Regular, Consistent Work Makes the ‘Yes’ Possible!
In the midst of a week of wedding events for my son and now daughter-in-law (!) in Cape Town, South Africa, we (my sister Monica 59, my husband Dave 65 and myself 58) decided to ‘hike’ Tabletop Mountain. My son’s group of friends were already signed up with a guide and offered us the extra spots in their group. They were up front about that they had chosen an intermediate route with scrambles to challenge their group. Sure! we said…
We met in the morning to get going before it got too hot. The first part of the hike was a lot of stairs, and then a rocky trail with a significant increase in elevation. About a third of the way up to the top, we were offered an opportunity to take an easier route and told that if we chose to proceed on the main route there would be challenging scrambles and really, no turning back. Dave was keeping up well with the dudes in their thirties and the guys would take turns circling back to check on my sister and I and to give us encouragement.
| Not knowing exactly what is in front of you both makes it easier (we’ve come this far right?) and harder (what exactly are we saying yes to?). We looked at each other and said, ‘We’re in!” |
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Hiking behind a bunch of fit 38-year-olds is inspiring and… humbling. There was heat, there was incline, there was straight up rock climbing and some scary ledges, but we made it! The view on the way up was amazing and, looking down we were proud of how far we had come and what we had accomplished.
As we get older, if we want to be able to say yes, it is the daily work and workouts that give us that ability. At 20 or 30 we can go with little sleep, get up and hike a mountain. At 58 or 65 it is the work that we have been diligently putting in that makes the difference. And the balance of cardio work, weight work, nutrition and recovery shows up in the challenge.
If you want some help with your ability to say ‘yes’ as you age, contact Carol O’Neill Wellness Coach.