Fake News: “Pain, it just comes with getting old.”

with Dr. Nolan Clausen

“Pain is just a part of getting older.”

This is something that really drives me crazy! Yeah sure, it can be a funny little one-liner, but I hear it all the time. I also used to say it all the time. Until I decided to do something about it.

I can proudly say that my body feels better than it ever has. Even before the years of college and high school sports.

Blaming your performance or how your body feels on your age is ludicrous unless you are 90 years old. Even then, we all have seen that 90-year-old lady deadlifting 200 lbs. I doubt she says it, even though no one deserves to say it more than she does.

Here are three reasons why I hate when people blame their age for their pain:

1. We all have control of how our body feels. Although there’s a lot of BS to sift through, there’s a nearly infinite amount of information available to us on proper nutrition, exercise, and general wellness. There are plenty of resources to take advantage of, and most of us know what we need to do to help ourselves out. How we feel is within our control, because what we eat, how much we sleep, and how much (or little) we move is within our control.

2. It’s a depressing way to view life. Like I said, it can be that funny one-liner when someone blames their age for their health, but the truth is that the person attributing how they feel to their pain to their age likely actually thinks and feels this way. We all know that aging is something that we can’t escape, but it doesn’t mean we have to give into living a lifestyle that will lead us away from health and towards fatigue and misery.

   The way we treat our bodies is a major factor in how we feel, and so is the way we treat our minds. If we view aging as a miserable, depressing, inescapable process, that will likely be how it turns out for us.

3. It’s just another excuse. I’m sure most of you have heard the saying, “excuses are like assholes everyone has one, and they all stink.” Don’t be that person with an excuse for how you feel — do something about it! Don’t let it be your scapegoat for your personal health.

So instead of focusing on the negative, let’s turn these on their head.

Here are three things you can do to help yourself age the way you actually want to:

1. Eat healthy and move daily! Do your own research on ways to improve your health, and reach out to health professional for advice if you need it. Whatever you decide, make a movement routine and do your best to stick with it.

2. Have a more positive view of life! You can be that 50 year old accomplishing things you couldn’t at 20. You don’t have to give up on fitness and performance goals just because you’re getting older. Keep setting positive goals and working towards them.

3. Ditch the excuses. Use your old excuses to fuel your drive to be a better you!

   Aging is inevitable, but the way you feel is not!