Len
If I have to hear one more time about "acting your age" or "growing old gracefully"... Why should I resign myself to growing old when I'm not even ready to admit that I've grown up? Maybe in the past, when people lived to be forty or fifty, and there were real benefits to society of people acting as grandparents or elders, then holding on to your youth could be a selfish, unproductive thing. Maybe it's still selfish, but I do enough selfless acts for the good of society and future generations, just grant me thisone little indulgence.
Part of the "growing old with dignity" mentality is the idea that you should "make way for the next generation" and let the young have their time in the sun. Screw that! I'm willing to share the spotlight with them, but if anybody wants to push me into the sidelines, he better be prepared for a fight.
Aging is Nature's really nasty trick. Just when you start figuring out the mistakes and bad choices you made as a kid, and getting really prepared to live and enjoy life, the old clock starts trying to shut you down. Inside I feel like I'm maybe 25, or 30 at most. When I'm at the beach and see young kids running around, surfing, skateboarding and bugging their folks, it's them I identify with, not the "golden agers" warming their tired old bones one last time. When you feel young, vital and enthusiastic, it's really rotten when life starts handing you wrinkles, sags, bulges,aches and pains.
I made a conscious choice to go out kicking and screaming, grabbing on to every shred of youth I can muster. I can't condemn someone else for their liposuction or facial nips and tucks. Cosmetic surgery is a public service. You know, transsexuals describe sex-change surgery in terms of correcting a mistake of nature, and bringing their exterior bodies back into line with their inner identity and self image. Plasticsurgery is not so different. If a doctor's scalpels, sutures and lasers can make my outsides match up with what I see before I look into the mirror, that doctor is a hero in my book. I haven't had my face yanked or my tummy tucked yet, but I'm glad the option is there when I need it.
Exercising is the one cheap, readily available "fountain of youth" that anyone can use. And when age starts trying to wrest control over your body away, working out and staying active keeps the ball in your court. You can set your goals as modestly or as outrageously as you choose, but you definitely have it in you to achieve them. Working out not only helps you feel and look good, the exercise itself feels good. If you get a good pump, you're not going to dread going back to the gym. If you feel"burned out" on exercise, there's something wrong.
As a ACE-certified trainer, I'm not supposed to advise anyone to take vitamins or dietary supplements. But I'd be disappointed in anybody motivated enough to make weight training and exercise a part of his life who didn't at least feel curious about thenew supplements like DHEA, antioxidants, gingko biloba, androstenedione (MarkMcGwire's secret muscle-builder) and its more potent offshoots norandrostenediol and androstenediol.
I can tell you not to jump at every advertising claim in the tabloids and the muscle magazines, but when there's something new in the pipeline that might work for you, I think you owe it to yourself to find out all you can. If you read the research, ask friends, and really check it out (including any potential ill-effects) then you can make the informed choice whether you want to try it or not.
Until next time, keep your mind strong and your attitude young, work out hard, and your body will follow...
Len
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