Monday, May 22, 2017

Therefore, less intensity

Middle-aged men fitness warriors eventually realize they’re no longer willing to have a pedal-to-the-metal approach with their fitness training.  The beast in them starts to get a little mellower with age and having a “been there and done it” mindset is a contributing factor.

A someone old, but still very relevant, Pierini Fitness blogflection shared a realization that while my Father Nature clock continues to tick tock towards the end of my life, the value of what I do today is best measured by whether I’ll be able to do it for the rest of my life.

Does this mean I should be doing seated exercises at a senior center, or water aerobics, both activities that I may one day be doing as a very-old fitness dude?

Hardly.

So, what’s another way?

What should I be doing to remain fit if it’s something I should be able to do for the rest of my life?

A good clue in embracing a meaningful fitness curriculum for a gracefully-aging middle-aged man is to look back at how we’ve trained when we were younger and fitter and enjoying every minute of it. 

I have a saying that "the program has got to match the personality."  I didn't do yoga as a young person and can't see myself doing it as an older person despite how beneficial it may be for me.

So, modifying exercise as we age may consist of doing that which we enjoy, which may be what we've done in the past, except using lighter loads, shorter duration, fewer sets and reps and, therefore, less intensity.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

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