Inspiring Each Other
For the past 15 years, I have worked with countless amazing women (and men) who have exceeded expectations related to their age.
As a trainer, it’s my job to motivate and inspire people to become stronger and healthier as they age so they can enjoy their lives without limitations.
More and more often, it is my clients who are inspiring me with their activities outside of training sessions.
Here are some examples of the amazing choices these women are making to ensure they stay healthy as they age:
At 55, a mother and her teenage daughter, trained for and competed in their first triathlon, despite the mom’s fear of swimming and biking on the road. They’ve been doing the triathlon together every year since.
On her 60’th birthday, one woman decided to run 6 miles to celebrate, and she’s not someone who would consider herself to be a regular runner. At 65, she continues to camp and hike mountains with over 4,000 feet of elevation.
A 73 year old client overcame her fears after a biking accident, got back on her bike and actively seeks out long steep hills to ride on, just to prove to herself that she can. She also completed (and exceeded) the Mt. Everest Challenge of riding 30,000 feet of elevation in 30 days.
At 85, a grandmother who had recently recovered from major heart surgery, took in her granddaughter who needed structure and support to get her life back on track. While parenting once again, she is also maintaining her home and yard mostly on her own.
A lot of people stop moving regularly and really don’t eat very healthily as they age, and as a result they begin to feel very old as each decade passes.
There are body aches and pains on a regular basis, limitations on what they believe is safe for them to do and a lot of fear related to life.
It doesn’t have to be this way! You don’t have to go out and do a triathlon, hike a big mountain or go out for a 40 mile bike ride, and you actually should not even try to do these things if you haven’t been moving.
Start out slowly by getting out for a walk EVERY DAY. We make so many excuses about why we can’t do things that we sometimes forget what we can do.
Every single one of the women I wrote about above started out with small consistent movements that eventually allowed them to accomplish great things.
Action Steps:
Think about one thing you’d like to accomplish.
It can be anything at all, small or large. One client wants to check out a short walking path in the woods near her home and another has been considering buying a three wheel bike so she can start biking again and feel safe.
Make a plan and move forward on your one thing this week.
Time goes by regardless of what we do with it. Become exceptional by allowing yourself to get started on your one thing this week and before you know it, you will be doing more than you ever thought was possible!
