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“We’re living longer, but you know, after the age of 65 or 70, things are not that great,” added Suzuki. “Who wants another 60 years of a sh—y life? I am much more interested in how do we age well.”

So that’s what the new Nature of Things’ episode Aging Well Suzuki Style is all about. The show, which is one of the handful of episodes Suzuki hosts each season, airs on Feb. 28 on CBC-TV at 9 p.m. and streams on CBC Gem. The show offers a fascinating and very personal take on getting old. And it’s not surprising that Suzuki, for the most part, does well on the tests.

“I’ve got the tears of a 20-year-old,” the famed scientist and environmentalist said with a laugh. Another key strength for Suzuki was he had pretty good balance, a major key to aging well and avoiding injury.

Photo by Courtesy of CBC / PNG

He credits an early physical lifestyle of farm and construction work as a basis for his strong senior shape. He still rides his bike regularly, works out and walks whenever he can.

While his early life consisted of physical work, all that went out the window when he turned to a life of science. It took a bit of insecurity to motivate him to take better care of himself.

“When I got into the lab, I was sitting, looking through a microscope for hours and I developed a pot (belly) when I married Tara (Cullis). I was quite chubby,” said Suzuki, who admits his younger wife made him take stock. “Here I am, this guy with a big pot. S–t, I better get into some kind of shape. I mean she’s a lot younger than me. So, I started working out. And that was, to me, really lucky. I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I’m doing it to try to stay up to my wife, but I was doing it.”