I’m just going to say it – Getting old sucks! The older I get the harder things seem to become. I remember there once was a time when I could train 12-15 days in a row before needing to take a day off to rest my aching body. Now I can barely train 3 days in a row before I need to take a break from my workouts. When I was younger I could easily function off 2-3 hours of sleep. Currently I need at least 5 or I’m completely brain dead throughout the entire day. A few years ago I could sleep through the entire night with only having to wake up once or twice to use the washroom. These days it seems as if I spend more time on the toilet then I do in my bed sleeping (mind you, this could be due to the copious amounts of oatmeal I consume in a single day). And the one thing that I miss most about my youthful years on this planet, is that when I was younger I could eat and drink whatever I please and not have it effect my waistline in a negative way. Nowadays if I even look at a simple carb I put on 5lbs! Yes, getting old can be difficult for many. No matter how graciously we try to age, the fact remains that things may not work as well or we may not move as fast as we once use to.

Unless ofcourse you understand how to age properly…….

Despite the fact that I work and compete in an industry that’s full of narcissists who are more focused on perfecting their selfies then perfecting their squats, I honestly don’t obsess over my own appearance. Sure, I like to look good and yes I will admit that I do care what a few people may think of me, however I don’t worry if my abs are a little soft or if my arms are not as ripped and shredded as the guy training next to me at the gym. As a competitive bodybuilder I train to improve my aesthetics. As a personal trainer I train to improve my craft. As a business owner I train to improve my mindset. And as a human being I train to improve my health. I understand that as I become older my body will continue to change. I understand that I cannot control a few extra wrinkles on my skin. I understand that I cannot control a little bit more aches and pains in my joints caused by wear and tear. I understand that it will become more difficult to lose body fat and build muscle. And because I understand all this, I also understand that it’s important for me to refuse defeat and to just give up.

As a fitness professional I have the opportunity to work with many different kinds of people who all have different training goals and who are all at different training levels. I also work with people of all ages. With my youngest client being 13 years old and my oldest client being 93 years old. Through my decade plus experience of working within this industry I’ve learned how to work with both youths and the aging population when it comes to working out. And I can honestly tell you that a few of my clients who are labeled as “Senior Citizens” could easily out train and even out lift some of their younger counterparts. But why is this? Shouldn’t older people be taking it easy, lifting lighter and resting longer? Not if their my clients!

As a rookie trainer I use to be fearful and overly cautious whenever I would work with someone over the age of 60. I would give them light weights, I would allow them to rest longer periods between sets and I would provide them with easier exercises to perform. What I failed to realize is that even though these people were older, they were not disabled. And by trying to protect them and even simplify their workouts I was not doing them any service. Luckily for me (and stupidly of them), I had a few clients call me on what I now call my “Bullshit Workouts”. They didn’t appreciate the fact that I was babying them rather then pushing them to their absolute limits. After all, one of the reasons why people come to work with me is so that they can be pushed and motivated, not coddled and pampered.

The point I’m trying to make is that becoming older is and never should be an excuse to give up on your health and fitness goals. If anything, becoming older should motivate us to become even more healthy and more fit then we were when we were younger. We all know that age is not an excuse, yet why do so many of us continue to use it as one? Yes life can be hard and stressful at times but in my opinion how we cope and deal with these hardships as individuals will define us in our later years. Just because you may not be able to run as fast as you could when you were in your twenties, or squat as much weight as you could when you were in your thirties, or even have regular bowel movements like you did when you were in your forties, does not make you an invalid.

Rather then look at the glass half empty, take a different perspective and look at it as half full. With age comes experience and maturity (for most people). Use these tools to your advantage both inside and outside of the gym. Don’t give into society’s expectations of how you should act, feel and behave just because of a number. Instead of using your age as an excuse as to why you can’t do something, use your age as a reason as to why you can do something.

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Mark Twain

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit