A retired doctor started exercising seriously at 50. At 90, he climbed Kilimanjaro.

Soon aft Dr. Art Ulene reached the top of Kilimanjaro on his 90th birthday, he applied to Guinness World Records to cheque whether he was the oldest personification to conquer the mountain.

He had already received nickname from the Tanzania National Park Service. However, he wanted to cognize if the title was official.

"I didn't do the climb pinch an grant successful mind," he told Business Insider. "But it would beryllium bully to person it — astatine slightest until personification thumps it."

The retired OB/GYN, who reached the summit, 19,341 feet supra oversea level, connected July 13, was presented pinch a celebratory barroom by his guideline and 22-person support team.

"If I adjacent my eyes, I tin still spot myself opinionated connected apical of the upland looking down astatine the tile of the clouds," he said. "The position was stunning."

I took him 15 days

He said his entourage made for joyful institution during the 15-day trek, singing and dancing arsenic he slow but surely made his measurement from 1 campy to the next.

The group, which carried a foldable chair truthful he could beryllium and return breaks, respectfully and affectionally called him "Babu," the Swahili word for grandfather.

Ulene's achievement, successful business pinch CareScout, which helps older adults and families navigate aging, marked his 3rd acme of the highest successful 15 years.

He turned backmost astatine 17,000 feet during a erstwhile effort astatine property 85, saying, "I didn't consciousness good and was not going to fto my ego get successful the measurement of my health."

The erstwhile TODAY show aesculapian analogous said his caller ascent of Kilimanjaro would beryllium his last. Still, the acquisition would thief him tackle the challenges different seniors whitethorn face.

"I'm not telling them to climb Kilimanjaro, I'm urging them to climb 'Mount Metaphor,'" he said. "The peaks and valleys use to life."

Here are 3 of Ulene's longevity tips for getting the astir retired of your later years.

Prioritize exercise, sleep, and nutrition

The begetter of three, calved successful 1936, said that he smoked until the property of 33 and only started to workout earnestly astatine 50.

However, he has much than made up for it by going to the gym 3 aliases 4 times a week, wherever he uses strength training machines.

He developed the limb spot and stamina for Kilimanjaro by climbing 50 flights of stairs successful his hiking boots.

"I don't for illustration workout erstwhile I'm doing it, but emotion the measurement I consciousness afterward, " he said. "I ne'er retrieve the exertion, overmuch arsenic I've beautiful good forgotten the symptom of the climb."

He combines beingness activity pinch bully nutrition — mostly by eating plant-based foods and "watching fats."

Getting enough sleep is different cardinal factor. "I ne'er slept truthful good arsenic I did successful my shelter connected the mountain," he added.

Appreciate your worth

"People talk astir earthy resources, saying, 'we're trying to excavation them now,' but the world's top assets is supra the ground," Ulene said.

"It's the intelligence, the experience, the knowledge, and contented of tens of millions of older people."

He said that business and manufacture often disregard the benefits of having mature adults successful the workplace and bargain into the conception that they're successful decline.

It's a myth, he said, and those of precocious property should return pridefulness successful themselves, adding. "If you internalize the stereotype, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. My caller motto is to unrecorded up to your potential, not your age."

Keep socially active

Ulene said the past point he wanted to do successful his precocious years was beryllium successful an armchair and isolate himself.

"The aging play should beryllium a clip of growth," he said, questioning the communicative that it's erstwhile you tin remainder connected your laurels.

He referenced his wife, Priscilla, 3 years his junior. She is connected a monthlong solo circuit of modern and modern art museums crossed America.

Meanwhile, he said that it's important for him to operation pinch younger people. "My support squad connected Kilimanjaro consisted of young men," he said. "They were for illustration family to me.

"I person 7 grandchildren present successful the US, but I person 2 sets of grandchildren. I person American ones and Tanzanian ones."

As for the future, Ulene is readying a December return pinch his youngest grandchildren — property 15 and 13 — to Tanzania.

They dream to campy successful the foothills of Kilimanjaro and subordinate a safari.

"I've traveled each complete the world pinch my kids and grandkids," Ulene said. And he doesn't intend to extremity anytime soon.