When talking to curious strangers about what we’re doing here at Older Bolder Fitness, often one of the first questions they ask has to do with our name, and what do we mean by the “Older” in particular?
They’re often surprised by my answer in two parts…
One, It’s Not Chronology, It’s Physiology
Just as you can’t judge a book by it’s cover (or you shouldn’t anyway), you can’t assume a person’s health and metabolic status simply by their calendar age. I was astounded all through my years in practice by this very principle, and am even more so today.
Year after year I’d run into both men and women in their sixth, seventh, eighth, and later decades who were fit, trim, astoundingly active, functionally engaged with their families, often still working, with bright eyes, engaging personalities, sharp wits, and curious about the world around them.
Granted, you might argue they’re winners in life’s genetic lottery, which indeed might have played a role, but invariably they had varied interests, wider social circles, ate wisely, and were quite active. Most the circle of folks that I’m referencing from my own experience were also avid skiers, hikers, cyclists, runners, fly fishers, or hunters (we lived and worked in mountain and recreation towns for years in the Northern Rockies).
Conversely, there were also impressive numbers of patients in their late 20s and early 30s, morbidly obese, metabolically impaired, often depressed, discouraged, and disconnected. Physiologically, many looked as if they were in their late 60s, and they suffered from pathologies you’d expect to see in patients decades older (spine and joint degenerative changes, dermal aging, true metabolic syndrome issues, and much more).
It’s not chronology, it’s physiology.
And Two, There’s No Age Limit on Improving Your Life
Our second intent with using the name Older Bolder Fitness was to encourage people that there is absolutely no age limit on improving your life via healthy, thoughtful nutrition, age-appropriate and targeted exercise, moving more, sleeping better, and challenging your mind. Habits may be harder to break, and your response curve may be slower than you’d like, but it’s never too late.
I’m personally looking at my 60th birthday on the calendar this year, and will likely have dropped somewhere between 180 and 200 pounds from my peak by then, and have reconditioned to the point I was somewhere back in my high school and college athlete years. Actually, I’m in better physical shape today.
Our goal is to help you be stronger, leaner, sharper, and live longer.
It can be done.
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