My Body Has Never Been This Old: Staying Strong and Active as I Age
Every time I complain about some new, totally random thing my body is doing that I don’t love, my husband quickly points out that my body has never been this old.
It is changing every day. And it will not stop reacting to things in different ways.
And he’s right.
In a way, every day, I’m in a new body.
A body that recovers from colds and injuries differently. Allergies that not only change with the season but change how they change with the season every new season. Increasingly arthritic joints. Food that I can suddenly no longer tolerate. Sneezing that throws out my back. Sleeping wrong that destroys my neck for a week.
And workouts that take longer to recover from.
All of that means the way I live increasingly matters.
The things I consume. How well and how long I sleep. The workouts I do. The amount of stress and peace in my life.
All of it matters way, way, way more than it did in my 40s.
So I focus on it way more than I did when I was younger.
An event that keeps me up past 8 p.m.? That can throw me off for days. One too many social engagements over a weekend? I’ll feel it. Heck, even daylight-saving time can knock me of my game for a full week.
So, I protect my sleep. I protect my downtime. I think twice before having that cocktail because I know it will screw up my sleep, and then usually order a sparkling water instead.
I don’t eat gluten because, as much as I love it, the inflammatory blowback just isn’t worth it to me.
And I make myself work out even though I never, ever, ever want to.
Ever.
And then my hip had other plans.
Seemingly overnight, my right hip started giving me trouble.
At first, I simply noticed it when I walked. Then the discomfort became pain. And before I knew it, I could barely walk normally.
I knew this was coming.
About ten years ago, my orthopedic doctor told me I was headed toward eventually needing both hips replaced. I had hoped “eventually” would mean at least my 60s.
I’m not in my 60s.
But here we are.
So, I Advil’ed up, and the immediate pain almost completely disappeared. It’s still there enough to remind me that it’s time for a hip replacement, but sometimes I can almost walk normally right now.
Which is good because my initial appointment with the surgeon is still a month away.
Needless to say, the surgery that can’t come soon enough is still many months off.
Meanwhile, I can’t walk the three miles every morning that I had finally and successfully folded into my life.
I have to be very careful when stretching my lower body. I can’t move my right leg in too many directions. Even lifting weights makes my hip ache for days afterward.
Add all of that to my extreme aversion to working out in the first place and what do we get?
Me.
On a complete workout hiatus.
And what’s worse?
I have a stationary bike.
In my home.
That my orthopedic doctor has said I can ride even with my hip the way it is right now.
Yes, I’m pulling all my covers here and showing you behind the curtain.
The problem with stopping
I know it’s not good for me to stop working out for weeks on end.
The ramp-up after all of this is behind me will be so much harder because, well…
My body has never been this old.
And I suspect recovery will go better the better shape I’m in going into it.
But I’m busy.
I’m tired.
I’m uncomfortable.
And these are the excuses I’ve been leaning on way too heavily.
So, I’m making a pact with myself.
I need to start treating movement like it matters more than almost everything else competing for my time.
More than another episode.
More than scrolling.
More than whatever hobby I’m currently obsessed with.
I need to make it a priority even when I don’t want to.
Especially when I don’t want to.
Staying mobile, strong and flexible needs to be non-negotiable.
Of course, there will be times when working out simply doesn’t work out. When I’m sick. When I’m traveling. When life is exceptionally stressful.
Although, if I’m being honest, stressful days are exactly when making a little time for myself matters even more.
But in general, moving my body every day needs to be a priority.
Not because I’m trying to look a certain way.
Not because I need to hit a certain number on a scale.
Because I want this body to keep working.
And if your body has been sending you a few new messages lately, maybe it’s time for a reset.
I created a free Body Reset Guide to help you take a fresh look at the basics that matter more and more as we get older—from movement and strength to sleep, nutrition and the everyday habits that help you feel more like yourself.
So, I’m trying something new.
I’m going to play a little game with myself this week.
I’m limiting my social media time to only when I’m on the bike.
I’m not doing a vigorous workout right now. I’m really just trying to move my body, elevate my heart rate a few times and break a little sweat. Most of these rides will be pretty chill.
Which means I can scroll.
But only while I pedal.
And honestly, I think this might work.
Because maybe the goal right now isn’t to have the perfect workout.
Maybe it’s simply to keep moving.
To maintain the habit.
To remind myself that even when my body changes, I still have some say in how I take care of it.
I can’t control the fact that my hip needs replacing.
I can’t control the fact that recovery takes longer than it used to.
I can’t control the fact that my body is going to keep changing.
But I can control what I do with the body I have today.
And maybe that’s one of the biggest lessons of getting older:
You don’t get to keep the body you had in your 30s or 40s. You get to take care of the one you have now.
My body has never been this old.
But it has also never been this experienced.
And I intend to keep it moving.
A Few Things I’ve Found Useful (when my hip isn't an issue)
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