How "old" sneaks up on you

I was out walking with dh on one of our port stops last week. On vacation, we like to walk as much as possible and consider ourselves quite fit. We walk at a fairly good clip and tend to overtake and pass most saunterers.

This walk was along a popular scenic route in Victoria and several other couples were walking a few metres ahead of us. We were slowly gaining ground on them, when suddenly, one of the couples stopped abruptly in front of us, mid-intersection. We skittered quickly around them - a truck was coming - and we said "car coming" as we passed.

The stopped couple, meanwhile, was looking up at a tree; totally oblivious to the truck trying to turn the corner. Now, I must give credit to the truck driver who didn't honk or yell, but rolled forward slowly, waiting for them to get out of the way. They didn't.

Not until their companions yelled at them, did they look around and move out of the way.

My dh turned to me and said, "I hope we're not like that at their age" ("their age" meaning old I'm quite sure). To which I replied, "We ARE their age. Take another look." My guess is they were sixty-ish.

Funny how those years sneak by when you're not paying attention.

Boot Camp - Wk 3

It's hard to believe there's only one week left.

The past week has seen things ratcheted up another notch of intensity.

Instead of doing two sets of twenty reps, we're doing two or three sets of thirty reps; instead of two minutes at each station for circuit training, we're doing three minutes at each station. It may not seem like much, but let me tell you, that extra minute of push-ups, squats, and lunges make your muscles scream, "Please, STOP!".

I've found that I can handle most of the endurance and strength things pretty well. That's probably because I'm a stubborn ol' bird and refuse to give in.

The jumping, running and impact activities are another matter. My knees really don't like all the jarring, so I've modified some of the exercises and have resigned myself to being slow and steady. I have no intention trying to keep up with the young'uns. They have resilient bodies that recover in half the time that mine does. We have a few in the group who are still in that age and stage where they brag/complain about partying and drinking the night before and having "such a hangover". Yet they still look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to me. The one thing I keep telling myself is that they may be faster, but I doubt they're as determined.

I was talking to our trainer one morning and she told me she noticed a big difference in the attitude and commitment between the older and younger participants. She noted that older members just get on with it and tend not to complain, whereas the young ones whine and complain almost the entire time. The younger participants are also more prone to "cheat" by shortcutting the number of warm-up laps (I noticed this myself), stopping because they're too tired, etc. Whereas the older participants do everything they're asked to the best of their ability. She asked me why I thought it was so.

The only answer I could think of was that, by my age, there wasn't any point in complaining. I was there of my own free will, so I may as well get the most out of it while I was there. Besides, I think my generation was indoctrinated with the "if you cheat, you're only cheating yourself" philosophy. I don't even know if they say that anymore.

To summarize: Despite aches and pains again this week, my legs feel much stronger and it's not quite as much of a struggle during my runs. I haven't lost any weight, but various body parts, though still jiggly, are definitely firmer.

I'm even - dare I say it - contemplating signing up for another session.

Day 1 - Survivor boot camp

I arrived at the designated meeting place at 5:55 a.m. under cloudy and rainy skies. Our trainer, S, checked us all in and I found out that only two of us from the 50+ group decided to join the regular group (the sixty year old man didn't show up). We immediately glommed onto each other for moral support. S reassured us that her classes are geared for everyone to go at their own pace and we should have no trouble at all. (She wouldn't lie to us would she?)

First thing on the agenda was a quick rundown about what to expect and a few tips about equipment, and pre-workout meals. Today would be mostly about fitness testing and body measurements for our "Before" level. There will be another fitness testing day at the end of the four week period to see how much we've progressed.

We started with body measurements first: Biceps, chest, waist, hips, thighs and calf.

Then it was off for a timed one kilometre run (one and a half laps around the high school track). We were encouraged to run the entire distance if possible, but to walk if necessary. I thought I'd be doing a lot of walking, but ended up surprising myself by only having to walk a quarter lap. I was the last over the finish line, but only by 20 seconds. Not too bad.

Next was a series of strength and endurance tests: Abdominal crunches, squat hold, push-ups, and something called "the plank hold". Again, I wasn't in as bad a shape as I thought. As a matter of fact, I lasted the longest of the newbies at the maximum three minutes. It must be all the stair climbing I do.

The hour was whizzing by. We finished off with some upper body exercises and stretches. Then it was, bye-bye, see you tomorrow morning.

I have a feeling tomorrow will be the beginning of the "real" workout.

A word about the group: There were eight people this morning, but apparently some "returnees" will be joining us tomorrow. They often don't attend the first day because it's testing day – although one of the gals this morning is starting her third boot camp!

A nice surprise: There's no yelling at this boot camp. S and her partner are enthusiastic but supportive. At least so far.

That's all for now. I need to get to bed. Five-fifteen rolls around mighty fast!