There are days that just feel haggard when you get older.  The body starts to show the signs of wear and tear and you realize there ain’t no way in hell you’re getting your former self back.  Today was one of those days for Yours Truly.

Just like everyone else out there, I’ve seen all the bodybuilding and fitness magazines promising “constant development” and shit like that, but let me assure you, that’s a crock.  Unless you’re on the gas (steroids) or other performance-enhancers, the body just begins to turn against you at a certain point after you’ve outlived your youth, and believe me when I tell you, then you are just trying to stem the tide anymore.

After wrestling for on top of two decades, one tends to build up a specific list of nagging injuries and physical setbacks.  The joints hurt, the body becomes increasingly stiff.  Certain ranges of motion induce pain.  Then you must push through the pain barrier (unless it serves to inflammate your current state of being) and clear your personal aging hurdles.  Because, seriously, what other choices do you have?

That’s not to say that it’s game over when the tipping point arrives, no sir, not at all!  Of course, the relevance of a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits become all the more pronounced as the years wear on.  But there’s more.  There comes the pivotal moment, when you have to change your game.  You have to dig deeper and play smarter.  There is no surcease.  There is no cease-fire.  I mean, let’s be honest, if you choose to give up when the pain starts to come and the body starts to rebel against its owner, then all you’ll have left to look forward to is a painful and slow death.  You absolutely MUST stay in the fight.  Quitting is NOT an option.

Believe me, there have been countless times when I just couldn’t have cared less about hitting the track or banging it out another day in the gym.  It’s a lot like a long marriage, I guess.  There are days that you are sick and tired of it all, and then there are days that make it all worth the while.  And at the days end you still know deep down, that if you chose to give up on this chosen path, there would be more negatives that positives waiting for you.  Therefore, you choose to persist.

I remember watching the Rocky Balboa movie back in 2008 and feeling inspired even back then at the following motivational clip, which I am really starting to relate to after spending two decades plus in the pro wrestling game…

Let me assure you, life doesn’t feel like the movies.  Romance and love do not work in real life like they do in the movies.  Fights do not look or feel anything like they are portrayed in the movies.  No one has a backing soundtrack in this life.  All we have is that little voice deep within our heads and something called heart, or lack thereof.  At the end of the day, it’s just sheer willpower and persistence that makes the difference in anyone’s life.  Forget talk of motivation.  Do not wait for someone or something to motivate you.  YOU have to go out there and make it happen!  Remember, there are no such things as excuses, only reasons why things don’t get done.

People are always looking for the quick fix, the fountain of youth, the magic formula.  Allow me to let you in on something: THEY DON’T EXIST.  The commercial powers that be have duped you.  They’ve lied to you for years.  Some of you still believe the sales pitches.  Like a good politician herding the sheep in every four years, some folks still want to believe in what may as well be termed “something for nothing.”

The cold, hard truth is: there are no free rides, no easy money, no shortcuts to the goal.  There is only hard work, sweat, struggle and persistence.