Basketball, anyone?

For longtime friends Jose Serrano and Mario Rodriguez, shooting hoops is part of a stay-healthy routine that other 50- to 60-year-olds may want to follow.

“We play basketball and sometimes soccer. And walking. Walking is very good for us,” says Mario (left), 63.

Mario and Jose, 58, met while working construction and have remained friends for more than 20 years.

Mario is a scaffold builder and insulator. Jose is a boilermaker who also does insulation. It’s physically challenging work that requires a sound body.

“Feel my muscle,” Mario says, proudly offering his right arm.

After I give his biceps a quick squeeze, Jose also holds out his arm for a similar test of strength. No flab in either case.

Mario returns the favor and then issues a polite laugh at my scrawniness.

“What we do is hard work. We have to be very strong,” Mario says. “If we don’t exercise, if we don’t stay in good shape, the work is harder.”

A proper amount of sleep and a balanced diet also are important.

“I like vegetables. I can eat them all day. Fruit, too,” Mario says. “And I drink water, Coke, but not too much beer.”

“I don’t drink beer. I quit,” Jose says.

When I ask why, he simply points to the “I (heart) Jesus” message on his hat.

For Mario, staying active also means keeping up with his grandsons and other young family members.

“They like to play basketball. Right now they run faster than me because I stayed away from this for a year. I’m trying to get back in condition again. I need to keep myself in good shape so I can keep playing with them.”

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“I started running when I was 45 years old. It made a big difference in my health. I used to get upper respiratory infections about twice a year, go to the doctor and maybe miss work. After I started running, that changed. I haven’t been sick hardly since.

“I got into competitions for 10Ks and 5Ks, and I would come in second and third because I was running against people younger than me. But one time I got into a senior olympics, so I was running against my own age. I got a gold medal in the 100 meters. I ran it in 18 seconds. I was 79 at the time.

“I’ve slowed down a little since then, but I still walk three times a week at the nature center and I go to the YMCA three times a week.

“It’s very important to keep moving. In her final years, my wife would hardly move a muscle. She would just sit in her chair. I told her she could still exercise while in that chair, but I couldn’t motivate her to do it. She died two years ago.”

— Bill Jones

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