A lot of us engage in sporting activities at a level that would have been unthinkable 50 years ago. Some of this is due to our physical condition from exercising, dialing in our nutrition and supplements correctly, and availing ourselves to modalities like cold exposure and saunas. That is, however, only part of the story. The other part is: equipment improvements have helped us tremendously. A full-suspension mountain bike or an e-assist bike makes mountain trails massively more manageable. Golf clubs are tuned to personal preference now. The shaped race skis from Dynastar that I use are infinitely easier to manage than the flat planks I learned on. The same is true of my Lange ski boots, outdoor clothing, and anything else you can think of. Legacy brands of all kinds are continually innovating, putting considerable effort into allowing people our age to have more fun for years longer than ever before.
If there was an activity from your past that was perhaps too arduous or uncomfortable, and you at one point very much wanted to do it, I recommend you re-visit and re-appraise. What we may have lost in physical prowess can be made up in considerable amount by the stuff we are using. My recent experience is with skiing and ski racing at The Park City Master’s Program. Most of the people I am with are 50s, 60s, and 70s. There are a few people younger, but mostly it’s us older folk. Everyone has the latest shaped skis, super warm jackets, boot heaters, and all manner of innovations that may benefit them. We all want to be comfortable, which is 100% possible now. This was not the case when I was a teen learning to ski, at all. Even the sports themselves have developed and transitioned. Pickleball seems to have been developed exactly for people of a certain age.
There’s nothing better, absolutely nothing, that will help long-term brain health and overall healthspan than physical activity, including sports. The best ones involve coordination, perception, and movement: tennis, ping pong, bicycling, and of course, my favorite, skiing. I am not saying that ski racing is a particularly smart choice for long-term health, there are consequences for errors, but it certainly checks the boxes regarding agility, strength, balance, proprioception, and visual processing. But that’s just my jam; I like snow and I like mountains. However, there’s something out there for everyone, and I encourage you to consider checking out what may now be possible for you. You are only done if you say you are done. I watched wheelchair-bound athletes tearing down a race course yesterday, very much not allowing themselves to be defined by their disability, reminding me that being defined by my age is a choice.
Onward and upward,
David