Go For The Gold!

The human aging process is no fun. As we get older our bodies just naturally break down. Our cells deplete, we get diseases like diabetes type 2, cancer, etc. It happens to all of us.

However, there are ways we can live longer and enjoy life more as we age. We can start with a healthy diet. Then start an exercise program but start slowly and work up to a certain point.

I am in my 60’s now and I have some issues as well. However, I recently threw caution to the wind and decided I was going to change my lifestyle. I started with a better diet and lost 40 pounds since October.

Then I discovered something called The National Senior Games, or Senior Games. I found this while looking on the internet. It intrigued me. So, I read about it, and I thought well, I might be able to compete. I learned that every state has a Senior Games. I live in Florida and there is more than one venue to compete in.

The National Games are a sports competition for senior citizens in the United States. The games are conducted every two years. It is a multi-sport event for adults 50 and over. There are regional competitions held every year in all 50 states.

The National Senior Games as they are called today, were founded by Warren Blaney, in 1969, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission approved the games. In June 1970 the first Senior Olympics (As they were called then) took place at the Coliseum. The games continued through the 1970s and 1980s in Orange County, California.

Today the games are known as the National Senior Games, or Senior Games. In 2007 the event was held in Louisville, Kentucky, and had more than 10,000 competitors and 20,000 spectators. The oldest competitors were more than 100 years old!

You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to compete in the games. The idea is just compete. It’s good for your health, if you are in good enough shape to begin with and your doctor says it is alright to compete. If you don’t win a gold medal you might still, make lifelong friends. It is a good atmosphere for the elderly that are in good enough shape to want to exercise and enjoy life like they always have. Just because we get older, doesn’t mean we have to sit on the couch.

I was doing just that, sitting on the couch, feeling terrible, miserable, gaining weight. So, I decided to do something about it and started training.

I recently participated in the Senior Games at The Villages in Florida. It was great! I have never felt better. It was the first time I ran competitively in 47 years! I made some friends too. I have to say I was totally amazed at what good shape some of the people were in that competed. Most of them told me that they were in bad shape when they started, but they have gotten healthier since they started competing in the games. I have decided that I am going to continue this because it has forced me to lose weight, exercise more and watch my diet. These are all keys to getting older and living a better life.

I will admit, the first time I started running and practicing for the games, I thought I had a cow on my back when I ran! I was slow, lethargic, and felt terrible, but the more I trained, the better I felt. My times have improved dramatically too thanks to the weight loss. However, I had a lot of fun in my first games!

There are many different sports too. The individual sports include archery, badminton, basketball shooting skills, billiards 8-ball, bowling, cornhole, cycling, disc golf, golf, pickleball, powerwalking, powerlifting, race walking, racquetball, road racing, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and triathlon.

The team sports consist of basketball, badminton, beach volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. There are other sports too as well as non-ambulatory sports.

The National Senior Games has a wide range of age divisions as well. So, you will not be competing against a 20-year-old if you are 75. The age groups are as follows, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90-94, 95-99 and some sports also include 100 plus!

If you are in really good shape, you can qualify for the nationals too. These are held in different cities and states every year.

Some of the cities that have hosted the games are St. Louis, Syracuse, Baton Rouge, San Antonio, Tucson, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Palo Alto, Houston, Cleveland, Birmingham, Albuquerque, Fort Lauderdale, and this year they are being held in Des Moines, Iowa.

So, see your doctor. Get a healthy check-up and make sure you can compete. Then get out there and go for the gold! You can do it!  You will have fun!