Walking 15 flights of stairs would be a daunting task for a person of any age, but that only serves as a nice warm-up for 80-year-old Roger Quindel.
Quindel does it every day, climbing up to his apartment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But he doesn’t stop there. Oh, no. The Army veteran, who served in Vietnam, logs 20,000 steps (almost 10 miles) each day, regardless of the weather, which can be unpredictable along the Great Lakes.
Quindel supplements his long walks with sit-ups, push-ups, weightlifting and other physical training to maintain a high level of fitness.
“I work out religiously,” Quindel told the Milwaukee VA. “I’ve never stopped. I’ve been a walker forever.”
And he’ll walk almost anywhere, transversing routes along his neighborhood to hiking up and down aisles at a local grocery store.
“It’s use it or lose it; that’s what I tell people,” Quindel said. “If you give in to weakness, then weakness ends up winning. I’ve seen people die because they gave up, and I don’t want to do that.”
Research backs up Quindel’s claim. The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics found that only 15 percent of seniors age 65 and older are physically active on a regular basis, and the number lowers to 5 percent for those age 85 and older. Meanwhile, many studies have shown that people with less physical activity tend to face health issues later in life, stemming from obesity, heart disease, and cognitive impairment.
Jill Taxman, an occupational therapist with Milwaukee VA, said physical fitness is essential for people of all ages.
“There is never a time in life when we do not need physical activity,” Taxman said. “Staying physically active throughout life allows a person to participate in tasks that they need to do and want to do and maintain independence for as many years as possible.”
Always Raring to Go
Quindel can’t recall a time in his life when he wasn’t physically active.
As a boy, he loved running to and from school. He also sprinted away from bullies and the heavy hand of his alcoholic father. Before long, Quindel quit backing down and began fighting his tormentors, leading to stints in juvenile detention.
He needed a healthy outlet to unleash his pent-up anger. He found it in the wrestling room. The grueling sport changed his life. Combining intelligence and reflexiveness with strength and speed, Quindel became a star at Milwaukee’s Custer High School, known today as Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education. He finished his senior year undefeated.
While he excelled in athletics, Quindel’s grades also improved.
“That’s what changed me. That sport helped me channel all that anger, and I got my act together,” he said. “Wrestling gave me that discipline, and I could prevent my father from being abusive to my mother.”
Near-Death Experience in Vietnam
After wrestling for two years in college, Quindel left in 1967 to join the Army.
Quindel breezed through basic training, wowing instructors with hundreds of pushups, highlighted by the “triple-clap” version, clapping three times before his chest and shoulders came back down.
“If you’re not really strong, you’re going to break your nose (doing those),” he said.
After basic training, however, Quindel’s time in the Army became a lot more serious. Working as a radio operator, he was severely wounded at Hoc Mon during a Viet Cong ambush. Forty-nine soldiers died in the assault, 29 were injured. In his squad of nine troops, Quindel was the lone survivor.
Following a three-month recuperation in a Japanese hospital, Quindel returned to Vietnam, finishing his tour with the Aircraft Warning Control Command.
Coming home from the war, he left the service, finished college, and became a leading voice of opposition against America’s role in Vietnam. He protested the war with Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War, eventually earning a Peace and Justice Award from the World Federalist Association for his work with Jobs With Peace.
Wrestling Leads to Mentoring
Despite his stint in the military, the wrestling bug never left him. He started working with a youth wrestling program in college, forming the catalyst for the City Kids Wrestling Club, which Quindel formed in Milwaukee.
Even at 80, Quindel is still actively engaged with the club, providing guidance and summer instructional camps for high school wrestlers.
Similar to his own story, Quindel has watched kids with very low-grade point averages go through the program, transforming into confident wrestlers and honor roll students.
“We have so many kids who’ve been successful — kids who came from really tough lives,” he said.
Some of the students have gone into the military, including one who is heading to West Point.
“It was fun watching these kids who had a lot of issues, seeing their grades and behavior turn around,” Quindel said.
The Army veteran spent 16 years as a Milwaukee County supervisor until the stress of the position became too great, causing nagging back pain. Quindel realized that poor mental health can lead to physical ailments.
So, he began walking.
Sound Body and Mind
Not wanting to become isolated and alone, Quindel looked for activities that stimulated him intellectually and socially.
“I try to stay physically active and mentally active,” Quindel said.
As busy as he is, one wonders how Quindel finds time to walk 20,000 steps per day. He serves on a board for his apartment building, loves playing bridge, and meets with a dedicated group of veterans almost daily for coffee and conversation.
At Milwaukee VA, Quindel has seen the mental health benefit of group therapy, leaning on the sessions to help him get through his wife’s cognitive decline.
“The VA really helped me on every level with the mental part,” he said. “When you work with someone, you have a chance to figure out where you want to be. And I think I’ve gotten there pretty much. I think I’m at peace with myself at this point in my life.”
Just Keep Moving
While most people his age are slowing down, Quindel refuses to follow the trend.
“The older you get, the faster the decline comes,” he said. “None of us, as we age, are going to get all the things we want in life. But they’re not going to get better if you do less. You need to stay active in whatever level you are — even if you’re in a wheelchair.”
Getting older and slowing down doesn’t have to mean giving up.
“You’re in control, and you can do certain things,” he said, “and make your life, even as you age, pretty good.”
Taxman said when it comes to working out, a little can go a long way.
“Just get up and move, even if that means taking a brief lap around the room,” she said. “The important thing is to move something.”
According to guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services, adults should aim for 150-300 minutes of moderately intense physical activity per week, 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination of both.
“Ideally, this aerobic activity should be spread throughout the week,” she said. “Adults should also do resistance training exercises two or three days per week for health benefit.”
