This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Robert Warden, an 82-year-old pickleball coach in Utah. It has been edited for length and clarity.
In 2016, when I retired from my role as an on-air chef at a shopping network, I was looking forward to slowing down, enjoying myself, and playing a lot of tennis.
That’s not how things turned out. A few years later, at 75, I woke up one day with a sharp pain below my left shoulder that wouldn’t go away. After a visit to the doctor, I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease.
At 265 pounds, I was also dealing with a cascade of other health issues, including prediabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
My doctor told me my health was in bad shape and that much of my remaining life could be spent in pain unless something changed. He encouraged me to swim three days a week.
I told him I didn’t like the water, and he asked, “Do you like living?” I said yes, and gave it a try. The very first lap, I wanted to give up because I was really out of shape.
Within a couple of months, I was able to swim a mile a day.
But I knew exercise alone wasn’t enough; my diet had to change, too. I switched to a Mediterranean diet and stopped drinking alcohol except for occasional social settings.
One change led to the other
As I got stronger, I started becoming more active in every part of my life. I started hiking regularly and began tracking my daily step count, aiming for more than 15,000 steps.
When I could no longer find tennis partners because everyone had switched to pickleball, I joined a local pickleball club, too. Like most tennis players, I was hooked immediately and soon found myself playing six days a week.
Back then, I had been taking pickleball lessons from a coach, and one day she asked if I’d ever considered coaching myself. I hadn’t, but she told me she thought I’d be good at it, so I decided to give it a shot.
I went through a six-month training program and became a coach. In a few weeks, it’ll be my fourth anniversary, and I’ve loved every minute of it.
I ended up moving, and now I live across the street from the pickleball club where I work.
I’m the oldest coach on the team, and I coach six days a week, often for three to four hours a day. I work with students of all ages, and I also volunteer at a local senior center, where I help run pickleball training sessions.
Competing in tournaments is a big part of the culture at our club, so getting into it felt natural. A couple of years ago, I partnered with a player from our club, and we realized we worked well together.
We ended up winning a gold medal at a regional tournament, which gave us the confidence to take it further.
Last year, we decided to compete at the Huntsman World Senior Games — a multi-sport event for athletes 50 and over. We played mixed doubles and won a bronze medal. This year, we plan to compete again, and we’re aiming for gold.
Finding purpose in a new chapter
As I got more interested in longevity, I kept seeing the same two ideas come up again and again: service and community. I’ve found both through pickleball.
When I was an on-air chef, I had millions of viewers and very few close relationships. Now, I have no fans and plenty of friends, and I wouldn’t trade it. I’ve never been happier in life than I am right now.
But having purpose isn’t limited to my time on the court.
One of the greatest joys of getting older is constantly learning something new. I read about two books a week, have learned to propagate plants, and am also taking an online course on AI, which I’ve found really useful.
I’m also involved in community service projects, and one of the most meaningful has been helping with wildfire preparedness in our area.
I also believe strongly that having goals at any age is important, so I try to keep a few going at all times. For example, I set a goal almost two years ago to write a book, which is now nearly complete.
Aging is nothing like I expected. Aside from arthritic hips, I feel closer to 40 than 82.
As I’ve gotten older, I just love every moment that I’m alive. I wake up in the morning and say, “Hey, I’m up. I’m alive, and I’m going to make this day happen — not let the day happen to me.”
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