The ageing athlete

I’ve been reading a few blogs, social media posts and direct emails lately about the subject of the effect of ageing on the body – with particular reference to those who exercise (who we will loosely call athletes). The general theme being that the writers claim to have found the elixir of life and with a prescription of the right sort of exercise have successfully defeated the ageing process in their own bodies.

That’s all very well, of course – because exercise is most certainly one of the keys to a long and healthy life – arguably reversing some of the signs of ageing. My issue with the vast majority of these posts are that the writers are very often in their 30’s at most.

From where I’m standing people who have taken reasonable care of their body into their 30’s are barely in a position to call themselves ‘ageing’ – athletes or otherwise. Maybe they’ve passed their optimal competitive age – but someone in their mid 30’s has barely scratched the surface of the ageing process.

For a coach who wishes to speak with authority about the effects of ageing on an athlete I would prefer if they had lived through a few more decades and were still able to compete or perform at a higher-than-average level. Leading by example. Maybe it’s just perspective of course.