Unless you’ve been holed up in a secluded hut on an island in Malaysia, you know that Dara Torres is the triple silver medal winning mom, who at age 41 is the oldest U.S. Olympic swimmer in history. In fact, she won her first medal in 1984, the year before Michael Phelps was born! What? Who’s Michael Phelps?! You’re kidding, right? Even the folks holed up in huts in Malaysia know who Michael Phelps is.
But what they may not know, unless they have seen her photo, is that Dara has an absolutely rockin’ body! At age 41, Dara has thrown the rules for getting older book out the window. Thank you Dara!
But she isn’t the only one. Fifty-six year old Olympic shooter Elizabeth Callahan, who is the oldest female Olympian of all time, and 49 year old French cyclist Jeannie Longo, have written their own books on what it means to be middle aged.
And what exactly does it mean to get older? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. As Dara points out. “Age is just a number.”
Choices are the only things that really matter. Dara, Elizabeth, and Jeannie make different choices than most others their age. Or any age, for that matter. First of all, they have made the decision not to make excuses.
And they choose to believe.
Their minds have no limits. They see each day as an opportunity for excellence and possibilities. And that alone separates them from all others.
So, what about the workouts? Isn’t it their incredible workout routines that make them so special? Not really. Their individual workouts aren’t really all that remarkable. What is remarkable is that they have been able to string their workouts and diets together day after day, year after year.
Small choices and consistency make an Olympian – not any individual workout or routine. It takes years, not weeks or months, to achieve excellence. Unfortunately, most folks give up when they realize that results don’t come quickly.
Think about it this way. I am a very fit 43 year old man. I run three times per week and do a little weight training and cycling. If I decide to drink a soda everyday at lunch for the next year, I will gain precisely 14.6 lbs. On the other hand, if I decide not to have that soda and I add just one more run to my weekly routine, I could win my age group in nearly any road race I entered. But it would take a year.
And that’s where we lose most people. They can’t commit to the year. They don’t see the results in their minds. I can picture breaking the tape in a year from now and I can also see the spare tire that would form from just one Coca Cola per day. For me, the choice is easy.
And this goes back to belief. You must believe first. Call it faith, putting the blinders on, whatever you want. In the end, it comes down to putting one foot in front of the other (or stroke in Dara’s case) day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And the trick is to do it even when the results aren’t visible.
It’s the same with diet. It takes time for a good diet to produce benefit. I can’t tell you how many times a client has said, “I just don’t understand it. I had an egg white omelet and a salad for lunch and I’m still fat!”
“Let me know when you have done that ninety days in a row”, is my typical response.
My business partner, Charlene Circele, won two bodybuilding contests in her forties by eating the same thing everyday for six months. She beat women half her age, who I guarantee you did not have the same determination and patience.
And patience is indeed an advantage that comes with maturity. Use it.
If there is one gift that the Beijing Olympics has given us, it is that there are literally no more limits. As Dara has shown us, we really can pursue our dreams at any age. Legendary major league pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige, who threw three shutout innings at age sixty said, “Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” He also asked the question, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
For me the answer is simple. I don’t have an age. Not really. I just do the things that I am capable of and leave it at that. Sure, I know that I have been on the earth for 43 years. And each year I add one to that number. But two years ago, after a twelve year lay off from the sport of Triathlon, I became an honorable mention All-American. Should I have not accepted that because 40 year olds aren’t supposed to be able to do that?
Of course not.
When I was in my twenties I had a dream to make it to the podium at the Hawaii Ironman. Then life happened. Now, Dara has me thinking again. It would take some work, but I know I can do it.
I just need to make little choices on a daily basis.
Then, who knows? Maybe I still got it. And maybe you do too. In whatever it is that you still dream of.
Let’s check back in a year.