Staying in Shape in the Golden Years Part III
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Updated: 8:24 AM Nov 13, 2009
Staying in Shape in the Golden Years Part III
For many people the words fitness and gym are synonymous. For Larry Buchanan, he gets his work-out in the Gulf of Mexico. Larry describes himself as a local middle aged surfer.
Posted: 10:01 PM Nov 12, 2009
Reporter: Kristina Hamilton
Email Address: Kristina.Hamilton@wjhg.com
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For many people the words fitness and gym are synonymous. For Larry Buchanan, he gets his work-out in the Gulf of Mexico. Larry describes himself as a local middle aged surfer.

This is the last story to our special series "Staying in Shape in the Golden Years."

For 40 years Larry Buchanan's been charging and carving our Gulf Coast surf every time the waves kick up.

And the fact he's now 55-years-old hasn't seem to slow him down. For Larry surfing is more than just exercise.

"I have a lot on my plate and there is nothing I'm away from two cell phones which I forgot to mention...It's a great escape it's a great escape," says Larry.

This man, Jon Gilmore, owns a local video and photography company called Revelation Production.

He's been filming and surfing with Larry since 2002, and says half the time he forgets how old Larry is.

"Larry's very youthful for his age I mean he's 55 and he's still out there charging I've seen footage of him in Costa Rica charging big waves really heavy beach breaks," says Jon.

Larry says he's not blazing any new trails. He recalls being on the beach in Trestles, California, when he was younger, and seeing a seasoned surfer.

"This old guy was 82-years-old and he was charging I mean he was taking off on big old bombs and I'm going you know that is my inspiration and I thought well maybe I can do that when I'm 82-years-old," says Larry.

Larry says through his 40 years of surfing a lot has changed. Everything from the surfing crowd to look of the Panama City Beach coast, but there's one thing that has not changed for Larry: the feeling he gets every time he paddles out.

"It was an escape from school and now it's an escape from now it's an escape from work daily pressures everyone faces," says Larry.

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