99 problems but looking old ain't one

My wife and I were discussing the other day that this year I'll be 50 and she'll be 40. She commented that I looked like I'm in my late 30's. She then asked me how old she looks. "You definitely could pass for late 30's too", I answered. She wasn't amused. I then stated that since we both look like we're in our late 30's, that means we're the perfect looking couple. She still didn't find me charming.

Back in the day when I first started working out, I did very little cardio. It was all about lifting weights. In a 3 hour workout, I'd do maybe 20-30 minutes of cardio. I wasn't a muscle-head though. I wasn't one of those guys who would do lift massive amounts of weight, grunt and scream, then throw the weight down and run to the closest mirror to flex.

As I got older, I started doing more cardio to the point where it was almost 50% of my workout. 5 years ago I bought a bicycle. Ottawa has numerous and well maintained bike paths throughout the city, so I took advantage of them from the Spring to the Fall and would do 2-5 hour excursions around the city. I would also ride to the gym and back home as part of my cardio exercise for that day. Not only was I staying trim and fit, but I got to explore the city, discovering some of the more interesting tucked away sceneries and parkettes that I would never have known about.

Last year I started doing the RPM (Raw Power in Motion) spin class. It's 50 minutes of intense indoor stationary cycling, consisting of sprints, mixed terrain and hill climb stages. The first time I tacked it, it kicked my azzz! I decided to start my workout with this programme, then lift weights for another hour to an hour and a half. I did this 2-3 times a week, unless I rode my bike to the gym, or did a 20 minute run on the treadmill, followed by 10 minutes on the rowing machine for a bit of variety.

Somehow I ended up hurting my shoulder, so I couldn't lift any weights at all for months while I did physiotherapy. My physiotherapist felt that I had probably injured my shoulder over time by lifting too much weight, combined with bad technique. Then he said something to me which was like a punch in the gut: "as you get older, you can't lift as heavy and it's easier to get injured if your technique is bad..." The "as you get older" part of that discussion was what got to me. I wasn't getting older... I mean I was but I don't feel it... well I do sometimes... most times... my God I am getting older!

Once I started lifting again, I did less weight, more reps, focusing more on my technique. Last December, I started a mixed aerobic, weight-lifting class called BodyPump. It's an hour long intense workout which strengthens and tones your whole body. The first time I tacked it, it kicked my azzz! I now do the RPM class followed right after by the BodyPump class, 3-4 times a week.

I remember when I was much younger, I would make fun of the guys doing the aerobic classes. Now that I'm one of them... I feel great, have more stamina, look younger than my age... and make fun of those guys lifting all that weight...