So, do you know your fitness age?

Having fessed up this morning to a complete stranger that I am a senior citizen, and then, (in order to share the story), to all of you, too, I was chuffed to read the following story online this afternoon – about older athletes having a younger fitness age.

Yaay!  Go wrinklies go!

I had read about the theory of one’s fitness age earlier – but had forgotten all about it…nah, just kidding.  So, yes, I had read an article last year about this concept, and without being remotely scientific (me, not the article, that is) it sort of made sense.

In a nutshell, these studies tell us what we all sort of instinctively know – that exercise is good for us.  That a healthy lifestyle is good for us.  That being active is good for us.  And as we age (well, as I age, not all of you young things) so yes as we age, keeping active is important.

Which is why I was initially confuddled and bemused by the negative reactions I got to my having started running when I turned 60.

From comments about my being ridiculous (oh yes…people can be mean and petty), to remarks starting with “At you age…,” there were indeed times in the early days when I did begin to doubt the wisdom of running “at my age”.  Luckily I started running with an inspirational coach, Dr Rajat Chauhan, who is super cool, has never treated my age as anything remotely important, and who is the one pushing me to run longer and faster.

And then I read reports like this one about the senior olympics and feel vindicated.

Run, wrinklies, run!

Oh yes, that fitness age test.

I did it online and I didn’t really cheat…well, not really…actually, I probably did cheat a bit.  Yeah, must’ve.  Think it might be the waist size and the number of glasses of wine per year where I wasn’t perhaps as truthful as I could have been…

But go on, why don’t you do the fitness age test now?  Here’s the link again.  It is an interesting concept.