When Is The Last Time You Met Your Edge?

A Life Worth Living | June 3, 2023

Every Saturday I share a story about my life in a way that you can hopefully relate to. I believe we are all here to share our journey, both the highs and the lows, as this is how we collectively raise the consciousness of the planet. If anything resonates with you, please share! 🙏 (4 minute read)

When is the last time you took a full-body, underwear-only, look at yourself in the mirror?

I know, weird question. Stick with me here.

Think back as far as you can remember. And for 50+ folks like me, that me take some digging in the archives, LOL.

If I were to ask you to pick a time in your life when you can say you were in the best shape of your life, when would that be?

My Fitness Journey

Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve gone through various phases of workout regimens, including 3 years of martial arts training and a year of CrossFit, when I was living in Brooklyn.

I can honestly say that I was in my best shape ever, while doing CrossFit.

During my martial arts phase I was definitely my most flexible, and by training in Wing Chun (Kung Fu), mixed in with Jiu Jitsu and Boxing, I definitely remember the feeling of engaging in a physical activity with another participant.

With a lot of life-changing events in my life the past few years, I’ve definitely slacked off on staying in shape and it shows. I’ve dropped about 10 lbs and lost a bit of muscle definition.

As I was doing some research into workout regimens for those over 50, I found some interesting details:

“Muscle mass peaks around age 40. [Then it] begins to decline due to sarcopenia,” explains Pete Rufo, a performance coach at Beast Training Academy in Chicago. “A major contributor to muscle mass decline is lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyles. Our older clients are typically parents, grandparents, or working professionals who have lost time to work out consistently.”

“Muscle mass declines with age, simply because we are not doing anything to stop it,” notes Lauren Lobert, physical therapist and owner of APEX Physical Therapy. “We lose, on average, ten pounds of lean muscle mass for every decade of adult life. The best way to stop this is to do strength training.

Muscle burns more calories than fat [does]. As we lose muscle, our metabolic rate declines. [This] makes it more likely that we will begin to gain fat. This is another reason that strength training is hugely important—and a simple fix.”

For so many years, most of us have been conditioned to think that, as we age, we lose the capacity to grow. That’s simply not true.

Testing My Edge

As I mentioned in the last letter, I had a multi-faceted experience during my time with the Sacred Sons in Brinnon, WA, a few weeks ago.

There were many opportunities for me to meet (and break through) my ‘edge’.

In one exercise, we participated in what was known as Ritual Combat. It was an opportunity to put on a pair of boxing gloves (and mouthguard!) and spend 2 minutes boxing with a fellow brother.

Needless to say, it brought up a whole slew of feelings for me. Apprehension, fear, anxiety, etc.

Now remember, as I mentioned above, I’m no stranger to getting clocked in the head during my martial arts days, but that seems like ages ago.

All it took was one clean shot to my head during our 2-minute boxing session to bring all those feelings back. Talk about a wake up call!

Now I’m not saying everyone needs to go out and start an intensive workout regimen, but there is something to be said for making a commitment to do my best to always stay in-shape.

You just never know where or when you’ll be called on to help out in an emergency. It may be never. Or it could be tomorrow, and the call could come from a loved one or dear friend.

My New Commitment

So this week’s letter is a reminder to you that you can change your fitness level at ANY age!

And that’s what I’m committed to. Yesterday was the start of my new 3-day-a-week workout regimen. My goal is to get back to what I would consider the best shape of my life.

Where are you at in your life when it comes to fitness. Is it time for a reboot?

Join me in this challenge!

🙏 with gratitude,

Harry

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