One of my favourite of Cate’s posts is her post about her many fitness lives. I think about her idea of fitness lives all the time and especially now as many of us at the blog gear up for turning 60. See here and here. We’re all wondering what our next fitness life will bring.
Like Cate, my own attitudes toward fitness and physical activity have changed dramatically throughout my life.
In high school insofar, as I cared about moving my body, I cared about the looks that I associated with moving more. It was all about weight loss. In my undergrad days, I developed a distinctively non-jock identity as an academic and activist, reporter, and then philosopher.
My fitness journey really began in grad school when I started riding my bike longer distances and studying strength training at the university level (thanks tuition waiver!).
Next up was my active parenting phase–pulling a bike trailer full of kids to daycare and home, working out at the gym while the kids took swimming lessons, and lots of family camping.
I started to run in my late 30s and lift weights again when I had time for some solo fitness pursuits, and from running, came triathlon, and from there, my first road bike purchase. I rode with a fast cycling club and dabbled at racing. I loved my time in the velodrome both in Ontario and in New Zealand. My speedy cyclist phase?
In my 40s, approaching 50, I felt the need to broaden my fitness wings. I wanted to get strong and try new things. I spent years at Aikido (first with my kids and then with friends), CrossFit, and masters rowing. My well-rounded phase?
You can read more about all of this in Fit at Midlife: A Feminist Fitness Journey, a book I coauthored with Tracy Isaacs, published by Greystone in 2018.
But what about 60?
What shape do I want my 60s to take? I’ve been thinking about a fitness identity for the next decade or so, for my 60s and beyond.
There’s a photo of me on my bike that I love. It’s on the Otago rail trail on the South Island of New Zealand.
I used it when I had to draft a fitness mission statement for Precision Nutrition. Actually, that mission statement still resonates with me. It’s the active outdoor adventures bit I love best. I’ve got big bike packing dreams. I want to do some longer back country canoe trips. I want to spend more time swimming outside. I want to do some big walks now. I’ve got working knees again!
So I started to wonder if active outdoor adventurer is the right way of describing the fitness phase of life that comes next.
Here’s some other active outdoor adventure photos I love.
What’s your fitness identity?
