Monday, September 14, 2009

Can I Really Embrace "Less is More"?

A few weeks ago I was talking to O-I the Dad and relating as usual about how much pain I was in from hiking. I also told him that I had noticed that the first two hours of each hike usually went well and then gradually the pain picked up the longer I went.

Dear old Dad is never one to be subtle. He asked why I didn't just shorten my hikes. He went on saying that maybe I should be acting my age, not trying to conquer Mount Everest each week, and understand that I should be taking it easy on my body. More or less go out hike and smell the roses.

Of course my initial response was predictably rejection. Except in the back of my mind I had a feeling he was right. He has a very, very, very annoying habit of being right very, very, very often.

Not two days later, there is an article in the Wall Street Journal on exactly the same subject! In it a number of 50-60 something triathletes talked about how they had to squelch their inner competitive self and accept just doing things rather than trying to do them constantly better, harder, faster, farther. Plus doctors quoted in support as well.

With that I said, maybe I need to take this to heart. So the last two weekends I have consciously gone on shorter, less demanding hikes, with lots of time for looking around and enjoying myself. Low and behold, I have not felt wasted away. Felt fine the next day etc.

This not being in pain thing is a bit addictive.

6 comments:

WeaselMomma said...

My Dad had that same bad habit. I just wish I have recognized it about 10 yrs sooner than I did.

alexis said...

I am already acting your age and taking it easy :)

Anonymous said...

I'm happy you have found a solution. And I'm not too worried that you'll just spend the next twenty years in a rocking chair on the back porch.

terri said...

I may have to adopt this attitude! Enough of this "no pain, no gain" business!

Anonymous said...

I'm about the opposite right now...trying to make myself do some form of exercise...I love hiking though..I wish there was something closer that I could do that often.

Mike said...

That advice applies to 25-year-olds as well, right?

...Right...?