Health
Meet the 80-year-old man who held a plank for 50 minutes — and learn how he stays fit
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Fitness experts say people should be able to hold a plank for anywhere from 20 seconds up to two minutes, depending on their age.
An 80-year-old Florida man has blown that goal out of the water, recently holding a plank for a whopping 50 minutes — 100 times longer than the average recommendation for his age.
Bob Schwartz held the plank — which is believed to be a record for his age — at the Ocean Reef Fitness Club in Key Largo.
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Luis Bracamonte, director of fitness and wellness at the club, said he witnessed Schwartz’s feat, which earned him the nickname of “The Plankster.”
“To our knowledge, after extensive searching, it is the longest plank ever held by an 80-year-old,” Bracamonte told Fox News Digital. “Mr. Schwartz is an extraordinary individual and a perfect example of a ‘super-ager.’”
Bob Schwartz, 80, recently held a plank for a whopping 50 minutes — 100 times longer than the average recommendation for his age. (Bob Schwartz)
A plank is an isometric move where the person holds a push-up position for a set period of time. It is often touted as an abdominal exercise, serving as an alternative to traditional sit-ups and crunches.
In addition to strengthening stomach muscles, planks also work the arms, legs, chest and back, according to experts.
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Schwartz’s planking journey began when Bracamonte set up a contest in 2016, where any member who could do a four-minute plank would get a free smoothie. Schwartz not only got his smoothie, but he won the contest, planking for just over 10 minutes.
Bob Schwartz is pictured planking while two of the club’s fitness trainers sit on his back. (Bob Schwartz)
“Prior to that, one minute was probably my max, although by this time, my core was in pretty decent shape,” he told Fox News Digital.
As Schwartz continued to extend his planking times, he started researching online and discovered that his times were already longer than the records for his age bracket.
“The over-80 record has been 15:03 since 2019, and the over-70 record was 38 minutes,” he said.
PUSH-UPS BY AGE: HERE’S HOW MANY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO
Schwartz applied to Guinness World Records, but was told that they don’t recognize records by age group.
“So in this internet age, you just post a video of your accomplishment and claim the title until somebody beats you,” he said. “So during this year’s fitness challenge, we decided to video my plank and post it.”
“The hardest part is just making the commitment to exercise, and staying with it long enough for it to become a habit.”
The passion for planking has become a family affair, as Schwartz’s youngest grandson, who is 7 years old, has started joining him in plank challenges.
Schwartz embraces planking as a convenient way to work virtually every major muscle in the body. “A plank can be done at home, without equipment, and in a short period of time,” he noted.
Sticking with it
Schwartz has not been a lifelong fitness enthusiast — he didn’t set foot in a gym until 2006, when he was 62 years old.
After years of suffering from chronic back pain, he finally discovered the therapeutic effects of exercise.
“Since I’ve been doing core exercises, I have never had a back issue,” he told Fox News Digital.
Schwartz started with a core and cycle class, eventually adding strength training sessions to his regimen. He also walks three miles each morning.
On March 26, 2025, Schwartz is pictured immediately after completing his 50-minute plank. (Bob Schwartz)
“When I strength-train, I push myself as hard as I can,” he said. “Many exercise sets end in muscle fail. I’ve been able to improve my stats every year, but it’s getting much harder now.”
Schwartz said he also adheres to a “healthy-ish” diet, aiming for a minimum of one serving of fruit, two servings of vegetables, fish for at least one meal, and usually chicken (or occasionally pork or beef) for dinner.
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He also tries to minimize sugar and rarely drinks alcohol.
“My blood pressure is the same as it’s always been, and I’m not on any medications,” he said. “I do take several supplements. My weight has not changed more than 10 pounds since I was 18.”
In 2017, at the Ocean Reef Fitness Club, the manager challenged Schwartz to a plank contest. “To intimidate him, I came up with ‘The Plankster’ persona,” Schwartz said. “I beat him and the legend grew.” Here, his “fan club” helps celebrate his victory. (Bob Schwartz)
“The hardest part is just making the commitment to exercise, and staying with it long enough for it to become a habit and part of your lifestyle,” he said.
For those just getting started with planking and fitness in general, Schwartz recommends seeing a trainer to learn the proper form and minimize the chances of injury.
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He also emphasized the importance of maintaining balance, especially in older age.
“Pick up a foot as you stand in a line; move it around as you wait,” he recommended. “A fall and a trip to the hospital at an advanced age can be devastating.”
Schwartz is pictured with his daughter and 7-year-old grandson, all of whom engaged in a plank challenge. (Bob Schwartz)
Looking ahead, Schwartz said he hopes to continue exercising and maintaining his current fitness level.
“I’m going to try and at least maintain it as best as I can until the end,” he said.
“I enjoy a lot of different activities, but they all require a modicum of strength and agility. So until they come up with that magic exercise pill, I guess I’ll keep going to the gym.”
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Colorectal cancer, once considered a disease of older age, is becoming a crisis for younger adults. New research shows one group getting hit the hardest – those without a college degree.
A recent study from the American Cancer Society analyzed data from over 101,000 adults aged 25 to 49 who died from colorectal cancer between 1994 and 2023.
While death rates remained stable for college graduates, they climbed significantly for those without a bachelor’s degree, the findings showed.
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For young adults with a high school education or less, the mortality rate rose from 4.0 to 5.2 per 100,000 people, while the rate for those with at least a bachelor’s degree stayed flat, at approximately 2.7 per 100,000.
This does not mean that a degree offers some kind of biological protection, researchers cautioned.
Colorectal cancer, once considered a disease of older age, is becoming a crisis for younger adults. (iStock)
The difference is likely driven by the conditions in which people live and work, which often correlate with education levels, the researchers noted.
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The study suggests that the higher death rates are likely driven by differences in the prevalence of risk factors, including obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and diet, which are “known to be elevated among children and young adults with lower [socioeconomic status].”
Because the study relied on death certificates, researchers couldn’t say exactly why college graduates had better outcomes.
Because the researchers didn’t have the patients’ actual medical records, they couldn’t see things like frequency of screenings or treatment options, which would impact survival outcomes. (iStock)
Certificates typically list the cause of death, age, race and education level, but they do not include a person’s full medical history.
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Because the researchers didn’t have the patients’ actual medical records, they couldn’t see things like frequency of screenings or treatment options, which would impact survival outcomes.
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Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 and the second leading cause for women in the same age group, according to recent statistics.
While colorectal cancer death rates remained stable for college graduates, they climbed significantly for those without a bachelor’s degree, the findings showed. (iStock)
Because the disease is highly treatable when caught early, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lowered the recommended screening age from 50 to 45 in 2021.
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Common signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer can include a change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days, according to the American Cancer Society.
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Other signs that warrant seeing a doctor include blood in the stool or a persistent feeling of needing to go to the bathroom but being unable to go.
The research was published in JAMA Oncology.
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A young woman who started vaping at the age of 15 has been given just 18 months to live — after being diagnosed with lung cancer in her early 20s.
Kayley Boda, 22, of Manchester, in the United Kingdom, was engaging in heavy vaping on a regular basis when she started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in it in January 2025, news agency SWNS reported.
The retail assistant said doctors turned her away eight times, telling her she had a chest infection — until she began coughing up blood.
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After seven biopsies, Boda was diagnosed with lung cancer. She underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy — and in February 2026, got the all-clear, the same source reported.
Two months later, though, doctors said the cancer had come back in the pleural lining. Now she’s been given 18 months to live.
Kayley Boda, 22, is shown in the hospital. She started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in January 2025, she said. She had been vaping since the age of 15. (SWNS)
The young woman has now issued a warning to others to be aware of the dangers of vaping.
Boda said she smoked a bit as a young teenager. She took up vaping after that.
Then, “a few months after I switched from reusable vapes to disposable ones, I started coughing up brown, grainy mucus,” as SWNS reported.
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“Doctors turned me away eight times with a chest infection. … Then I started coughing up blood, so they did an X-ray and found a shadow on my lung,” she added.
“They told me they were 99% sure, [since I was] so young, that it wasn’t cancer, so not to worry about it. When I got the results back, and they told me it was lung cancer, it felt so surreal.”
Boda said she was “very naive” before her diagnosis and thought that “something like this would never happen to me.”
She said that she had surgery to remove half of her right lung.
“After the surgery, I started chemo and I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn’t lift my head up. I was throwing up blood. I was urinating blood. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep.”
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She said that when she got the “all clear [in Feb. 2026], it felt amazing, but just two months later I was told the cancer had come back, and I have 18 months to live.”
She added, “I’m 22. This isn’t meant to happen to somebody my age.”
“Stay off the vapes because they will catch up with you.”
She blames her cancer on vaping, she said.
“My symptoms started a few months after I started disposable vapes, and there’s no lung cancer in my family,” she said. “I haven’t vaped for three months, I’ve made my partner stop, I’ve made my mom stop, I’m urging all my friends to stop. Stay off the vapes,” she continued, “because they will catch up with you.”
When doctors did an X-ray, they found a shadow on Boda’s right lung. She was later diagnosed with lung cancer and has undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy. (SWNS)
She said she’d been using reusable vapes since the age of 15 and began using disposable vapes a few months before her cancer symptoms started.
DISPOSABLE VAPES MORE TOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC THAN CIGARETTES, STUDY SHOWS
In November 2024, when she developed a rash all over her body, doctors said it could have been due to shingles, chicken pox or scabies, she told SWNS.
‘Nothing worked’
“I got treated for all three, and nothing worked,” Boda said. “It got to the point where I was cutting myself from scratching so hard.”
A few months after that, she began coughing up a dark brown mucus, with “grainy bits, the consistency of sugar, in it,” she said. When the coughing continued, she visited the doctor’s office, but was told it could be scarring from pneumonia or a chest infection, she also said.
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It wasn’t until March 2025 that she began coughing up bright red blood. At that point, doctors gave her a chest X-ray and told her they’d found a shadow on her lower right lung.
Over the next four months, she had seven biopsies as doctors took samples from the “shadow.” In August, when she went to get the results, she was told she had stage one lung cancer.
Boda is shown in the hospital. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy. (SWNS)
In September 2025, she had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, and the surrounding lymph nodes. During the surgery, doctors upstaged her cancer from stage one to stage three after finding cancer in six surrounding lymph nodes, she said.
Following the surgery, Boda was unable to breathe properly and had to learn to walk all over again.
“The oncologist said this is so rare.”
After finishing chemotherapy in February 2026, Kayley was given the all clear, leaving her feeling elated.
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However, just a month after that, she began experiencing extreme chest pains and was told by doctors she had a pleural effusion — a build-up of fluid in the lungs. She had the fluid removed, but when doctors tested it, they discovered her cancer had returned to the pleural lining of her lungs, giving her 18 months to live.
“The oncologist said this is so rare, and usually something they see in patients that are 80 years old,” she said, as SWNS reported.
Increasingly, vacation hot spots are enforcing strict bans on the use of e-cigarettes in public venues. (iStock)
Boda claimed that doctors were unable to pin her cancer to a specific cause — but told her that smoking and vaping definitely didn’t help.
Since her diagnosis, she has stopped and is urging others to stop, too.
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She’s hoping to raise the thousands of dollars needed for treatment to try to prolong her life, she said.
Last year, Fox News Digital reported on the case of a Pennsylvania woman, 26, who said she vaped for just one year before her lungs collapsed. She was 22 when she took up the habit, she said in an interview.
“Everybody warned me about it, but I didn’t listen — I wish that I did,” she said.
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Dr. David Campbell, clinical director and program director at Recover Together Bend in Oregon, told Fox News Digital at that time that signs of collapsed lungs include sharp chest or shoulder pain, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Lung issues are just one of the many health issues linked to vaping, he warned. The habit can also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as exposure to harmful heavy metals.
Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
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“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
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“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
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Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
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