Months ago I began my quest for a new direction in my health and fitness regimen.
What had worked for two years was no longer working for me. It wasn’t a simple plateau, it was much more than that.
I had built my little world around a dogmatic approach to food and exercise. When the dogma failed, I was totally disoriented.
I wanted a set of rules to follow. Do this! Don’t do that!
By so doing, or so not doing, I figured I’d get stronger and healthier. It worked – until it didn’t.
But my body doesn’t function by ideology. It is an organism that responds to much more stimuli than a written list.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 1:9
For months I have read ceaselessly, online on and on paper, searching once again for the Holy Grail V2.0.
What I have discovered is obvious. There is no Holy Grail V2.0. There is only what works, and what doesn’t.
I have observed people setting up camps. I do CrossFit, or I do Powerlifting, or Olympic lifting, RKB, Zumba, Pilates, Spin, Yoga, etc. Fitness is not a binary 1 or 0 formula. Let’s not polarize people striving to get fit and healthy. If you enjoy moving and staying fit, that is great, keep doing it.
I don’t have to be doing the same thing as you. Choose what you like. Mix and match what you like. Variety is sweet. It keeps things exciting, so you’ll keep doing it.
You may have heard that “getting old ain’t for sissies”. Well, it isn’t for fools either. If you want to grow old, and grow old well, it requires adding a fair amount of wisdom to your daily routine.
Ah, but I was so much older then. I’m younger than that now. – Bob Dylan – My Back Pages
What I have struggled with is my head. I am slower, weaker, less powerful, and older than all my friends. My challenge? Get over it, I can’t change any of that. I must concern myself only with the things I can control.
My youth may be far behind, but I am confident my best days still lie before me.
I have accepted that I may not be fast; but I will be faster than I am today.
I may not be explosive; but I will be more explosive than I am today.
I may not be strong; but I will be stronger than I am today
Wake up! Get up! Show up! Now go lift something heavy, and have fun doing it.
Be Defiant! Be Well!
T H A N K Y O U for composing such an articulate, thoughtful and spot-on piece. Been there, done that so many times. You just summed it all up.
Yes!!!!
love this.