Recently, as I was watching TV and channel surfing (no DVR for me; I like the surprise of what’s happening just around the corner. It could be a sitcom, a mystery or something else entirely!), I noticed that on those channels that aired programming that attracts Baby Boomers and Generation X (Brady Bunch, Cheers anyone?), there weren’t too many commercials that focused on older people living healthy and fit lives. From viewing these commercials, one would think that we don’t exist. And that seems to be the norm not only in commercials but also our society as a whole.
Rarely do we see getting older as something to be celebrated, unless it’s something like getting a driver’s license or buying a beer. Getting older, especially passing the big 4-0 or the even bigger 5-0, 6-0, etc. is seen as the beginning of the end. No more fun times! No more enjoying life! No more hiking, running or taking part in any type of sport. And forget it if you weren’t active prior to 40. It’s too late now, buddy!
But that’s just bull! You are not too old to lead a healthy and fit life. You can still work out, take part in sports that you loved before hitting 40 or 50, and you can also begin something new at this stage of your life. Yes, you may not be as quick or as fast as when you were in your teens or 20s and you may even have a health issue that puts obstacles in your way, but the important thing is to not give up.
There are plenty of examples of women over 40 who haven’t let age define what they can do in life or sports. Take a look at Dara Torres who at the age of 41 took home three silver medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games. Torres, who also wrote the book, Age Is Just a Number: You’re Never Too Old to Chase Your Dream, is also a motivational speaker. I love her quote: “When you dive in the water, the water doesn’t know your age.”
What about endurance swimmer Diana Nyad who in September 2013 at the age of 64 became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a protective shark cage? Or Kathrine Switzer, who in 1967 became the first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon, and at the age of 67 still runs marathons?
And don’t think that the healthy and fit life is reserved only for those that were active in their 20s and 30s. Olga Kotelko, who died this year at the age of 95, held over 30 world records in track and field and she didn’t start training until she was 77 years old!
I’ve seen so many women my age just stop trying to reach new goals or dreams. I know that sometimes even I let the doubts creep in. But it’s not because we don’t have the skills or talent, it’s because we think we can’t. And because we think we can’t, we don’t.
With the overall life expectancy for a woman in this country reaching 82 years old, many of us still have decades of living ahead of us. Shouldn’t those years be as healthy and fit as we can possibly make them?