Old is not any specific age, it’s a mindset, and an ability (or lack thereof) based on what your body will allow.
I’d like to see 2100.
I’ll be 123 when it happens.
This is not impossible.
But I do have to start logically thinking about the things I am doing right now.
For instance, I have to consider the absolute beating I put on my body in the name of building muscle and being healthy.
Exercise is an important of living a long and functional life, but exercise can also be a detriment if done too excessively, or with massive injury as a consequence.
(Yes Jack Lalanne lived well into his 90’s but then George Burns lived to 100. Anecdotes are fun like that)
So being able to be ‘healthy and active’ 8 decades from now is just another reason to take pause and evalute why you do what you currently do right now.
Are there distinct measureable benefits?
Are there distinct measurable Disadvantages?
And finally, (and this one is tough) you need to evaluate whether or not you have enough information to answer the first two questions.
When I went through this practice I found I was STILL doing some exercises for no other reason that “I’m supposed to”. I was also doing things that weren’t really in-line with my goals (setting a goal of a 225 standing shoulder press, while admittedly would be really cool looking, didn’t really help my long term goals…it was really more of an ego thing)
So point for today, every so often take a break and critically evaluate what you have been doing. I’m guessing that a lot of times we do things because we’ve been told it’s a good idea, but without any true results and even with possible indications that there may be more harm than good being produced from those actions.
BP
