5/10/2010: Stupid old ladies who say “Oh, just wait until you’re older.”
May 10th, 2010 |
Old Lady
I probably hear this the most of any objection when I try to get people started exercising by giving them my testimony as a former fatass who lost 60 pounds in about 6 months. When people say, “Oh, just wait until you’re older, ” I hear, “I’m looking for things to blame for my lack of initiative, and my peers’ collective lack of initiative is an easy target.” The problem is, obesity is an peidemic that knows no age barriers. 2/3 of American adults 18 and above are overweight. It’s not age, it’s attitude.
It’s true that older people tend to have more responsibilities than younger people do, and thus less time to get out. But to quote the 95-year-old fitness guru and juicer-hawker Jack LaLanne, “It’s not that tough. If you can’t afford a half hour, two or three times a week, to take care of the most important person in the world, yourself, you gotta be sick.”
If you want to be overweight, that’s your decision. I’ve learned in my professional tenure that you can’t change people’s lives unless they want them to be changed. But don’t blame your low fitness level on your age. There’s at least one trainer at every gym I go to who’s in their 50′s. And 19 year old kids who get winded going up and down our stairs. My own grandma remains mobile and mentally acute at the age of 88. Everyone can be as fit as they choose to be, by living like a fit person, through actions and not just words. Citing nonexistant age-induced decreases in fitness level to a) justify your own laziness and b)downplay the achievements of others is just uncalled for.
Controversial myth! It’s common knowledge that the body DOES begin degrading as you age, especially in joints but also in eyesight, brain function, and circulatory function. So are your 50-year old fitness instructors the lucky ones genetically, or are they completely average people who “did it right”?
Now I do agree that so much of staying fit is mental, and I’m sure a lot of your work involves psyching people into doing things they are perfectly capable of doing. That’s part of why your job exists. But good on you for not letting people use age as an excuse! Isn’t it just a number anyway?
i have a sweet tooth that can’t be satisfied. well i have sweet teeth. i am however trying to eat healthier things day by day. doing okay so far. i do need to workout on a regular basis…4/5 times a week is ideal and resting on the weekend.
i don’t know, is it possible to crunch away belly fat. i don’t think so.