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Longtime Baldwin resident stays in fighting shape - an so, he says, can you

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You don’t stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing.

That’s what 89-year-old Ed Slutsky and a small but dedicated cluster of paddleball-playing senior citizens will tell you. Meeting twice a week at the McBurney YMCA on Manhattan’s Lower West Side, Slutsky and his young-as-you-feel cadre of compatriots have been keeping themselves trim — and having a blast doing it — for the better part of 15 years.

Slutsky, a Baldwin resident for more than half a century, didn’t suddenly become aware of the need for physical fitness. He started playing handball in 1951, and only switched to the more physically forgiving sport of paddleball some 10 years ago, following a hip replacement.

“I always say that joining the Y was the best investment I ever made,” laughs Slutsky, who joined the McBurney gym 59 years ago. “I don’t think it exactly keeps you from getting sick, but if you do get sick, when you’re fit you can heal faster.”

Slutsky’s exercise regimen isn’t anything monumental — he makes two weekly trips into Manhattan for relatively short game sessions — but he credits his vivacity to his dedication to the process “Paddleball has given me a new life,” he enthuses. “I feel great. I’m grateful for my life. I have a great family. I get a lot of compliments. I’m a happy camper.”

Like everyone of advanced age who enjoys the benefits of a regular fitness program, Slutsky faces challenges. But while a 29-year-old might sweat an especially long run or a bigger bench press, Slutsky’s concerns are more mundane. “The hardest part for me is actually just getting to and from the Y,” he admits. “I don’t want to drive all the way into the city, so I have to find parking, take the train. Stairs are hard. Walking down the subway steps kills me. For me — and it may sound silly — getting to the gym is harder than the workouts I do. Still, it’s a struggle I’m willing to make.”

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