You know fitness doesn’t get easier as you get older. Adapting your training types and frequency, and understanding that any injury which would have been fixed overnight at 20 can still be bugging you three weeks later in your 50s, are all part of the journey. These “adaptations” take energy—energy to figure out the right path, to find the right diet, to drag yourself to the gym or onto your indoor bike on a cold, wet, miserably dark evening in November. It’s about accepting that you’re not getting any younger, while your slightly unfit, overweight social crowd heads to the pub for a chicken curry for the second time this week. That little voice in your head tells you, “It’ll be okay, you can do it tomorrow,” or “Maybe I’m not cut out for this anymore,” or even, “I’m getting too old for this.” But let’s look at it from another point of view…
There are many things we love to do—eat good food, share a drink with friends, or even enjoy a chocolate bar on the way home from work. But as I got older, I started to get that dreaded “post-pleasure guilt.” The morning after a large meal with the obligatory bottle of Chardonnay, I’d find myself starving myself and trying to jump on my bike to “undo” the damage. But why am I guilty? Eating a meal isn’t a crime, and a glass of wine has some health benefits—especially when shared with friends or loved ones. The guilt comes from knowing I hadn’t made room for these “treats” because I let that little voice win over me the previous few days. I hadn’t been exercising regularly because excuses kept popping up every time I looked at my bike in the corner. That little voice is to blame, always telling me to skip workouts—then turning around and making me feel bad about my choices later.
It’s time to address that little voice in your head. Remember, the same voice that gives you every reason not to work out is the one nagging you the next day about the extra samosa or a little weight gain. Nine times out of ten, that voice is wrong. So, let’s use it as a trigger. When it says, “You don’t want to do that because…” turn it around and prove it wrong. “It’s too cold and miserable”—then let’s warm up with some exercise to lift our mood. “I think I’ve got a cold coming”—then let’s get a sweat on and boost those defenses. “I don’t have my favorite Sweaty Betty leggings clean”—well, guess what, the fit body you’re working on will look great in any leggings if you keep at it!
The key is consistency. Find an activity you enjoy and make it easy to do. This is why having a dedicated spot at home for your bike is a fantastic option. It’s just you, the music, the workout, and no one around to judge what you’re wearing. You’re close to the coffee machine for a pre-ride boost, and just a few steps from your shower for a quick refresh afterward. Indoor cycling burns more calories per minute than most indoor exercises, keeps your legs strong and flexible, and is one of the easiest activities to recover from. You can start small—get a bike from eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Add a heart rate or RPM sensor if you want to level up, and you can connect to a training app like CicloZone to really turbocharge those results.
So, start by tackling that little voice in your head. I’m not saying ignore it—because it’s hard to ignore your own thoughts—but use it as motivation. Challenge it. Show it you can do this, and maybe, just maybe, that voice will start cheering you on after each workout. Let’s keep getting older, but let’s not let ourselves feel old. Deal?
