We've been at this Silver Strong thing for almost a year and a half now.
I have loved it all -- the hard work, the personal improvements in my own strength and stamina, the group that I share the time and effort with, and, of course, the coaches who call out the best from us.
The road to improvement has been bumpy for me. I've had setbacks from a straight line of success. Some of my worn out body parts combined with a little too much enthusiasm for progress than my body can actually provide has caused me some temporary times off for healing and repair.
Overall, though, I am far stronger than I was when I started strength and conditioning work. I have more stamina and am much more able to work within my limits and to celebrate my " minor victories" along the way.
Recently, I attained a personal best on one exercise. I got to ring the PR (Personal Record) bell. Everybody clapped and cheered. The number doesn't sound like much to experienced weightlifters, for sure, but it was my improved number, showing that once again, even in my most mature years, there is improvement to be had along with bursts of greater self-understanding and more appreciation for my own limitations. So, it's all good.
So, some of the coaches were working out in our space during our group that day, lifting very heavy things with great effort. Some of them are preparing for the Strongman competition next month and they are working hard! (See more about that competition below.) So I said to Trey, one of the coach/competitors, "just think - if you're this strong now, imagine what you'll be like when you get to be my age." He smiled, then answered with a wonderful grin, "Maybe I'll be the strongest man in the world." (See pic, sorry for the blur).
To my point - why I love Silver Strong. I loved being in that mix of people at that moment - 4 women in their 70s or so, and and a few 20 something years old men, all with our individual mixes of ambitions, efforts, self-doubts, and persistence levels, and we were all in it together -- with each other, for each other, hoping to leave that day a little more strong, a little more confident, a little more hopeful about life and our place in it than were when we arrived. And we were each in our own way helping one another get there.
I wish I could write about that moment as big as it felt. That's what I love about Silver Strong. It just doesn't matter where you are on the spectrum of age, talent, or ability. If you are investing in your own healthy, fit, strong body, you win, and there is a community to celebrate that with you. Check out the schedule of groups below, and come visit us any time. Jane S
