Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 165 – No Limits

[Mahler]

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 165 – No Limits

No Limits

A recent post that posed a question about accepting declines in performance as we get older prompted some serious thought on my part. Is there some point at which we say that we have reached a peak or have done as much as possible? And should we be ready to accept that at a given age we will make no more progress and even, sad to say, expect to lose ground?

In thinking about it, I was reminded about a friend of mine who is considerably younger. I remembered a time when I asked if he and his wife wanted to go to an amusement park. His response was that they were too old for such things. Just exactly when are you too old to have fun? At what point in the calendar of your years have you passed the point where it is beyond you to have a good time with friends? His response to me made him seem, although in his thirties, so much older than myself. Perhaps we grow old by acting so. For the record, there still isn’t a coaster I will not ride and holding on is for sissies.

This same attitude can carry over into our fitness pursuits. Are there things that we should give up or perhaps not even attempt, just because our personal odometers have clocked a certain mileage? The fitness magazines and web sites are always touting numbers that we should be able to reach or goals that magically make us fit. Some even go so far as to break it down by age group. For example, they might say that a twenty year old can do so many pushups, but a forty year old can do a specific number that is less.

So, as we get older, should we set our sights lower? When the years begin to pile up, do we automatically cut back on our activity? When one decade rolls into the next, do we say okay now I will lift less weight, run shorter distances, bike at a little slower pace? I will pause here to listen to the resounding “hell no” that I am expecting at this point. I’m listening.

Let’s face it. We don’t live forever, although I am planning to give it a damn good try. Look around you. We do decline as we get older. It’s scientific fact. But it’s not a reason to throw in the towel as you reach a specific plateau. Put a hold on ordering the “Hoveround.” Let your body tell you what you are capable of doing, not some number that tells you how far you are from the date of your birth. And while your body is talking to you, give it something to talk about. Push it to the limits, even if the limits of your 50 year old body happen to be those for one that is 20 years old. Age is how old you are and should never be an indication of how fit you are or should be.

If you measure what you can do by how old you are, you have already placed limits upon yourself that you will never overcome. For to tell yourself that you can only do so much at a given age is a self-fulfilling prophesy. For your age, for any age that you may reach, for the things that you do, for the things that you want to do, there must be no limits.

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Have a Great Week!

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[gobbla]

Thanks Mahler

[Ruma]

Such true words.

I see my dad. He is 66. But does not seem a year older than 25. He makes a conscious effort to not get into the "I am too old for this or that"

Thank you John. Very well written.

[OldGuy]

Nice post, John. I agree 100% with this. I refuse to grow up.

[kingkop182]

Like it John, reminded me of a particular discussion over a MH were one poster was lambasting the 'older' posters for still doing heavy deadlifts. He asked why and got a resounding .....why not

[quote=Mahler]

For the record, there still isn’t a coaster I will not ride and holding on is for sissies.


quote]

Couldn't agree more

[eastcoastsurfer]

Great one. Hit on one of my greatest fears in life - to be alive, but not live!

See my sig for what I think about limits

[Lost Dog]

I had years 0 to 35 to do less. My weight aside, things have only gone up since then. Why stop now?

Nice work, John. You should make these a regular feature.

[Chris D]

Awesome post John.

No Limits!

[Bill2380]

Thanks John, I've been thinking about the same things lately and reached the same conclusions.

[VanceMac]

My dad is living proof of this point as well. He is stronger, healthier and doing a lot more with his body at 67 than we was a 37. At 41, I am definitely wanting to head in that direction as well.

I will tell this little story again, since it fits here:

A while back I was playing some pick up basketball and most of the others were youngsters (25 and under). We picked teams and, when matching up on defense, one of the youngest pointed at me and said:

"I'll take the old guy".

hmmm, well. I just smiled and asked him to take it easy on me. You know, me being old and all.

Of course, with that motivation I proceeded to clean his clock, scoring almost all of my teams points and holding him to zero, blocking a couple of his shots for good measure.

About half way through the game, his buddies started giving him a hard time "hey, who has the old guy!!"

[RobLL]

Interesting post - at my stage of weight lifting (free weights for less than a year) I anticipate continuing to increase personal records for a few more years - and when I'm in my early 70s I will reevaluate. But at 67 safety and injury avoidance are bigger priorities for me now than when I was in college.

[fitzy21]

what a great post.

i still love sledding during the winter - people ask me why i still do it...i tell them because its fun...race down a large hill, then run back up and do it all over again...its a great time.

my dad still loves to ride roller coasters, i love them too. so when do get a chance to go to an amusement park, we ride all the rollercoasters (i'm so happy for that line pass you can buy, so you can just go straight to the front, so worth the extra money).

fitness wise, i see no reason why i should be limiting myself, i'm young, healthy, i love pushing the limits. fun fun fun

[duff beer]

I will still walk 2 full rounds of golf in a day while carrying my golf bag. Sadly, almost no one else my age (44) will even walk any more...they all ride carts, even if it is only 1 round.

On Saturday I helped a friend shovel 10 yards of topsoil...I worked at twice his pace and he missed work today with a sore back while I had no muscle soreness whatsoever.

I am far too young to start acting "old".

[jj]

Great stuff John, I hope that I can stay dedicated my whole life and I also hope that I can convinve my family members to live the same way.

[MindPower]

I will be 30 in a few weeks, so of course I am being bombarded with the
"your getting old" comments, It makes me laugh that people think 30 is old,
I am sure I could kick my 20yr old selfs ass, as I am much healthier, fitter, and stronger than I was 10yrs ago, and intend to be stronger again, 10 years from now.

"You don’t stop playing because you get old.
You get old because you stop playing."

[RacerBill]

When I get old I want to be just like Mahler.

[onepack]

Very nice job Mahler. It's my birthday today (33) and I feel great. I am always driven to out perform the younger version of myself and I have had pretty good success so far. Thanks again for your inspiring words!

[Q.]

My biggest challenge is figuring out HOW to keep going. It's a fact that our bodies change over time and it is a hell of a lot harder to keep things going over time, harder for some more so than others since we're all individuals. Your metabolism declines while your aches and pains increase. I've had to change things frequently to keep finding new ways to get my workouts in. This discussion has come up many times over the years and I certainly agree that we should not limit ourselves to the point of not even trying but it definitely pisses me off that, more and more, I can't do now what I used to do. Youth is definitely wasted on the young! .... dammit!