There I was on my hands and knees with my face literally in a ditch, puking up everything I had ever eaten in life! And all I had done was try to run just one measly mile!
At that moment, a voice in my head said, “My god! You’re not even 20 yet. What are you gonna feel like when you’re 60?” It was a voice that changed my life.
I guess I couldn’t expect much more after smoking cigarettes and more since I was 14 and now up to nearly a pack a day. After drinking beer and more since the same age. Oh yeah, and it was the early 70s, everybody was experimenting with drugs and I wasn’t missing out.
So now after leaving home at 17, I went buck wild with drinking, smoking, drugs, chasing (and catching) women, and partying ‘til the break of dawn. I was doing all the things a teenager would do after breaking free from parental supervision for the first time. “Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll” was the mantra of the day.
This one-mile run was the third annual fitness test in my four-year military stint and it all finally caught up to me and spewed forth into that ditch. I felt like laying down right there and just having somebody shovel the dirt over me!
Now I’d like to say that everything changed right then, but it didn’t. What changed at that moment, however, was my MINDSET. I was determined to challenge that voice in my head by saying, “I’m gonna feel GREAT when I’m 60!”
It took years for the partying and some of the bad habits to go away. Still, I quit smoking, slowed down on the drugs and alcohol, and became known among my friends as the guy who cared about what he ate, but rarely passed up a desert… the guy who was still the life of the party, but wouldn’t be there until AFTER he went to the gym… the guy who was ready to compete in ANY sport you wanted to play… the guy who could be found outside playing somewhere the day after the party… the guy you could go to if you wanted to know anything about diet and exercise. I learned to strike a balance and enjoy life even more, and even though it’s been a roller coaster ride at times, that’s the way it’s been for nearly 50 years now.
After a career wearing suits and ties, I became a trainer at 57 because I saw all of my peers becoming tired, overweight, weak, frail, stiff, and fragile and I knew it could all be avoided. I made it my mission to train people of all ages, but especially to help older people stay energized, strong, agile, and mobile.
It’s worked out well over the past decade. I’ve trained the young to never get old and the old to regain their youth. Now, I’m expanding my business online so I can impact more lives. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE helping people transform their lives through fitness.
By the way, when I turned 60 I felt great and I still am! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.. But that same voice in my head said, “Alright, slick… but what about when you’re 90?” My response to that voice… GAME. FUCKING. ON!
PEACE.
Rick
PS. Just for the record… Sex and rock ‘n roll are still alright with me!
PSS. If you can relate to this story, drop your favorite emoji below!!
