What keeps your motivation level up as you get older?

[johnst_nhb]

I lift and teach/practice karate. For me, it helps balance out all the wonderful pubs I frequent here in Seattle ;-). Seriously! there is a small element of that...

I do enjoy life and enjoy going out and hanging with my friends, smoking a cohiba and drinking a fine ale or 10. I am 41 now and in the BEST shape of my life, both physically, emotionally and mentally. There are things in all areas that could always be better, but that is the point of life: the effort, the journey.

Along with many of you, I also want to stay healthy and strong throughout my life. I also want to be able to do most anything I want (travel, teach/train) as I grow old without physical restrains. Plus the old guy still has to put it to the students in the dojo-I feel the need to be able to perform at a high level, to lead by example.

Thats what motivates me...

j

p.s. the girlfriend likes what she sees too = sex.

[benz0118]

Started 3 years ago because of a health scare. Now I do it because it's an integral part of my lifestyle. It makes me look and feel young, and most importantly, I don't exercise to meet superficial, short-term goals such as a reunion, or weight goal, that's just added stress where you don't need it, and I find such goals de-motivating more than anything. For me just having a lifestyle I can grow old with, and maintain a high level of health and vigor is motivation enough for me to hit the iron 4x per week. It also helps that I am a student of the sport, understand my body (limits overtraining), and a great chiropractor that keeps me relatively injury free. Training is an integral part of my life, and as such motivation is not an issue. I take rest days as my body requests, not my mind, and I never, ever fabricate excuses not to train. I guess it's kind of a Zen thing.

[tgutz]

Wow, you have all made some valid points. I could take something from each of your response and smack myself in the face with it and wake the hell up!
I knew this would re-energize me to pursue my goals.
Regardless of when I do it, I think that eventually I must compete in a BB show. I truly do want to, I just have never been smart enough to listen to my peers on the subject, they say just do it, dont worry about your bodyweight, I say I dont want to be a stick boy on stage. Thats a whole other topic, but I know how quckly my body responds, and I know deep down I have NEVER given it 100% effort, especially in the diet part.
What DAlan said was right on the money :
"If you are having trouble with motivation, then you have'nt yet changed your lifestyle."
I'll keep in post with everyone here and show my results.
I WILL train to compete in my first show in the Spring of 2006.
I WILL give it 100% effort in the diet ( complete lifestyle change!)
I WILL take the knowledge I've gained in the past 17 years of sporadic lifting and FINALLY put it to use.

[johnst_nhb]

atta boy!

Looking forward to hearing how its going!

j

[Overload]

I'm motivated by the fact that I am getting older and that when it's time to go, I'm going with a fight. When I die, they will find a dumbbell in my hand

My daughter is also a big motivator. I don't want to be a dad that is too tired to play with his kid.

And lastly, part of me wants to prove people wrong that feel I'm too old to be lifting weights or that I should be careful that I don't hurt myself

[Balltoucher]

One of my reasons for staying with it is to prove all the naysayers wrong. "when you get older all that muscle is going to turn to fat" Well, I'm OLDER and it hasn't turned into fat yet! Fools!!
Also I fall into the group that wants to stay young and energetic for the kids.

[GREENFEATHER]

Having recently gotten divorced.

(edit: and also a desire to stay in good physical condition -- as I passed 40, I began to see my overall health beginning to deteriorate as a result of poor diet and eating habits, along with an inactive lifestyle)

C.K.

Let's see where to begin, hypertension, heart disease, sleep apnea, looking better than my classmates at my 25 year reunion and to be a better lookin buff dude for the misses!

I saw my health going right into the crapper as well, hell I was a walking billboard for a heart attack. Come home from work and park my fat ass in front of the computer and do nothing the rest of the day. That's why I post so late, workout, cardio and dinner.

[little lats1]

my answer is simple...... TRISH.... A good friend to keep you mind focused..

[CROWLER]

I WILL train to compete in my first show in the Spring of 2006.

WOW very impresive. I don't think I could ever enter a show. Well enter a show and not be horrible lol.

Congrats on the determination! Please start a log I would love to follow your journey.

[newntrying]

Great answers my favorite is still the cliched:

I want to look good naked!

Then there are all the health reasons mentioned above.

[Andrew69]

Wow, great thread all!
I gotta say, Im with Chi on this one.....Sex!
But I also love to lift. For me it is a great form of stress relief and as anyone who owns a business will tell you, running your own entails plenty of stress.
I also love being able to take my shirt off at the beach and feel.....comfortable. This was the first summer in a long time where I felt that way.
By next summer I want to feel.....invincible!

[CdnArctic]

I didnt want my tombstone to say "He knew better, but died of lung cancer". It was a rude awakening for me when I realized every picture of me I had a smoke in my hand, the habit I could quite anytime, was nearing 20yrs!

Quit smoking almost 2yrs ago and I love my workouts, playing with my kids, ice hockey, and volunteer firefighting.

I make no value judgement on anyone else, but I need no greater motivation then simply taking better care of myself.

[Mr Beer]

I just like lifting, so motivation is pretty easy. Sometimes I don't feel like it, but I usually talk myself into it - always having goals helps. Plus I want to be stronger at 70 than I am now, so when some young punk tries to take my pension money, I can rip his nuts off

Cardio, now that's a different story, I'll do it for 6 months, get bored, nothing for 6 months and so on.

[Ireland]

I am going on 55 .What keeps me motivated now is training for health .I have been training non stop since I was 15 .When I started I was around 145 .I went up to 255 at one time .Now I stay at 170 I am 5'9" bf last checked was 8 %. To be honest and not have a big head .When I see someone I went to school with and their looking me over as we talk and say .Boy you look like you still lift weights , sure helps.

[Googlish]

This is an interesting topic since it has been pretty much the motto of my life, being on the doorstep of turning 40 very soon.

In summary, I weighed around 135lbs at high school graduation, wasn't like a geek or anything, just was always extremely thin. I guess I first started working out somewhat during college, where I graduated at around 155lbs or so. Then through my 20's I got more into it and my weight got up to around 165lbs or so. But, at that time I didnt really have a clue about the whole protein thing or anything, just worked out with my buddies for something to do, and I was getting a little bit of results, which was cool.

Fast forward to 1997, in my early 30's...blew out a disc in my neck...had surgery to remove it... had the whole neckbrace thing for 6 wks, etc.. after that...I was pretty pathetic... only weighed about 150+..lost any size that I had during that from not eating good or training. Then started working with a trainer who educated me on proper diet, supplements, etc.. I had already had a pretty good training regimen, but got a hell of a lot more intense. Anyway, ended up at 195lbs ultimately by the following yr, where I was a even a bouncer for awhile at my buddy's club in the city. I am only 5'8", so being at 195 was pretty impressive for me. And I was pretty solid at 195, not a big gut or anything. By that time, I had come to love training and just kept taking it to different heights. Keeping in mind that I got married in 1996, and we had our first child in 1999, where the bouncer thing had ended...was just a side job to keep me out of trouble while my wife was pregnant.

The moral to this story is that I am now 39, and possibly in the best shape of my entire life. I really started a "personal mission" about 3 yrs ago, right before our second child was born... maybe because I knew 40 was approaching, or just due to my chiroprater always getting on my case about lifting heavy wts, etc... so I began to dabble with dieting, and here I am 2 months from the big 40, and I weigh a solid 165+ lbs..pretty tight and defined. I can't begin to tell you how cool it is to have people now looking up to me because of my accomplishments. I realize that I am nowhere near perfect, nor will ever be, but I dont look too different from any 20something dudes at my gym. I now work with a lot of people that I know to help them get in better shape, etc.. and I love it. Also, seeing people that I went to school with and stuff, now the tables have completely turned. I have the body that people envy, whereas in the past I used to almost obsess over others.

I am so humble about it all though, since the most important thing to me is my family and my spirituality. (I teach 8th grade Religious Education), but bodybuilding is like a passion that I hope to carry on for yrs to come, like so many of you on this site. I tip my hat to you all who remain working out and keeping fit.

Good luck to you!!! Nothing is impossible without dedication and hard work!!!

fyi....I have one of my pics posted in the pic gallery. I hope to get some more recent one's up soon.

What did you do to blow a disc out of your neck?