too early from heart, stroke, diabetes plus a host of other terminal, preventable ills. Even some cancers are caused by being overweight. 

Today, so many people are taking better care of their lawns & cars than their own bodies!

What have I witnessed over seven decades?

In the 50’s, we were told to “come home when the lights come on.” We were always outside burning calories playing: from when school was let out to dusk, (except for a time-out to scoff down a nutritious, home-cooked dinner 7 nights a week).

Kids don’t play outside anymore. I see it. Neighbourhoods are quiet. The joyful sound of kids playing has disappeared. The beautiful, well-equipped playground on our own street is always empty.

And good grief: look at this generation’s diet! Kids are eating high calorie, “fast food” dinners. On recycle days, I see containers jam-packed with empty pizza boxes.

This societal change is noted on page 13 in her book, The Joy of Movement by Stanford University’s Dr. Kelly McGonigal. She documents a study on physical health today. Humankind’s physical activity now peaks at AGE SIX! (Yes, that’s a 6.)

As I turned 70, our hospital’s Head Internist & Cardiologist, Dr. Andy Lam called me. He had seen the results of a stress test ordered by our family doctor, (who was worried about my heart due to all my exercising).

Dr. Lam asked, “Mike, what do you do? Your biological age is 20 or more years below your chronological one.”

Simply, at that time, I was a runner. Since my high school days in the mid ‘60s, sports, especially basketball, has been a way of life for me.

To stay in shape to play competitive basketball, I had become a jogger, running long distances per outing, always experiencing the euphoria of the runner’s high.

Living in Niagara, several times per week I was running through its vast expanse of vineyards and orchards. Sometimes, I would drive down to the Niagara Parkway and run miles along its gorgeous pedestrian path along the Niagara River.

Then one day, that routine came to a sudden full stop.

My family doctor advised me to stop jogging, explaining how the  impact when jogging was now a danger to the longevity of my knees and hips. 

That’s when the simultaneous and timely Golden Age Miracle occurred! 

Almost to the day right after I had stopped jogging, I chanced upon an ad by the SickKids Foundation. They were soliciting for riders for their annual Great Cycle Challenge, (GCC), to help children with cancer. It is held every August for its 31 days.

The GCC has categories for both outdoor or indoor bikes. I registered in their indoor bike class.

You can also ride for someone. For six years, I have been riding to honour the memory of my Mum, Joyce Rilstone. Sadly, she lost her 14½ year battle to cancer in 1981, at the young age of 58. 

When registering, you also set a distance riding goal for the month of August.

Mum and I both adored Canada’s Terry Fox, the Greatest Athlete of All Time. It was early in 2021 when I registered for my first GCC. I started to train daily to try to emulate on my exercise bike what Terry Fox did on foot.

Due to my age, I set my bike on minimum tension to avoid stress on my knees and hips. Slowly but surely over a few months I was reaching 100 cycling kilometres daily, the equivalent of a 26 mile foot marathon.

My goal for August, 2021 was to cycle 3100 kilometres. In fact, I rode 3427 kilometres.

People often question where I find the time to ride so much.

The answer is simply this. I decided to emulate my childhood calorie-burning. I set up a recumbent bike between two tables facing our television.

I have my laptop on one table. Now, whenever I’m on my computer or watching TV, I’m pedaling. That is usually many hours daily.

My wife Marilyn and I are huge sports fanatics. Whenever the Blue Jays or Raptors are playing, I’m biking. Whenever I’m on my laptop, I’m biking. As I type this article, I’m pedalling.

By late 2025, I was riding the 100 kilometres or more daily. That’s when I decided on The 40,075 Challenge.

The distance around Mother Earth at the equator is 40,075 kilometres. By riding 109 kilometres per day, I can ride virtually around our planet in one year. In fact, at the end of June, 2026, I had already biked 24,205 kilometres in six months, being 60% of the way.

So there’s the Golden Age Miracle. At age 76 my weight is the same as it was in high school and my resting heartbeat is 48 – 50 beats per minute.

Now here’s the win/win in honour of Mum. So far, I have raised sponsorships totalling $21,167 for children with cancer by cycling for them.

If any Canadian is looking for a healthy workout programme which will also help cancer kids, register with the GCC and set your own goals. Start slowly! Build up your mileage over time. It works!

Create your own miracle. 

Start today!

YOU CAN DO IT!

Register here: https://greatcyclechallenge.ca/