When it Comes to Physical Fitness, Age Means...
Something but definitely not everything, and if it was up to me, I would tell you to forget about your age and just do everything you want to do PROGRESSIVELY to enable your body to ADAPT.
This short post is not evidence-based, peer-reviewed or anything substantiated. This post is however, observation-based and a perspective I would like to share.
Just yesterday I witnessed a 62 year old woman on her birthday run up and down a ski hill like it ain't no thang. I've also witnessed a woman in her 30's unable to stand from a chair without the use of her hands because of deconditioning. I've treated a man in his 90's who cycles every morning without issue and a mother in her 50's unable to keep up with her kids because of decreased mobility in her hips... The list goes on from one extreme to the other and the more I see, the less I focus on someone's age, because it doesn't mean much.
Some evidence suggests that with age comes slower recovery, decreased efficiency of oxygen use, decreased ability to build muscle mass and decreased bone density. However all this really means is, sure you may not be able to get away with as much as you did in your early twenties, but your fitness can still improve and you most certainly can continue to push yourself, you may just need to smarter and more intentional about it.
Even though we all know the expression "the sky is the limit", we still make barriers for ourselves, most of the time without realizing it. I often hear statements like "oh trust me, you don't want to get old", "once I turned 40, all when to sh**", "I'm old, my knees hurt and that's just the way it is" or "oh I can't do that, are you crazy?! I'm old now".... This mindset is common but does not have to be normal. Again, physical fitness can improve with age, especially if you are starting from zero. If you don't believe me, I encourage you to watch a sporting event this season, ideally in person. You will see for yourself the wide range of fitness that is not linear with age.
I also appreciate that I am only 32 years old, so you may be thinking "oh easy for her to say all this stuff about aging" but really, not only do I train with men and women who are much older than I am, these people lap me! This is eye opening! I am constantly inspired by these athletes and they push me to remove any preconceived limits that I have placed on myself. So again, if you don't believe that you can be strong, fit and old, maybe go witness it for yourself? Or better yet, test it out and see? ;) ;) nudge, nudge
If you catch yourself talking yourself out of something because of your age, or if you are worried about injury because of your age, please reach out. There are people that can help you get started, or continue your fitness journey in a safe and healthy way so that you can live a full life, enjoying the things you love doing throughout!
