PHASE III: “Last Lap!”
“Many will start fast … but few will finish strong.” — Gary Ryan Blair
What thought runs through your mind when you hear the “final” gun or bell of a relay race? If you’re like most people, you think “This is IT! GO-GO-GO!” Throughout time, the last lap has always represented the opportunity to finish strong and be victorious. It is the climax! The crescendo! The pinnacle! It’s the last lap where you spare no energy or effort as you sprint towards the finish line, Hell-bent on finishing as strong as you possibly can! One last push – our finest effort for that short, but oh so crucial sprint to the finish line!
But when it comes to that last lap of life, those final years when our respective finish lines are in sight? We have been societally conditioned and culturally fooled into putting on the brakes and accepting the “reality” of physical diminishment and decline. The secret to thriving in Phase III of our life, defined as anything remaining after the age of 60, is really quite simple.
Recognizing and accepting that our physical and mental rate of decline – accelerates dramatically as we age! As counter intuitive as it seems, that requires us to dramatically increase our focus and efforts on physical fitness. Doing so will determine whether we get older – or just old. Physicality is the key – the “secret” to owning and winning Phase III.
Getting older is an exciting progression of events and activities. We were different as children than as adults. We were different at age thirty than we were at twenty. We were different at fifty, sixty, and so on. Acceptance of aging is merely recognizing that different Phases require a different Modus Operandi – the biggest one being accelerating our fitness pace to outrun the onslaught of physical diminishment.
Getting old is easy – it merely requires us to embrace the status quo – all but ensuring that our rate of physical decline will overtake us and hinder our sprint to the finish line. Getting older is an art, and like any art demands a different approach. As counter-intuitive as it sounds – “Beast Mode” is exactly what’s required to effectively combat our declining physical stature as we get older. Anyone over fifty-five should wear a hat or tee-shirt that proudly proclaims, “The gym is my friend!” Strength and power are important to young athletes but maybe even more important to weekend warriors in their 70s and 80s.
I was born sixty-eight years ago. Phase III presents an opportunity to redefine what it means to grow older in America. Imagine grabbing that baton and taking off on that last lap with unparalleled vigor and determination. This symbolic gesture signifies the transition into a phase where experience and wisdom fuel your stride, allowing you to navigate this stage with grace and strength.
As you grip the baton, your dedication to maintaining physical health, mental acuity, and emotional well-being becomes evident. It is within each of us to redefine what aging means, proving that with the right mindset and lifestyle choices, this final stretch of life can be as powerful and dynamic as any other. It gives us all the chance to showcase our relentless spirit that defies and makes a mockery of conventional expectations of aging and allow each of us to continue living vibrant and fulfilling lives.
“Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic!” -Robin Sharma
