I had the privilege of sitting down with José Antonio Rivera, 3-time world champion boxer in two different weight classes. José’s story is a true American success story, overcoming tremendous adversity to become one of the few people to ever achieve ‘best in world’ status and the right to be called The Champ.

In our chat, we discussed the importance of anti-aging and its various components. We talked about what a now-retired champ does today outside of the ring to maintain his health.

José and The Anti-Aging Guy

The Anti-Aging Guy: I’ve heard your story several times. Your boxing career really had two halves: the time before you discovered the importance of nutrition and the time after you discovered it. You have said that knowing and understanding more about nutrition actually extended your boxing career.

José Antonio Rivera: I actually retired when I was 39. I had previously retired when I was 36. I came back because when I left boxing it was not on the right terms. When I left boxing when I was 39, I said OK, I’m comfortable.

To answer your question, yes, the nutrition aspect extended my boxing career and helped me win the third world championship in another weight class. And not only that, it gave me a better understanding of how to take care of my health personally for me and my family. And that’s something I take away more and appreciate more than what it did for my boxing career.

José Antonio Rivera

TAAG: You have lived the life of an elite athlete and achieved a fitness level very few people will ever achieve. Now that you are retired, what is your attitude towards fitness? Is it still a part of your life?

José: Absolutely. Because to me, as an athlete, you are trying to accomplish something. That’s why you’re training so hard. Being in optimal condition is going to help you accomplish that. But in life, you’re trying to accomplish something else. I want to stay healthy, to want to live as long as I’m going to live whenever my expiration date is. I want to be as healthy as I can. Therefore, I have to keep myself in shape. I want to eat good, supplement with optimal nutrition. So to me that has more importance than being in shape for athletic performance. Being healthy for the longevity for whatever time you have left. So nutrition, working out, and eating good is a part of that.

TAAG: You have touched on living an anti-aging lifestyle. How important in the mental and spiritual side of things. Do you see that as fitting into part of a healthy lifestyle?

José: Very important. Very important. Because the five parts of a healthy lifestyle are: to eat good, exercise, take optimal supplementation, sleep good, and relieve as much stress from your life as possible. So that mind aspect is very important. The mental aspect is huge and many people take that for granted. For me spiritual is very important because that is the way I grew up. Trusting and having a relationship with God through my experiences of what I went through is what has brought me to where I am today… and has helped me to open up my eyes and see what is really important in life.

TAAG: José, thank you for taking the time to chat about anti-aging.

I had a terrific time chatting with José last night. One thing that I was pleased about… and totally unrehearsed, was his five parts of a healthy lifestyle. The MEANS to an End Lifestyle™, what I see as the key to living an anti-aging life: Mindset | Exercise| Avoidance | Nutrition | Sleep — are most of what José sees as key to longevity.