Olympic Athletes: Inspiring and Age Defying

Step right up and feast your eyes on the Olympic Games in Beijing China. That’s right folks. You will see feats of strength, speed, and the most outstanding age-defying acts of courage. What’s that? “Age-defying?” Oh yes, the Olympics have been a proving ground for many athletes over the age of 40 years old who want to prove to the world that it is never too late to be in top competitive condition.  Truly, these “geezers” of the Olympics inspire all to “go for it.”

In past Olympics, even 70 year old athletes were the ones to watch. This summer all eyes are on Dara Torres, the 41 year old mother who is the oldest American Olympic swimmer to ever compete. About joining the team, she said, “I did it because I can.” That “I can” attitude has much to teach anyone who faces the challenge of getting into shape. No drugs for Torres, she believes in good old fashion hard work with a strenuous program that focuses on efficiency and eccentric loading, also called resistance stretching. As a lean, mean swimming machine, she is ready to bring home gold for the U.S.A and for all the middle-aged women that she represents.

Knowing that mother’s around the world are cheering for her, Torres says, “I feel like I have so many middle-aged women who look up to me. I want them to feel proud; and feel like they can do what they set out to do”. She is right. So many women are not proud of their age and view it as a barrier to life goals. Sometimes, a woman’s life gets put on hold because of raising children. Then, when it is time to refocus on self-goals, age seems to get in the way. Nothing is in the way of Dara Torres from being a heroic inspiration for people of all ages.

This competitive spirit is contagious. You will want to catch this wave of courage and determination because both are required to defy all barriers, including age. This Olympics is not selling anti-aging snake oil. This Olympics is selling you on the proven effectiveness of attitude and hard work to optimize performance. “Geezer” or not, you just need to “go for it” and prove to yourself that you can.

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Women's Health by drlasich