December 2025

Two Roads

Imagine, it is April and you have been exercising three times a week steadily since December. You ache less when you move. Your blood sugar is lower. Your blood pressure is lower. Not because of diet or deprivation but because muscle is doing what it is designed to do. You’ve lost a few pounds and now you know it is doable!

Fitness is not hype or chimera It is real and within reach. You wake up energized. You think more clearly. Your body thanks you. Your family thanks you. Most importantly you see yourself differently. You now know you don’t have to accept the status quo. You can drive your life’s trajectory. Feeling this kind of control is life-changing. This is what just three days a week will do.

Now imagine it is April and you have been waiting for just the right moment to begin exercising. The snag here is your trajectory is going in the other direction. The brutal reality is, coasting is not neutral. The pain and stiffness are still there. Your afternoons feel heavier. You are concerned about doctor appointments. Will your medications be increased? Your physicality weighs on your confidence, your mood, your psyche. Even with the warmth and sun, spring feels a little less bright.

Never forget, you are in control!

Maneuvering is defined as action intended to gain a tactical edge. I suggest you begin maneuvering, not just for spring fly-fishing but for life. World-wide research is clear. Midlife (ages 40–70) emerges as a pivotal window for our influencing continued functionality with age.

The less clinical and more applied message is, as we age, muscle tends to weaken and shorten and ligaments and tendons become more rigid. Thus, joints tend to stiffen and our range of motion naturally declines.

It is also true that your body is designed for natural building, growth and healing. With the mild stress of exercise, it will build and heal. An increase in leg muscle strength–in the quadriceps and hamstrings has been shown to significantly reduce knee pain–by providing strong support for the knee joint. Stronger muscles serve your natural framework. This goes for all joints, knee, hip, shoulder and ankle.

Muscle is magical. Not only helping to regulate blood sugar and metabolism, they provide ease of locomotion. The human body has around 660 muscles. An average of 75 to 100 pounds of healing and hormone producing biological influence. Again, healing and growth are natural inclinations, how we are designed.

Test your fitness level

In October, I took the ultimate fitness test. Not the static how many push-ups I can do or how quickly I can get up off of the floor. It was a dynamic, three-day blue-line fly-fishing endeavor and I did okay; little pain or injury. Over ten hours of hiking, kneeling and crawling in waders, with a pack and a fly rod revealed one weak area.

See the photos and read my Streams of Return Post here. ​

Resources and Support

I strive to build healing, strength, flexibility and pliability through multiple channels.

The oldest U.S. marathoner in Olympic history, Meb Keflezighi (over 40 years old as an Olympic medal winner), perhaps said it best. He attributes his world-champion longevity to “not just running but doing the ‘little things’ daily.” Meb relies on the compound effect of small consistent, wide-ranging efforts such as, resistance training, flexibility, pliability and balance exercises that develop “into something big over time.”

Beyond the gym, trails and the track, I attended a Thi-Chi/Yoga workout with National Aerobics Champion Scott Cole. His Zoom classes are top notch and made available at various times with no commitment or strict schedule–for donations. That’s right, donations! Get his invites in your inbox by signing up for his newsletter. By the way, Scott’s Thi-Chi DVD has sold over 1 million copies.

Get my brief but focused free eBook, The Ageless Angler: A Guide to Fly-Fish More as You Age​

Paper and audio versions can be found here. ​

Do you want to take the aging/fitness conversation further? Are you interested in being part of an active and encouraging community of outdoor types interested in aging better than the status quo? I am in the early stages of building this community on Substack. We will have conversations about growing older without getting old. We will engage around the challenges and fun of staying strong, fit and resilient. You will find common connection and encouragement for updating your lifestyle.

Gert in touch with your ideas, suggestions and comments.

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