THE
323
HEALTHY LIVING
LIVING BETWEEN THE LINES Tennis enthusiast Louis Beall is a model of consistency by PAIGE AIGRET
K
eto, paleo, carnivore, intermittent fasting. HIIT, CrossFit, spin class, 12-3-30. There are diet and exercise trends aplenty — more each day, it seems. What is 91-year-old Louis Beall’s secret to a long and healthy life? A bowl of frozen blueberries every morning. And tennis — singles only. “I don’t feel old at all,” Beall said. Of course, there is no quick and easy silver bullet to healthy living. It’s a discipline that requires consistency, something Beall exemplifies. He’s been active all of his life. In 1950, his talent for running landed him a four-year scholarship to the University of North Carolina. He did a stint in the Army toward the end of the Korean War as a buck private making $88 a month. He attended Birmingham-Southern College, then completed dental school at the University of Alabama and arrived in Tallahassee in 1962 and started his dental practice. “I had a wonderful 40 years of practicing dentistry. I loved it,” Beall said. “Being a dentist, everything is scheduled. I could set my time, I didn’t have to listen to someone else. So I had time to run. And I ran for years.” With a family history of diabetes, Beall decided at a young age that he would hold the disease off for as long as he could through a healthy diet and exercise. He was finally diagnosed as diabetic two years ago but has been able to manage it with the help of medication and his continued healthy lifestyle. “I am the luckiest old man you’ve ever met,” he said. “I don’t have any health problems other than diabetes.” He’s been playing tennis for 40 years and has traded road running for gym sessions. And while he has always
32 September-October 2023 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM
photography by ALICIA OSBORNE