I recall when I was a young girl back in Canada, I was watching a baseball game on TV with my father and we started to argue the importance of sports. Different from my father, I insisted that sports is more than just a hobby to keep us physically healthy and claimed that "There would be more wars if we didn't have sports!"

As an adult, I still firmly believe that sports is more than just a hobby for both participants and audience. The challenging times we are all living through right now with coronavirus is proof to this. The effect of cancelling all sports, from professional to amateur programs, can be felt by millions of people worldwide. To many the social and emotional influence is stronger than the physical. The loss of the sense of community, of belonging, and of an extended family is real for people everywhere. Others are feeling physical challenges and are struggling to stay active during these times.

But the human race is incredible and adaptable in tough situations, and sports once again is playing a role. Many sports teams are online, being a source of support, love and laughter. So many professional athletes are sharing their messages and making monetary donations to the cause. Even in areas of isolation, people are coming out on balconies, where they help neighbours and themselves to work out. Many more are turning to online workout programmes to follow. Once again, sports is finding its way.

So, in challenging times such as now, people are still empowered to continue their sports journey and stay strong and healthy.

Is there a way to turn back the clock on your age? A new study says yes. Exercise can make you look younger. At least it can lower your fitness age—that is the measure of how well your body works.

A study of athletes in the National Senior Games found that their fitness age was more than 20 years younger than their chronological age. The games took place in the Midwestern state of Minnesota.

Tony Diamond took part in the games. Every morning he went to a local park and walked fast for an hour. Then, the retired navy captain ran for an hour.

Two or three times a week, he went to a gym for muscle(肌肉) training. Mr. Diamond won three medals at the 2015 National Senior Games.

“My current age is 86 years old, and my fitness age is 44. I think I am in such good physical condition because I do a lot of exercise during my life. I have been exercising since I was a little boy,” said Mr. Diamond.

“I'm 62 years old and my fitness results showed that I was 32 years,” said Ms White.

Ms. White and Mr. Diamond are some of the 5,000 Senior Games participants who took part in the fitness age study.

Pamela Peeke was an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland. She worked on the study with Ulrik Wisloff at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Mr Wisloff developed a fitness calculator.

An online calculator is available for anyone to use for free. Ms. Peeke says there are benefits from attending this test.

The National Senior Games take place every two years. They are the competition for athletes older than 50. The games include a variety of sports.

This year the average age of the people competing was 68. But their average fitness age was 43.

On James Owen's 70th birthday, he saw a video of himself walking slowly to the podium (讲台) where he was giving a talk, his feet hardly off the ground. “I looked like an old man,” said Owen, who built a successful career on Wall Street. Even worse, he felt like an old man.

He was about 25 pounds overweight and he had chronic trouble with his back,knees,and shoulders.But instead of giving in to age,Owen decided to set an ambitious five-year goal:He wanted to be pain-free,and he decided the way to get there was through exercise-even though at the time he couldn't do a single push-up.

Owen began his new exercise plan by walking,though he started huffing and puffing after five minutes.But that didn't discourage him. He kept at the walks every day, along with some stretching.Once he had those basics down, he started weight lifting and hired a personal trainer to teach him and design a routine he could follow on his own. The last piece was finding other activities he enjoyed, which turned out to be cycling and swimming.

In less than five years,Owen was able to do three sets of 50 push-ups each and walk for miles each day. And yes, he was free of aches and pains. “Aging well is only about 20 to 25 percent genes, and the rest is lifestyle,” he says.

Owen used his experience to write a book called Just Move! A New Approach to Fitness After 50,in which he details how older adults can safely get off the couch and add more movement to their lives. “Think of it as movement, not exercise, just get started,” he says. “The key is slow and steady progress.”

Now 81 and retired, Owen exercises an hour a day, six days a week. “It is the best investment I've ever made in my life,” he says.