Don’t Stop

Found on Vox Popoli the other day:

An 88-year-old who I’d been seeing for falls, weakness, and a hip fracture told me I looked strong. Asked if I lifted weights.

I proudly confirmed his assumption as I’d been lifting for the past 9 years. He smiled and said he used to lift too. Shared his old PRs.

He used to bench press 215 lbs, squat 350 lbs, and deadlift 475 lbs at his prime. He trained several times a week & used lifting as a way to stay both physically & mentally fit. But at some point along the way, life happened, so his training sessions decreased. Then, before he knew it, he stopped lifting altogether in his 50s.

Then he got older. He now uses a walker to get around now. He has difficulty getting up from a chair and he’s fallen in his home, one fall leading to a hip fracture.

Then he looked me dead in the eyes and said:

Don’t ever stop. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t be your patient right now.

Vox goes on to credit that his weightlifting is what probably got him to age 88.

I don’t doubt it. If you don’t use it, you most certainly will lose it.

I had a friend whose dad was well retired, but helped him in his interior construction business. He told me that his dad felt that if he stopped working, he’d die. He made it a good long time before age caught up to him. Honestly, the man was a marvel. He paced himself, hardly appearing to work very hard. But he worked efficiently and smart. End of the day you’d be stunned how much he had accomplished. I learned a bunch from that dude whilst growing up.

I was a slob in my late teens. Early in my twenties, I decided I was tired of being a fatass and got myself really fit. This lasted well into my thirties. In my forties, I got fat, but hit the weights hard. So I was mighty. Then I got cancer, and it all evaporated. Lost it all. It was a long, long road back.

But then I got fat again. And this time, I wasn’t anywhere near as mighty. It took some serious will power to cut drinking and get fit. Getting a surprise divorce helped, I have to say. That was probably the one silver lining in that whole shitshow.

I’m 62 now, and very, very fit for my age.

I was running yesterday. A cold front came through and it was downright pleasant. I had way more in me at the end than normal. I easily could’ve done another mile or so. Today is biking and weights.

I’ve no plans to ever stop. I’m nowhere near back where I was, having to move much slower and more carefully to progress without injuring myself. One thing I’ve noticed is that when I take a break, like a week off, getting back is tough. You lose so fast at this age.

I’ve no plans to stop. I”m old, but I still enjoy the endorphins post workout.

I also enjoy the straight back, the stamina, and general fitness compared to most my age.