Originally posted on Facebook HERE
As always, a lot on my mind these days. The more I age, the more I wonder about my own health and fitness. Like most things, I never think I’m doing enough. I always think I could do better. Whether it’s work, my relationships, music, health and fitness… I’m never satisfied. I question whether I’m really doing all I can to be the best I can at everything I do. I think I was born with that inner drive. I can’t half-ass anything. We’re playing Monopoly, I must dominate and win. Even when the grandkids were young — let them win? Nope! They’re going down… that inner drive has plusses and minuses. On the plus side, it can be extremely beneficial in a working relationship — both in a traditional job sense, as well as playing in bands. I have a level I expect to be at, and I’ll do everything I can to maintain that. It usually leads to significant success. But that success can come at a cost, too — when looking at things like health and fitness. It’s why I use trainers and schedule 4 hours of workouts into every week. If I didn’t do that, it could easily fall by the wayside. That’s really not close to enough to be in the shape I’d like to be in, but it gets me to stay at a somewhat consistent level anyway. One of my main issues is sleep, though. Not enough sleep. I maybe average five hours a night, I guess. And I know, because of course I track everything — I operate my best when I get at least 6.5 hours of sleep per night. The issue here is that the driven and focused part of me kicks in early. At my age, I’m not sure if everyone has this issue, but — I haven’t slept through a night without a bathroom break in years. And if I have to get up at 2:30am, let’s say — sometimes that driven, focused brain kicks in and says “four hours sleep is enough — let’s get going!” Ugh. I try to fend it off at times, but 20 minutes later I’ll give up and get up more often than not. Driven Dave hates Sleepy Dave, I guess. And probably vice-versa. Vacations help. No agendas. Allows me to get back to sleep much more easily, as the driven side of me takes a break I guess — doesn’t have the same sense of urgency when the schedule is basically “hang out on the beach all day”. I know people will read this and think I’m complaining, or I want to change something — yes, it would be nice to get more sleep on a regular basis. I think if I worked out more often, it would help my sleep as well, right? Win-win. But I love the driven and focused part of myself. That part of me that will make it my mission in life to prove you wrong if you ever say I can’t do something (depending on what that thing is, of course — plenty of things I’d just agree with you on, I guess). But as we age, it gets harder to stay fit. The gym seems farther away. The workouts don’t seem to do as much as they used to, no matter how hard you work — and it’s hard not to think back and say things like — “just two years ago I could lift so much more and run so much faster”… I have a new gig coming up later this year with Pink Houses The Band. Last time I played that circuit was 2009. Sixteen years ago. I have an intensity level that I expect from myself. That level of intensity will demand I stay healthy and fit. Looking forward to getting back into it, and also knowing that maybe it’s time to bump up the cardio in advance of that. And maybe the sleep as well. We sometimes seem to let our wellness go as we age. To me, it’s a direct relationship. The older we get, the more we should focus on it. And the longer you wait to get started, the harder it gets. I’m committed to staying as healthy and fit as possible, today and always. I hope you are as well. And I have to publicly say how proud I am as I watch my wife kick my ass and workout almost every day these days, even when we’re on vacation. She’s more driven and focused than I am on that right now, and I find it extremely motivational. We could all be the reason someone else gets moving, you know? She was motivated by one of our friends. That friend was probably motivated by someone else… be the reason someone you love decides to get healthy today. That’s a goal worth living for.
