My whole life I heard older people, (my definition has changed with every half decade), “wait until you are my age and see if you can do that.” The “that”, was to perform some kind of athletic action. When I was in my 40’s people said, “wait until you are 50 and see how your body acts.” When I was 50 people continued to say, “wait until you are…”. They told me about the body aches and how hard it was to keep the extra weight off. They told me that I wouldn’t be able to do what I could do physically at that point. Well, I suppose now that I am 58, I have to wait until I am in my 60’s to prove, again, that these people are wrong.
It’s not that I don’t notice a difference. I do. I can tell I am not 25 anymore. However old age continues to allude me. Thankfully. Purposefully. My point, as always, is that if I can do it then so can you! I am not special. Never played high school sports, I wasn’t athletic enough. I am not a natural and it doesn’t come easy for me. I work at it, so I can perform like I did in my 20’s with a few exceptions. My aches and pains are small and I certainly don’t get out of bed feeling crummy.
I have not started to believe, nor will I, that age is going to dictate my functioning. I purposed that I was going to dictate my aging. I don’t have that athletic “extra gear” that I see in some. It propels them in athletic competition to places only those types of people can go. I do have a mindset that I will be my best and I will do all I can to stay that way. What I am saying is that people have to change their mindset, their thinking is faulty. It dooms them. Some are just waiting for disease or, worse, waiting to die. They have acquiesced to the thinking that growing old and decrepit is normal and unavoidable. That is just not true!
Your first step is changing your thinking. You have got to start thinking young again, reject the negative prognosticators in your life. When you do, you may lose friends. They won’t like your positive “can do” attitude around. So be it. Your thinking has to be that you can attain better than you have now. Then, when you do the things that will improve your physical health and fitness, your “how” will change and you will keep that cycle going. How far can you go? How healthy can you be? How fit can you be? Celebrate every step, every milestone. Don’t let yourself be defeated because you plateaued for a while or you “went on vacation”. Get your mind right, start it up again. You can do this!
I know, I know. Some are saying. Yea, wait until you are 75. When I am 75 I will be calling your grandkids off my wave or passing them on the bike trail. Happy aging!