George, 83, goes to the doctor

Over a year has passed since we met George Tjelios-Nicholas, the 83-year-old ski instructor at Whistler Blackcomb.

Busy biking, paddle boarding and kite surfing in the summer, George still has to cope with constant back pain. Earlier this month, we followed him to Coast Medical in Whistler Village for a regular checkup.

We filmed his appointment with Dr. Sarah Kennea, who is impressed with George’s physical condition despite the state of his lower back. Pointing at this X-ray, she said: “If you showed this to any other doctor, they wouldn’t believe this is the X-ray of a ski instructor.”

In The Fit Generation, you’ll find out more about George’s condition. In the meantime, here’s part of what Dr. Kennea has learned from treating him:

“People who have a passion for life believe their body can do anything. I really believe there’s a placebo effect that positive mental attitude and remaining active have an overwhelming benefit to people’s health. No matter what small medical problems they might have, they can overcome most of them as long as they retain mental flexibility, positive attitude and remain as active as possible.