Getting up the motivation to work out after 40 is not the same as responding to that automatic feeling of energy and power we got when we were 25. Our bodies begin to stop producing a list of chemicals, enzymes and endorphins that give us that spark of desire to blast off along with the power to recover fast after the age of 28. How do we continue to maintain a healthy, vibrant lifestyle when we still have more than three quarters of our life to live? My solution at 56 is 95% mental. Staying positive is my goal. There are megatons of forces designed to drag us down as we manage careers, family, aging parents while preparing for retirement.
A morning routine of gratitude, forgiveness and calm is where I start coupled with the most insane self “pump up” session I can muster. You should hear me, I sound like Ali before a big fight “I am the greatest!”, “I can’t possibly be beat!”. I repeat this throughout the day as I need it and it does the trick. One thing I do is play the “Olympic Fanfare” by John Williams and I imagine I am an Olympian. You know why? Because we are. To our kids, our loved ones and our friends. So why not act like it.