Fit at My Age?

Okay, I did it.  I got back into shape.  At my age, getting back into shape can be an intimidating and fruitless challenge.  Nevertheless, I have done it, and I don't want to go back from whence I just came.

Just a few months ago, I was in pain, over-weight, and unfit.  Like many people my age, life had taken its toll on my fitness and well-being.  Marriage, the kids, and poor eating habits all played their role in my downfall.  When I compare my recent state of poor fitness to the god-like fitness of my youth, I observe an obvious contrast.  All throughout my youth, I had genetics and a great athletic career as a source for my great fitness.  I played soccer from high school through my division I college career at Saint Peter's to my semi-pro career with the NY Cosmos and the clubs in Brooklyn.  During this period, my athletic endeavors keep me fit as the proverbial fiddle.

The change came when I got married, pursued a career, and became a father.  I left athletics cold turkey.  Apart from the occasional pick-up soccer game, golf outing (not a real sport), or day ski trip, my days as an athlete were over.  Thus, I found myself overweight, weaker, and hard to look at in a bathing suit, at least to my standards.

So, let's get to the good part.  I'm fit again; almost as fit as I was when I was 21.  It hasn't really been that hard to get back in shape depending on your definition of hard.  I found the solution to my fitness problem.  Don't worry, I'll tell you about that later.  First, I did try many times to get back in to shape.  I tried to run, but I hate running.  I tried yoga, and I became a flexible chubby guy.  I joined gyms, and I wasted my time and money. I even tried diet fads and supplements.  Nothing worked.

Then, I found P90X.  What follows will sound like an ad.  I don't care, it works.  I had seen the infomercial many times on television, and said to myself, "I should get that."  For about a year, I considered it.  One Saturday afternoon while I was supposed to be helping my wife clean the house, the infomercial came on again.  I called my wife into the room, and after a few minutes of watching she said, "We gotta get that."  We did, and we're both fit.  

I often wonder why P90X works.  It could be the science behind it.  The muscle confusion idea they profess in the commercial.  In the end, it is a resource.  My wife and I do it every day now which means we have made the commitment to fitness.  Also, we have chosen a healthy lifestyle.  We exercise, and we eat sensibly.  The results have been surprising.

To see myself with my shirt off now brings a smile to my face and a boost my self-confidence.  I can see definition and muscles in places that quite frankly may have never been there before-the abs and the obliques.  Moreover, I tear it up on the soccer field.  Once again as in my youth, few people can hang with me physically.  Granted, I play in and over 40 league, but its all relative in the end.  Despite a day of soreness, I recover quickly and can't wait for the next game.

I haven't even finished the full 90 days, but I will.  Better yet, I have learned a valuable lesson-don't go back to the old ways.  If I have learned anything, I have learned to practice wisdom.  To practice wisdom from here on means that I need to maintain my present lifestyle.  I have vowed to keep exercising and to continue to eat sensibly.  Time will tell, and I'll keep you posted.