The Aging Athlete (Fit at 45+, part 2)

Here's something my dad didn't know when he was my age: There's no reason for a guy (or gal) in his forties to feel any different than he did in his teens. And he can do it in just a few hours a week.

Sounds improbable? Why don't more people do it? Here are some of the reasons I observe in my work that we "mature" people miss out on this great opportunity:

1. We spend our time doing physically inactive things we think are more important.

2. Most exercise programs are poorly structured, badly executed and largely ineffective.

3. Inertia - the more you move, the more you want to move; the same goes for moving less.

4. We buy the bill of goods that we're supposed to be less vital as we grow older.

5. We become spoiled and fearful, reluctant to move out of our comfort zone or try something we're not already good at, so we only exercise sporadically and without conviction or consistency.

6. We think of eating as anything but fuel for our machine; which is the role it plays for athletes.

7. As we grow older, we need more time to ramp up our level of challenge and to recover from tough workouts, so we get discouraged when we overdo it and chalk it up to inevitable achievement limitations associated with aging.

How's that for starters? Any of these conditions sound familiar? All of them?

So now you know where to start. Dump the self-imposed boundaries and the limiting misconceptions, and make the adjustments you need to allow for the realities you now have a better understanding about. Because over the next several posts, I'm going to give you more detailed guidance on how to get in the best shape of your life when you're halfway through it. And if you follow it and believe in yourself, it will happen.

This stuff works for me. It works for my clients in direct accordance with the degree to which they practice these principles.

And it can work for you.

Let's see how badly you want it.