Today is my 69th Birthday, and I’m celebrating being fit! Not super “Iron Man” fit but fitter than most men 50 years old. How do I know? I took a test. Several actually. I searched the internet for various fitness tests that gave fitness levels by age group. Instead of measuring my scores against other men 69+, I used the 50-59 age group scoring.
Here’s how I fared:
- Bench Press -Excellent
- Pushups – Excellent
- Sit-ups- Excellent
- Plank – Excellent
- Wall sit – Excellent
- Leg Press – Excellent
- Flexibility – Average
- Body Composition – Average
- 1.5 Mile run – Average
- 500 Meter Row – Average
What does this tell me? That I’ve maintained my strength as I’ve aged, but my diet could use some improvement, I’m not as flexible as I’d like to be, and I should do more cardio. These results are good feedback for me as I chart my fitness course for the next 10-20 years.
Maintaining a healthy diet will require some additional discipline but mostly better planning. I find I eat poorly when I don’t have a plan to eat healthily. I’ve already started doing more stretching and mobility work to address flexibility and balance issues. These areas have now become a priority because of flat feet, arthritic knees and stiff hips from sitting too much. You know I’m serious about flexibility because I’m considering taking yoga. But I won’t wear yoga pants.
I get most of my cardio from playing tennis and HIIT hill sprints. I ran my first 5K in five years a few weeks ago, and I don’t see a 10K in my future. Running isn’t as fun as tennis. If I trained for a few months, I could probably improve my 1.5-mile time. But I’d rather play tennis well than have a good time in a 1.5-mile run. Life is full of choices and consequences. If I know the consequences, I can make better choices.
I’ll continue to lift 2-3 times a week and do plenty of pushups during lacrosse season. My dreams of benching 300 pounds are in the rearview mirror. My focus is on functional strength so I can enjoy an active lifestyle for the next 10-20 years.
Am I sharing this to impress you? No! I’m sharing it to impress upon you that you are as fit today because of what you’ve done in the past. My fitness at 69 reflects fitness and nutrion over the last 10-20 years. I am also not in better shape for the same reasons. I know that if I want to be as active in my 80s as I am now, I have to make fitness a priority today and every day. I invite you to do the same. Make a quick assessment of your current fitness level and use the results to guide your plans for maintaining or improving your fitness.
Remember, it’s never too late for fitness. If not now, when?