I’m Matt, and welcome to Steady Beats. If you like to walk for a better life, and also like Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life,” you just might like this newsletter.
“Hey man, how old are you?”
He was docked on the bench next to me, a series of narrow blue plastic landing strips perched perpendicular to the endless yaw of dumbbells along the wall. I plucked out an AirPod and answered his question over the blaring music from the speakers hanging on the wall.
“Just turned 50,” I told him.
We chatted for a few minutes. He was probably in his early 30s, clearly very strong and a little heavy-set. Former gymnast.
On the surface working out looks selfish. I do it for my own energy, my own health—mental, physical, spiritual—and yes, my own aesthetics. Looking good is a bit of a cheat code. People you meet tend to make better assumptions about you at first glance.
That last part is not fair. But I don’t make the rules of human behavior.
I also exercise for others. To get my daughter up and down the stairs at times. To have the energy to work all day and get to my other daughter’s various games and activities in the evening. And, yeah, I want my wife to like what she sees, also. She committed to me for the long haul, after all.
But then there are secondary ripple effects.
There’s a ring of influence that reaches further when we do positive things for ourselves. Others draw inspiration from your effort, energy, and results. Like the former gymnast parked next to me at the gym.
As we talked, he paid me a couple of complements, and I think I saw a light go on for him. I hope he lengthened his fitness runway, realizing he can enjoy the benefits of working out for decades to come. That the fitness journey doesn’t end at 35, or 50 or 75.
At least it shouldn’t.
And by the way — if you’re in that midlife space (or later) and your fitness journey is on pause, take heart. A new study shows you can start now and make big strides in your health — adding strength, adding cardio capacity — at similar improvement rates even if you start in your 60s, 70s, or 80s.
Age is no impediment to fitness. The good—or bad—news is it is entirely up to you to take charge.
You won’t only change your life. Your ripple effect will impact others you don’t even realize are paying attention.
Thank you for reading.
Let’s keep the Steady Beats going. 💚
If you enjoyed this edition, would you mind giving the heart below a click? If you didn’t enjoy it, tell me where I’m wrong.
The ancient Roman’s who took the oath of the legions called those oaths the Sacramentum. Part of their commitment was the physical fitness of their bodies.
When the early Christians used this word to describe their sacred things they believed as Jesus poignantly stated, that loving yourself and others was like loving God. The acts of love were connected.
Therefore it seems to me one’s physical fitness could be a reflection of divine devotion.
Hoping you are well Matt.
"A new study shows you can start now and make big strides in your health — adding strength, adding cardio capacity — at similar improvement rates even if you start in your 60s, 70s, or 80s."
I wondered how guys like Mick Jagger are still doing so well, particularly after some presumably hard partying in his younger years. I recently heard the answer in passing- he tours w/ at least one dedicated trailer containing a personal gym tailored to his super hard every-single-day workouts.
Cheers, Matt!