40+ and feeling great!

Nothing ticks me off more than hearing my friends complain about being in their early to mid forties and how their too old to exercise! To that I say baloney, I'm 45 years old and right now I'm probably in the best shape of my life! Sure it's hard, sure it takes dedication and discipline, sure it's not easy eating clean all the time but whats the alternative? Well, I can walk around with my gut hanging over my belt, I can develop diabetes from eating "normal", I can diminish my chances of seeing my three year old daughter graduate from high school just so I can have a slice of pizza.

The alternatives to me don't sound too good. I refuse to fall into the age trap that most people fall into. Hey (insert age here) you shouldn't be riding a mountain bike or hey your too old to compete with the younger guys. Sounds familiar? Here's a bit of trivia for you old farts sitting in your chair doing your age appropriate activity. Did you know that last June seven pitchers age 40 or older took the mound in major-league baseball games? In fact, 40-year-olds are playing a more prominent role in almost every professional sport, from ice hockey to ultimate fighting, not to mention the swollen ranks of masters athletes competing in all kinds of races and activities. Take Laird Hamilton for example at 44 years old Laird (who's picture is featured on the top of this post) is a world class big wave rider and is considered the best in his sport at any age!



Hey, and let's not forget the ladies. Dara Torres a 41 year old mother will be competing in the Olympics in Beijing this summer.Dara Torres became a faster, stronger, smarter athlete after she turned 40 and regularly spanks competitors half her age. Before you say yeah those people are in great shape but they have been athletes all their lives how about me? I'm not a world class athlete, I'm a regular Joe and no I'm not genetically gifted and no my parents aren't former athletes.

In my gym I have a client that's 41 years old and the mother of two. My client is a working mom who leads a pretty busy life. My client,(who shall remain nameless for privacy reasons)works as hard or harder and often out performs most of the women in my gym ( and most men too) who are half her age. I know that strenuous exercise is not for everyone and some people do have legitimate medical conditions. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day so begin with some light exercise like walking, riding a bike or maybe go for a swim a few times per week.

The key here is to go outside and do something no matter how old you are. Life's too short enjoy it in good health. That's all I have to say about that..

See you in the gym