You’ve heard the time old saying, “Age is just a number,” but do you actually live by this phrase? Age defines things in the American culture. You can’t see an R-rated movie until you are 17 (I was carded a month before my birthday when I tried to see “The Campaign”). You can’t vote until you’re 18, and you can’t legally drink until you are 21 years old. There are also some other age qualifications, such as the first time my Dad was given the senior citizen discount. Although, we as Americans, dwell on our age there is no age limit when it comes to our own health and wellness.
With the 31st Olympic Games taking place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, there has been a lot of talk about the athletes, themselves. Specifically, in the United States, the main focus has been the “Final Five” and Michael Phelps winning big in the games. Although these athletes are accomplishing so much for themselves along with their teams, there are some other competitors at the games getting attention for their age.
There is a woman who is the exception. Her name is, Oksana Chusovitina. Oksana is a 41-year-old Olympian competing for Uzbekistan. This will be her seventh Olympics, meaning she has competed in the Olympics for the last 28 years. For her, gymnastics has become a lifelong endeavor and career. When questioned when she will finish competing, she refuses to put an expiration date on what she can achieve. Oksana is double the age of many of the other gymnasts at the Olympics, yet she is still competing with them on the same level. This can be attributed to all of the hard work she does and her attention to her health, wellness, and training in gymnastics.
While competing in the World Olympics is seen as one of the biggest accomplishments in an athlete’s life, I would consider the Senior Olympics a huge accomplishment for many others, including my grandmother. My grandmother is 89 years old and has competed in the Senior Olympics since 1987, as well as National Track and Field Championships for 22 years as a runner. She currently works out at a gym with a trainer several times a week, a track coach when she gets ready to compete and finds time to travel the world every year. She can attribute her accomplishments to the healthy lifestyle she lives and her determination to not make age a number. Many people say to me, “I can’t believe your grandmother is still so active,” but I can. If she at any moment thought to herself, “I need to stop doing this because I am getting old” that would restrict her from doing all the things that she loves the most.
No matter what age you are, you can find inspiration in your future by looking at those around you. The only way for your age to hold you back is if you let it.
