“I’m too old.”
I call BS on this.
Do our goals change?
Yup.
Does our body change?
Yup.
But so much of what we state that we are too old for, we actually need to be doing more of.
We also have to remember that fitness is always about ability.
Our needs and goals do change. And they always will over time,
But more importantly, we have to recognize that lifestyle factors add up. And the longer we ignore them the more they can build up to create overload.
And that is the real issue.
Not our age.
Those lifestyle factors, and how we address them, may make us feel old at 25. Or not old at 105.
Think of your body like a plate.
There may be no cracks in the plate to start.
But through a lack of attention to proper movements, or prehab….and constantly sitting hunched over textbooks and at computers….well…we start to build cracks in that plate.
But as we are creating cracks in this plate, we’re also stacking more and more stuff on it.
We’re training harder without warming up. We’re not sleeping well. We’re drinking. Eating crap food. Stressing at work.
We’re adding weight constantly to this plate as we even add more cracks.
And then when the plate finally breaks and everything falls off, we claim it’s because it is too old.
But it wasn’t the age of the plate. It’s all the stuff we did too it while ignoring the cracks.
It’s why if you start younger creating habits that don’t create such dramatic damage OR you take time to try to REPAIR the damage you can avoid feeling old and like you now can’t do the things you love.
Sure does wear and tear happen? Will we want to adjust our training methods because of different goals and the fact that with age our body does change.
100%
But too often we hold ourselves back from training the way we want because of age when it’s really INJURIES or our fitness level or our goals that are dictating what we need.
Studies have shown time and time again the importance of lean muscle to longevity, only reinforced by the importance of grip strength as an indicator of health and longevity.
So stop saying you CAN’T do something because of your age. Your goal should always be to rebuild so you can clear yourself to do more.
And the younger you start addressing your postural distortion…the younger you stop thinking you’re invisible, well the less old you’ll ever feel.
We’re not too old. If anything we just have to stop being stupider when we are younger.
Tips to help you adjust your fitness to feel young forever.
- Include prehab work.
- Use every move as an assessment and focus on those recruitment patterns.
- Use variations that fit your goals.
- Stop having the attitude of no pain no gain. This creates the cracks. You’re not being paid to train through pain. You can work around.
I needed this! I’m 57yo & have always been relatively fit. ( Just 2 years ago I was in the best shape of my life.) Now I’m dealing w/ chronic piriformis syndrome & SI joint dysfunction. & am struggling to get back into the fitness game. I can literally feel my body going to mush.
I love your workouts!! tho I haven’t done them consistently.
I’m ready to work on my fitness again but I’m having trouble getting a definite workout /progression plan in my head. Can you point me in the right direction? Thank you!!!!!
Thanks for the advice. I am do CrossFit to help with my main passion of OCR at 55 years old
Recently had a series of leg injuries which made me question my future in fitness.
Just contacted my CrossFit gym to help get me back to work
It’s even more key now than ever that you keep moving. Sometimes due to injury we need to regress to progress but that rebuilding is key!
Thank you Laura! Rebuilding and addressing those imbalances first is key. Are you doing any foam rolling or glute activation? I know it stinks sometimes to regress to progress BUT we can come back stronger in the end!
I didn’t pay attention to this message till I was 53 years old after yoyo dieting and still gaining weight gradually over the years, I changed to healthy eating and exercising more and more. Now at 63 I am fitter than I have ever been before. I did a duathlon last Sunday (4k run, 18.5k bike ride, 4k run in a time of two hours) which I would not have been able to do at age 53, 43, 33, or even 23! I had never even run before I was 53 years old!
In sum: a total lifestyle change over 50 is certainly achievable! Go for it. Thank you Cori , for reminding us of the importance of “you are NOT too old’!
HECK YES Lea! You are awesome!!
If you ever want to create a weight lifting book or eating and workout plan solely for menopause women. You’d make a million.
You are correct. Our bodies changed and so we must tailor our eating and workouts to our new limitations. The same principles work but our bodies respond different now
I’ve definitely been considering doing just that as I often have clients do one on one coaching with me because of the struggles that come with menopause. It can be hard when, what we once did, doesn’t work any more. BUT it doesn’t mean we are “too old” to get the results we want. We always need to be learning and growing and adjusting!
You make some important points about the psychology of training when there are miles on the clock, rusting bodywork and and a clanking engine. Your cracked plate metaphor is lovely, but doesn’t quite capture the dynamics of ageing. This includes the fear of weakness – is it actually ‘too late’ to do anything meaningful – and the weakness of fear – I’m going to screw it up and hurt myself again.
The points about recognising the potential in our current state of wear, tear, rust and clankiness, setting out a sustainable refurb plan and gently and consistently getting on with it are perfect. Thanks for raising the topic and offering ways to enjoy the drive as the years roll by
Thank you Paul. 🙂
Although (definitely not the most perfect metaphor) I disagree about the cracked plate not including that “fear” component. Because if you’re me and you repair a crack in the plate, you fear it won’t hold so you’re timid about using it or loading it down. That fear is for sure real, which (shameless plug) is why it can be good to have a coach to guide you. And that fear is real at EVERY age not just as we get older. There is always a fear after injury that it will happen again. The key is knowing that at every age we can make a change. That at every age we need to keep moving and focus on building from where we are currently 🙂
PREACH!!
Thank you very much Cori🙂
I have been waiting for a new hip and post menopausal for last few years, having always been very active, and have pretty much let myself go and given up this last year.
I totally understand and agree with what you are saying Cori, but boy is it hard when you know it just aggravates the pain you permanently already have!
Even stretching gently aggravates it . . .
Nevertheless less, your sound advice and positivity is a constant encouragement and inspiration, thank you so much.
🙂
Injuries, and specifically ones where we are waiting on surgery, can make things challenging. BUT the more we can do to train around the pain and even do things to help us come back stronger from surgery, the better off we will be. It isn’t always comfortable for sure. But that rehab work now, as uncomfortable as it can be, will make the recovery quicker!
Focus on doing what you can to work around as well to meet yourself where you are at currently!
where can i buy those resistance bands
Here are the tools I use – https://www.amazon.com/shop/redefiningstrength/list/UFGG7KKWBXKP?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d
Can you talk about what you mean by prehab, and specific prehab exercises needed before a workout? Thanks for all your help.
Hi Debby! For sure! Here’s more on what prehab is and some links to other resources – https://redefiningstrength.com/fhp-s2e12-what-is-prehab-and-how-do-i-use-it/