On Aging

I read a great article entitled, "HOW TO THRIVE PAST 75: MAINTAINING HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE WITH AGE" by Brittney Saline.

My take away thoughts were:

• Nobody lives forever
• Fitness delays the onset of morbidity and mortality
• Fitness increases the likelihood of thriving post injury or post aggressive medical treatment

My own fitness journey has been an evolution

• Bodybuilding for aesthetics and confidence (High School)
• Running for Track & Cross Country (High School)
• Triathlon Training (High School)
• Bodybuilding for aesthetics and confidence (College)
• Running/Bodybuilding/Basketball/Softball/Rec Sports (late 20's, early 30's; STK)
• Triathlon/Multisport (mid 30's - mid 40's; STK/Sun)
• CrossFit (late 40's; Oracle/Liberty)
• Blended CrossFit/Triathlon/Powerlifting (currently in my early 50's; CDOT)

I have been able to keep best practices and benefits from a variety of disciplines.  I have also practiced Yoga and Strongman but do not blend them into my training.

My diet has been better and worse at times, but I have never effectively balanced eating well or sleeping well with performance.  I have basically accepted a "cruising" weight.  The last diet I was on was in 2020 and avoiding sugar and eliminating snacking between meals helped me go from 195 down to 180 pounds.  15 pounds is a big difference in appearance and confidence.  I was not thin at 180, but I was much healthier.

• High School - 140's
• College - 150's-160's
• Medical School - 200
• STK - 170's
• Sun/Oracle - 180's
• Liberty - 200
• CDOT - Currently my weight is fluctuating, but trending up, staying mostly in the 190's

This tangent stems from a conversation with a colleague on going back to a group fitness class.  She went to kickboxing, but I need to make a return to some time of group fitness on a regular basis for a couple of reasons.  (1) I need to benchmark and get some motivation to push harder.  (2) I need a sense of community.

Between the conversation and this article, I realized that I want to age well and that lifestyle choices are mutable.  I can change and the changes I make today will reap benefits in the short term, medium term and long term.