Baby Boomers, Aging and Crossfit

As a baby boomer, I must admit, I never gave getting old much thought. In fact…I don’t think many people from my generation thought they would ever get old.  The Who even sang about not wanting to get old.   “I hope I die before I get old (talkin’ ’bout my generation)”

Guess what?  We got old! It happened fast. To fast!  One day I was a wild and crazy young dude and the next thing I know I’m collecting Social Security and on Medicare.

Graduate School ECU 1983

It’s taken some time getting used to the fact that I’m not a young “wild and crazy” guy anymore.  Life’s slowed down a lot for me. I have new interests, ailments and challenges as a senior citizen, yet aging isn’t all that bad once you’ve come to grips with it and embrace it.  There are lots of positive things about aging if you do it right and stay in good physical and emotional condition.

Crossfit Open Challenge 2018

One fantastic benefit I’ve received from Crossfit over the past 6 years is the physical ability and stamina to travel to different countries and hike for days on end with a back pack visiting different villages and cities around Europe. Over the past 2 years I’ve hiked across Spain, El Salvador and through the Kerry Mountains in Ireland. The hiking was extremely challenging and the terrain difficult, yet my Crossfit training made navigating my hiking sojourns manageable and even enjoyable. Being in shape also enhances my confidence and helps me keep a positive outlook on life.

Made it to the Top of Croagh Patrick Mountain in Ireland

I retired from full-time college teaching and administration 6 years ago. I was 25 pounds overweight and out of shape.

It just so happened that I met someone at a Cigar Shop (yes a Cigar shop) who was doing Crossfit and he mentioned I should check out his gym after telling him I needed to get back in shape.

Needless to say, I was very intimidated when I first showed up at Morehead City Crossfit and saw all these young people jumping on boxes, running with med balls and lifting weights to the sound of heavy metal music. I’m just glad the coach didn’t let me leave and had the patience to work with me and assure me that I was capable of doing Crossfit.

Joining Crossfit is the best thing I’ve done for myself since retiring 6 years ago. I can’t imagine what my health and quality of life would be like today at 66 without my daily Crossfit regimen. Crossfit is an integral part of my daily routine and I look forward to my Crossfit class every day.

So many older people I meet are intimidated when I tell them they should try Crossfit.  They think it’s only for young, super fit athletes.  This is a huge myth, and I’m proof that anyone can do Crossfit and benefit greatly from it. As I mentioned earlier…when I started Crossfit I was out of shape and overweight. My Crossfit coach evaluated my fitness level and he developed a program based on where I was on my fitness journey.

I couldn’t do a pull-up and struggled with push-ups and lifting weights. My mobility was terrible (still is) due to arthritic hips, yet I persevered and made progress.  Over time I started adding weight to the bar and got strong enough to do pull-ups without a band. Yes…we have big rubber bands to help you do pull-ups.

Crossfit is a process and its all about showing up and doing the best you can at every class.  Coaches advise you how to scale the workouts (if you need to) enabling you to get a great workout without getting hurt.  The beautiful thing about Crossfit is if you show up regularly and do the WOD (Workout of the Day) to the best of your ability you’ll make progress.  Believe me…Crossfit works!  It’s transformative and fun! You just have to be a little patient at first and above all listen to your coaches. The Crossfit Coaches at Iron Tide Crossfit demonstrate every movement and exercise and always give scaling options for the WOD.

Athletes watch Coach Demonstrate the Movements in the WOD

Another benefit of Crossfit is the incredibly supportive and encouraging community. Everyone is made to feel welcome. Everyone is encouraging.  It doesn’t matter how old you are – what shape you’re in or where you come from.  You can show up at any Crossfit gym – go through a foundations class where you learn all the movements and how to navigate through workouts and then you start your Crossfit journey with a group of like minded, positive people who are all striving to better themselves.

Crossfit is for everyone both young and old. 

In my opinion, Crossfit is a way of life. It’s more than just a gym. It’s more than just a workout. It is a state of mind.  When you surround yourself with positive and encouraging people it rubs off on you. Even though my family lives far away, I’m blessed to have an extended family at Iron Tide Crossfit here in Morehead City, NC.  I don’t see myself quitting Crossfit any time soon. I still have lots of challenging hiking excursions planned and have a new Granddaughter I need to stay in shape to keep up with.

If you are interested in learning more about Crossfit feel free to reply to this Blog or contact one of the coaches at Iron Tide Crossfit. Tell them the old guy with the big white mustache sent you.

“Stay positive. Stay fighting. Stay brave. Stay ambitious. Stay focused. Stay strong.” – author unknown

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