That’s what I heard in the locker room after my swim. I don’t usually stick around for any conversations, making my exit as quickly as possible. But, the question was directed at me, so I gave the best, off-the-top-of-my-head answer I could and then made my exit as quickly as possible.
The initial thought that flashed through my mind was, “Look at our demographic, pal.” I’m at the very front end of the 60-90 year demographic represented in that locker room and this gentleman was two-thirds of the way down that boxcar. Is there a legitimate answer? I certainly hope so.
This is what I told him. Getting enough sleep is key, followed by ensuring you’re getting enough protein intake to fuel your muscular recovery and, finally, you’ve got to be consistent with both a good routine and a regular exercise schedule. The body has to have time to repair what you’ve torn down and as we get older, that may mean more sleep time, not less. Protein intake ends up supplementing what we’re not getting at the dinner table, as our exercised muscles need to be fed. Lastly, regular exercise actually prevents injury and allows our bodies the opportunity to recover and grow.
Today, my happy place was a little chilly. I was warned by the receptionist but surely 78° isn’t all that cold. Let me put it this way, I swam a ‘refreshing’ 70 laps. Road the bike for 16 minutes, then hopped on the elliptical for 8. I finished with 4 minutes on the rower and did 70 pushups.