Birthday Pushups

Last week, I had a birthday. When I got home from work, I decided out of the blue that I should do as many pushups as I am years old – along with some pull ups and kettlebell swings to round out the workout.Let’s just say that I’m old enough that I needed to do my pushups in a few sets, but I got them in. I was sore the next day, but in a good way. I had definitely pushed myself harder than I would have without the incentive of trying to hit that number. I started to think that perhaps I should set a new goal of being able to do as many pushups as my age every year.Contrary to some of the messages out there that we should slow down as we age, we actually need to work harder to stay fit as we get older. To fight the uphill battle against loss of muscle mass and bone density, we literally have to work harder just to maintain. We have to work even harder to gain strength and improve our fitness.There was a mental shift that happened for me when I set this goal. I imagined myself at 80. Will I be able to do 80 pushups? Who knows? But it put a smile on my face to imagine myself doing it. I imagined myself being able to do all sorts of things that I love to do: Climbing on a challenge course – and the freedom and energy that I feel when I’m in the trees – came to mind. I know I want to be able to do that! What else will be possible?I encourage you to invest in yourself by finding the right incentive and path to appropriately challenge the limits of what you believe you can do as you age. For me, it’s “birthday pushups” among other things. What will it be for you?