Getting Older Does Not Mean Coasting

Getting older does not mean coasting. In fact, it’s the opposite. What’s you plan? We can coast when we’re younger because we have youth on our side. But after 50, the best strategy is to have a plan. If you coast without a plan the relentless pull of aging will dominate. It will start slow, silent and imperceivable, operating in the background. You can barely feel it until one day you break your ankle, pull your back out, hurt your shoulder, knee or hip. To paraphrase Hemingway from the novel The Sun Also Rises, this process happens in two ways: gradually and then suddenly.

If you are in your 50s, retired or getting there soon, don’t coast. It’s harder to get in shape as you age. The sooner you start, the easier it will be. I run, lift and ruck because I can. I am not going to stop because restarting might require more effort than I could muster.

Getting Older Does Not Mean Coasting…So Make a Plan

Consider what you want to be doing in your later decades. Do you want to fly fish in exotic locations that require hiking in? Wade and get in an out of drift boats, fish all day? Think about the high level of fitness fly fishing requires.

As you ponder, begin to exercise. It’s better to plan for something from inside the subject. You’ll know from experience what to plan for. Experiencing it will give you invaluable insight into what you need to do to create what you want. And you will see first-hand how to implement and adapt your plan.

A fitness pursuit is an ever-changing target that can be exhilarating. You look forward to each day because you improve each day on so many levels. You’re aligning actions with desires. You are moving in the direction of strength and fitness and you are not coasting!

Click here to download a Quick Guide to Strength, Stamina and Sturdiness.

From my Age Well Article……….

*To age well, you must first plan for the later decades of your life. What do you want your later decades—70s, 80s, 90s, to look like? Give this some serious attention. It’s a shame but most people will not subordinate anything (not even one hour) in the present to ensure a better future. But if you do muster the strength and commitment to plan and act, you can continue to be yourself, how and who you are right now for the rest of your life.

*Belief. Do you believe that exercise is the fountain of youth? Do you believe that you can change your life and age radically better than anyone before you?

*Once you believe, can you commit? Can you get out of bed in the morning and without a second thought (or analyzing how you feel) just show up and exercise? The secret here is structure is stronger than motivation. Set aside “me time” and guard it as if your life depends on it because it does. Then just follow the allotted calendar entries like going to work each day. It is scheduled and you go, no motivation, no questions.

*Now it’s time to exercise—six days a week for the rest of your life. The real benefits come from months and years of continuous effort. You’ll condition your body to regularly produce the slow and deep currents of the chemical human-growth pathway. You will grow daily and it’s also possible to exercise yourself into a functionally younger age. You may be 60 but you’ll have the muscle, joints and heart of a 50-year-old. It is possible to age well!

You must go through some discomfort—it will be uncomfortable to change the way you think and live. But you cannot receive the benefit of what living like an “athlete of aging” can give without the discomfort from the effort.

You will develop in ways you didn’t know you could. With continuous effort, your brain changes too. You’ll be more optimistic, more in touch with reality and humility. You’ll become a better person. Your relationships will improve. You will feel good all the time. And when you feel good your behavior will be noble.

Your own experience is all that counts and words fall short of describing what is possible. Feeling the results of your efforts is a much better descriptor.

Note: The information herein is meant to be general guidance on fitness. It is not a substitute for consultations with a healthcare professional. Always consult a physician before making changes.