One Last Blog On Resilience
Do the work. That’s been the core mantra for me over the last couple of years. I am going to move my writing on after this post, into a broader look at physical and mental wellness, particularly in the context of older athletes. But it’s hard not to have spent some time on two life-threatening events, especially as the effects and recovery have roundly endorsed the benefits of getting fit, and staying fit at any age.
Double Comeback
The diagram on the left is my fitness ramp rate from my TrainingPeaks account. It shows the story of two comebacks. A serious cycling crash on 28 May 2023 saw me in ICU with 14 fractures and a haemothorax.
Then in a statistical freak, my second accident in 50 years on the bike on 19 April 2024, which saw me in the ICU in Girona, Spain. 12 fractures, a punctured artery, and a large concussion.
The graph in the bottom right shows my fitness climbing back from my 2023 accident. Then the 2024 accident, and where I am now fitness-wise
By the end of this month, I intend to be fitter than at any point in the last two years. By that, I mean fitter than the form I carried into my 2023 accident. I will achieve that, count on it. Do the work has been my internal script. Being consistent and doing the work, even on the days I didn’t feel like it.
Do The Work – Physical
I have got decent muscle mass for someone of my age. I was a skinny youth, and then an overweight and undermuscled middle-aged man. Over the last twenty years, the benefit of having good muscle mass has played out for me in the real world. The scientific support for the benefits of good muscle mass is overwhelming now, here is just one article.
We all start to shed muscle mass once we pass the age of 35. It can become a life-threatening issue as we age. Look at the statistics on the increased risk of death after a fall in people 65 and older. And don’t switch off when you hear ’65’. Modern medicine and improved living conditions and nutrition is seeing us live until our late eighties and beyond. There are 12 million people – or 18% of the UK population – aged 65 and over. By 2050 this will have grown to 25-28%
One day you will be part of the older group. The work you do now will ensure you enjoy your whole life in much better health.
There Is No Silver Bullet
There is no special workout, as an aside. The key is to get to the gym, or even do bodyweight exercises at home, two or three times a week. I’ve been doing strength work three times a week for the last three years or more. The workouts aren’t long grinds. I can do an effective workout in under 30 minutes, and I very rarely train for more than 45 minutes. This includes a small amount of mobility and flexibility work at the end.
I like to explore other ways to maintain muscle too, to inject variety into things. Recently I have put weighted vest hill walks into my regime. I do longer walks with a weight plate thrown into my backpack. Get creative. As long as you are overloading the body in a meaningful way, it’s productive. Just do the work and do it regularly.
Do The Work – Mentally
It would have been all too easy for me to capitulate when faced with my first accident. Even more so after my second accident. I remember flashes of me saying and thinking ‘I can’t do this again’. I know people who are defined by their challenges and their lives become a bitter spiral of decline. Sadly I saw that in some of my family members too, and it affected me.
I am not in any way some spiritual ‘woo-woo’ type. But, I have become aware that my life is very blessed in terms of my family, friends, economic circumstances. And I look at people who live with struggle and adversity and that knocks my head back into shape. For all too many people, life is a daily struggle of mental, economic, social, or physical adversity. If you’re feeling sorry for yourself, remember that millions are much worse off. Count your blessings.
I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression most of my life. But as with physical robustness, with the right mindset it’s possible to navigate the path. Sure, my down days come along, but in general, I stay ahead of things. I have good professional help. I do my work with small but important practices such as journaling, reading texts on the subject, and meditation. There are people I don’t want in my life, as they drain my spirit. Some people lift me and some people drain me. I have acted to remove the latter more as the years have gone by.
Remain Open To Learning
I continue to explore new avenues to gain insight to my inner being. In August I attended my first men’s group, for example, and spent 2.5 hours listening to other men. I related my feelings to them as well. I was surprised and then not surprised that other men deal with exactly the issues I deal with. It gave me more to reflect on, it gave me new tools to underpin my mental health.
My mental strength is a key component in the steep increases in fitness you see in the 365-day graph. Strong mental health leads to good physical health, and that positive cycle reinforces. Do the work on your mental health too – it underpins one’s overall wellbeing.
Do The Work – Be Resilient
There is no doubt that I am resilient. In the past, I would have said stubborn, but over the last five to six years I would say resilient. I have faced many mental health challenges and am still standing. The key has been ensuring that I have addressed my health on many fronts. I have always sought to try new tools. Central to my push has been the knowledge that if I gave up, I would have imploded.
Physical fitness, whether on the bike – now replaced by running – or in the gym has been key too. I feel energetic when I’m in good shape. And unquestionably my recovery from two life-threatening accidents happened because of my physical robustness. Several well-qualified medical professionals have been adamant on this point.
I am calling time on writing about my two accidents. They don’t and won’t define me. They have been useful to write on wellness and health to illustrate the real-world benefits of doing the work. Do the work.