Life is a series of choices, a distinctive journey. Over time, some become passive or conventional. Others forge challenges, embody determination and ultimately inspire us all. Ida Mintz, mother of co-founder and physician Alan Mintz, chose just such a journey.
In the late 1980s, my mother dazzled the global running community by defying a past filled with cultural and social constraints. At 74, she was the first woman over 70 to run a full 26-mile marathon. My mother finished 10 marathons, although she didn't learn to run until she was 70.
Her amazing transformation, from depression to exuberance, inspired the desire to develop the principles that ultimately led to Cenegenics' successful approach to age management.
My mother's life unfolded in the midst of the devastating pogroms that ravaged Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. Those hostile times were incredibly difficult for Jews, like those in my mother's family.
In the midst of that chaos, her father came to the United States with part of our family. My mother stayed in Poland, hiding in great-grandfather's attic with the rest of the family. She spent much of her childhood without the opportunity to receive formal education, play or run. However, she taught herself to read and write, and became a model of perseverance.
At 16 she arrived in Chicago in the Roaring Twenties. In that era of contradictions - prohibition, bathtub gins, organized crime and the Nineteenth Amendment - hard work was the norm, even for young women. My mother was no exception.
She later met and married Lee Sol Mintz; together they raised three children. My mother was a pillar of strength through life's ups and downs. Her caring, selflessness and intuitive wisdom were a beacon to friends and family.
My mother prided herself on finding ingenious ways to look pretty, even with limited means. "Let me have one good dress instead of ten," she would often say. Her always coiffed hair, minimal makeup and soft voice conferred a classic beauty. Beyond her beauty, her innate intelligence and strong ethics became my barometer for making decisions in life and business.
However, my mother's life was plagued by self-doubt. Her lack of formal education, compounded by the repressive cultural and social mores of her time, offered her few opportunities.
She was caught in a web of double standards. Ironically, these struggles later became the catalyst for my mother's personal success.
The key to that success was her attention to health. She said "I noticed that my friends were getting heavy and I knew that wasn't good. My doctor recommended exercising at home, something unconventional, and it really paid off. I didn't know it was also good for my health."
Her doctor gave her sage advice, "Eat to live...don't live to eat."
And so she did. My mother would literally crawl into a closet and do 50 sit-ups, stretches and other exercises daily. She became diet-conscious and took to exercise long before it was fashionable.
"If something has a lot of fat in it, it's fattening," she reasoned. "I simply limited my fat intake; it was common sense. And I raised my children on heart-healthy foods. There were lots of fruits and vegetables in their diet and no fried foods."
Without realizing it, my mother put in place some of the exact components needed to ensure a healthy life for as long as her biological clock would allow.
At 70, my mother began to change. Her zest for life waned. In addition, many of her friends were ill or had passed away. My mother became depressed, believing that she had not contributed fully to the world.
As a physician, I sought a scientific way to help her. I knew that exercise was essential to keep the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems in shape. I was also increasingly interested in studies that corroborated how we could maintain our well-being and vigor as we aged.
That interest grew out of my own experience. An avid runner in the 1970s, I expanded my regimen in the 1980s to include weight training. The change was dramatic.
That gave me an idea of how to help my mother. Since she was always active, I thought a little running would do her some good.
Precautionary X-rays revealed that she had no degenerative changes and had the knees of a much younger person. That got me thinking and researching even more, and I later became convinced that we can retain or regain youthful vigor for longer, if we get the right hormonal signals.
My mother started running. We shifted our focus from the unattainable (starting over with a formal education) to the goals she could achieve. She hoped running would enrich her life. And it did.
First she had to be taught how to run. Remember, tucked away in her grandfather's attic, my mother never had the opportunity to do so. She could walk briskly, but not run. In a short time, with my wife's help, she learned it. Things never went back to the way they were. Little by little, my mother began to feel better.
Running oxygenated his blood. He rarely caught colds and never had arthritis problems. She ran without pain, discomfort or blisters. Then my mother would take off her running shoes and put on her favorite ten-centimeter heels. It was amazing for a 70-year-old woman.
My father was her biggest fan and would accompany her on runs through Lincoln Park, walking briskly just to keep her company, surrounded by much younger runners. My parents drew a lot of attention for being nicknamed "recycled teenagers."
Wherever my mother ran, crowds would gather. She soon became a legend in Chicago. Imagine how her self-esteem catapulted? She really was a new woman.
"I was reluctant at first," my mother recalled, "but my son advised me to start with a half-mile. I tried it and loved it. I started with walks and worked my way up to a marathon."
In September 1980, she ran her first marathon at age 74, becoming the oldest woman to finish a marathon and placing first in her age group. Three generations of the Mintz family entered the record books that day, completing the memorable race with her: my mother, my son Ari, my wife Gloria and me. We were the first family to have three generations in a marathon.
My mother set the record for her age group that year: 4 hours and 39 minutes. She completed 10 marathons over the years, until she was 85, always first in her age group. Her records still stand.
Running changed my mother's life and helped her make a global impact. Interviews, magazine articles and newspaper headlines said it all: Galloping Grandma. Never too old to try. At 84, she's still killing it on the racetracks.
"When I ran my first marathon, I was the first in the world to do anything. Younger runners ask me, 'How did you do it?' ' I tell them I worked until I did it."
"As soon as I open my eyes, I put my feet on the ground and I'm ready to start," my mother once said to explain her daily routine.
Every day, before dawn, she would do an hour of calisthenic, isometric and stretching exercises. Then I would run at least five miles. Some Sundays she would run 14 to 16 miles, preparing for a marathon.
Predictably, my wife, Gloria, affectionately called my mother "the energy bunny."
"She always carried a plastic bag of grapes to keep herself hydrated," Gloria recalls fondly. "Ida had a stick-to-it-iveness you couldn't help but admire."
From depression to total self-confidence, my mother had unfurled her sails, inspiring others along the way. Letters came to her from all over the world saying, "If she can do it, so can I."
That same sentiment accompanied her at events. "A young man came up to me to thank me. He had thought about quitting until he saw me overtake him. He told me that after that he knew he had to finish the race."
What was the secret? Without refuting it, time and genetics remain our true constants. However, my mother instinctively led a lifestyle that studies would later define as promoting wellness and vigor: regular exercise, healthy nutrition and nutraceutical supplements.
However, there was another key component to living well longer that I was about to discover: hormone optimization. Declining hormone levels can contribute to many of the symptoms we associate with aging. Incorporating hormone optimization into a synergistic approach (along with exercise, healthy nutrition and nutraceutical supplements) led to the creation of Cenegenics and our innovative age management solution.
That discovery didn't happen until after my mother passed away; unfortunately, she never got to enjoy the benefits of hormone optimization, which could have further enhanced her life.
She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 85. Although running would no longer be a part of her life, my mother maintained her perseverance. She mustered the strength to get out of her wheelchair and dance with our son Jeffrey at her wedding.
We were blessed with the immense joy of having my mother live with us her last six months. My wife Gloria took time off from her professional responsibilities to spend time with my mother. They went for walks every day, until it was no longer possible. There was time to talk, to let her know how much she was loved and to celebrate that she had become an inspiration to thousands of people around the world.
On the eve of her 86th birthday, my mother passed away.
Her inspiration continues to touch the lives of people from family and friends to strangers around the world. Our oldest granddaughter has decided to follow in my mother's footsteps and train for Olympic speed skating. She says, "I do it because I remember what Nana accomplished."
My mother's wise words and her favorite maxim have become the heart of the Cenegenics philosophy:
Tellpeople to take care of their health, it pays off in the long run. It keeps you young. It's never too late. If I can do it, so can you. As long as you're well, you can do anything.
My favorite quote is: "Prevention is better than cure".
My interest in hormone optimization grew. I searched the world and talked to researchers and read everything that was published on the subject. The medical literature was piling up and reporting remarkable effects of hormone therapy.
The research was favorable: the synergy of hormone optimization, nutraceutical supplements, healthy nutrition and smart exercise help people live vigorously active lives through midlife and well into their golden years. My mother was a good example of this equation.
I retired from a successful radiology practice and medical ventures in search of something that combined my passions: traditional medicine, combined with a proactive, preventative approach to helping people stay vital and healthy longer.
As a result, John Adams (my longtime friend, training partner and business partner) and I created the largest and most experienced age management organization in the world.
Cenegenics is truly unique in that it helps people reverse the symptoms of aging through comprehensive, individualized strategies. Some of the best medical professionals have joined us to create a medical institute focused on prevention and wellness, helping our clients enjoy a longer life with greater vitality.
My mother would be proud.
Article written by: Alan Mintz MD
