{"id":1121002,"date":"2026-07-30T23:29:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T23:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1121002\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T23:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T23:29:17","slug":"a-90-year-old-climbed-kilimanjaro-he-shares-his-longevity-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1121002\/","title":{"rendered":"A 90-Year-Old Climbed Kilimanjaro. He Shares His Longevity Tips."},"content":{"rendered":"

Soon after Dr. Art Ulene reached the\u00a0top of Kilimanjaro\u00a0on his 90th birthday, he applied to\u00a0Guinness World Records<\/a>\u00a0to check whether he was the oldest person to conquer the mountain.<\/p>\n

He had already received recognition from the Tanzania National Park Service. However, he wanted to know if the title was official.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t do the climb with an award in mind,” he told Business Insider. “But it would be nice to have it \u2014 at least until someone beats it.”<\/p>\n

The retired OB\/GYN, who reached the summit, 19,341 feet above sea level, on July 13, was presented with a celebratory cake by his guide and 22-person support team.<\/p>\n

“If I close my eyes, I can still see myself standing on top of the mountain looking down at the roof of the clouds,” he said. “The view was stunning.”<\/p>\n

It took him 15 days<\/p>\n

Have you or someone you know achieved something significant in later life? Please email jridley@insider.com<\/strong><\/a> to share the story.<\/p>\n

He said his entourage made for joyful company during the 15-day trek, singing and dancing as he slowly but surely made his way from one camp to the next.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Ulene cutting his 90th birthday cake at the famous summit, 19,341 feet above sea level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Dean Cardinale, World Wide Trekking<\/p>\n

The group, which carried a foldable chair so he could sit and take breaks, respectfully and affectionally called him “Babu,” the Swahili word\u00a0for grandfather<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ulene’s achievement, in partnership with CareScout<\/a>, which helps older adults and families navigate aging, marked his third summit of the peak in 15 years.<\/p>\n

He turned back at 17,000 feet during a previous attempt at age 85, saying, “I didn’t feel well and was not going to let my ego get in the way of my health.”<\/p>\n

The former TODAY show medical correspondent said his recent ascent of Kilimanjaro would be his last. Still, the experience would help him tackle the challenges other seniors may face.<\/p>\n

“I’m not telling them to climb Kilimanjaro, I’m urging them to climb ‘Mount Metaphor,'” he said. “The peaks and valleys apply to life.”<\/p>\n

Here are three of Ulene’s longevity tips<\/a> for getting the most out of your later years.<\/p>\n

Prioritize exercise, sleep, and nutrition<\/p>\n

The father of three, born in 1936, said that he smoked until the age of 33 and only started to exercise seriously at 50.<\/p>\n

However, he has more than made up for it by going to the gym three or four times a week, where he uses strength training <\/a>machines.<\/p>\n

He developed the leg strength and stamina for Kilimanjaro by climbing 50 flights of stairs in his hiking boots.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ulene on his way to reaching the top.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Dean Cardinale, World Wide Trekking<\/p>\n

“I don’t like exercise when I’m doing it, but love the way I feel afterward, ” he said. “I never remember the exertion, much as I’ve pretty well forgotten the pain of the climb.”<\/p>\n

He combines physical activity with good nutrition \u2014 mostly by eating plant-based foods and “watching fats.”<\/p>\n

Getting enough sleep<\/a> is another key factor. “I never slept so well as I did in my tent on the mountain,” he added.<\/p>\n

Appreciate your worth<\/p>\n

“People talk about natural resources, saying, ‘we’re trying to mine them now,’ but the world’s greatest resource is above the ground,” Ulene said.<\/p>\n

“It’s the intelligence, the experience, the knowledge, and wisdom of tens of millions of older people.”<\/p>\n

He said that business and industry often ignore the benefits of having mature adults in the workplace and buy into the notion that they’re in decline.<\/p>\n

It’s a myth, he said, and those of advanced age should take pride in themselves, adding. “If you internalize the stereotype, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. My new motto is to live up to your potential, not your age.”<\/p>\n

Keep socially active<\/p>\n

Ulene said the last thing he wanted to do in his advanced years was sit in an armchair and isolate himself.<\/p>\n

“The aging period should be a time of growth,” he said, questioning the narrative that it’s when you can rest on your laurels.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Dr. Ulene received recognition from senior leaders of the Tanzania National Park Service.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Dean Cardinale, World Wide Trekking<\/p>\n

He referenced his wife, Priscilla, three years his junior. She is on a monthlong solo tour of contemporary and modern art museums<\/a> across America.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, he said that it’s important for him to mix with younger people. “My support team on Kilimanjaro consisted of young men,” he said. “They were like family to me.<\/p>\n

“I have seven grandchildren here in the US, but I have two sets of grandchildren. I have American ones and Tanzanian ones.”<\/p>\n

As for the future, Ulene is planning a December return with his youngest grandchildren \u2014 age 15 and 13 \u2014 to Tanzania.<\/p>\n

They hope to camp in the foothills of Kilimanjaro and join a safari<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I’ve traveled all over the world with my kids and grandkids,” Ulene said. And he doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Soon after Dr. Art Ulene reached the\u00a0top of Kilimanjaro\u00a0on his 90th birthday, he applied to\u00a0Guinness World Records\u00a0to check…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1121003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4322],"tags":[28021,9695,390,1630,72500,214229,105,305363,57639,131080,457,7501,3114,16,305364,15,13690,26,3118],"class_list":["post-1121002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-age","tag-business-insider","tag-family","tag-fitness","tag-foot","tag-grandchild","tag-health","tag-kilimanjaro","tag-mountain","tag-peak","tag-people","tag-summit","tag-time","tag-uk","tag-ulene","tag-united-kingdom","tag-way","tag-world","tag-year"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117011531316602015","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1121002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1121003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1121002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1121002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1121002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}