“If I can handle physical fitness activities usually for young people, then we are not that different,” says Lau, who has been married for 50 years to his 71-year-old wife, and is a role model for his three grown children and teenaged grandson. He exercises for four hours daily, starting with morning tai chi and stretches followed by jogging and gym workouts.

Lau is part of the healthy ageing revolution that is gaining popularity globally. The coronavirus pandemic threw the spotlight on the trend, reflected in the popularity of senior celebrities’ workout videos on social media that aimed to raise spirits of those in lockdown without access to gyms.

Ageing has had a rebrand. Wellness industry looks to cash in

Founder and CEO Zip Cheung says the four-year-old company hopes to change negative perceptions of this demographic leading “grey or dull” lives or being “burdensome” to others.

She is out to portray them in a more realistic light, to show them leading colourful and fulfilling lives. “[Lau] still wants to push his limits and live life to the fullest,” Cheung says, adding that this is becoming a trend.

She says Lau, with his positive attitude, is popular with financial institutions who are keen to target a mature market for retirement packages.

In 2018, Lau did an online video campaign for asset management firm Schroders that centred on his real-life story of planning in advance for retirement, and included both his physical and financial health practices.

It took much determination and a multipronged approach for Lau to achieve his healthy lifestyle. In his thirties, he toiled away in the renovation industry as a contractor for an interior design firm. “I was around 160 pounds [73kg],” he recalls, from dining out regularly and drinking too much beer, whisky and brandy.

Such heavy work took a physical toll. By 1993, the then 48-year-old was racked with back pains; he also broke his arm. “I realised: ‘I’m still young. I have a long way to go [in life]. If I get injured and can’t be active later on, I will regret it,” he recalls.

There is plenty of evidence to show that adopting fitness habits in midlife stands to benefit people later in life.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the United States looked at data on the activity levels of 315,059 questionnaire respondents aged 50 to 71 taken in the mid-1990s. The investigators also looked at their cause of death.

They found those less active in their early years who picked up exercise later in life – at 40 to 61 years of age – and did four to seven hours a week of exercise had a 35 per cent lower risk of death.

Those that maintained physical activity levels from adolescence to late adulthood achieved a similar survival benefit, a 29 to 36 per cent lower risk of death. The study, published in the JAMA Network Open journal in 2019, concluded that staying active throughout your life or getting active later in life provided comparable benefits.

“It’s never too late [to start a physical activity]. Persistence is important – if you exercise regularly, you will get results,” says Lau.

Adopting an open and positive mindset helps you achieve a healthier life, too, as you age, he adds.

“Everyone has their own potential, but many don’t explore their full potential,” Lau says. Late in life, many people are inclined to stop pursuing new hobbies. Lau, on the other hand, is determined to do even more, fuelling his exuberance for life.

“I wake up every day knowing there’s a new challenge ahead of me,” he says.

Creating a fulfilling life for Lau means indulging his whims – exercising, travelling and modelling. “As you get exposed to new things, the result is you have a better life,” he says.