When Sadie and Bessie, the famed "Delany Sisters," were in the early years of their second centuries (103 and 105, respectively) they told interviewers, "God only gave you one body, so you better be nice to it. Exercise, because if you don't, by the time you're our age, you'll be pushing up daisies." Fitness gymnasiums ought to put the Delany Sisters on their billboards and quote them into larger profit margins.

Some people get into exercise in a very big way. When Teddy Roosevelt was president of the United States, his exploits at physical endurance were legendary. French diplomat, Jean Jusserand, stationed in Washington DC at the time, developed a good friendship with the president. Teddy often used this friendship to coerce Jusserand into sharing his morning exercise rituals. One day, …