November - November

 

I recently traveled to Mexico with the twins and Katie. Our resort had ten pickleball courts, and I swear they were busy all day long. Every night at 5 p.m. they hosted a tournament, and James really wanted to compete.

 I’ll be honest — I hadn’t competed in anything official since a dodgeball tournament about 25 years ago. But I was game.

 We ended up making it all the way to the finals… where we were promptly beaten by two 60+ year olds from Quebec. (One of them is pictured below holding a hot pink tiger paddle. In hindsight, that should’ve been my first warning.)

 

Here’s why I didn’t mind losing to those two.

I tell clients all the time: there’s really only one reason we train in the gym — to increase our capacity to enjoy life.

 These two really enjoy pickleball. So I asked them what else they do. And yes, you guessed it — they strength train a few days a week.

 It’s pretty simple: the stronger you are, the less aging messes with you… and the more fun you get to have. (Including beating younger people in a tournament 7–1.)

 My two takeaway lessons are...

  • We don’t train to be great at the gym — we train to be great at life.
  • If I’m going to lose, I hope it’s always to someone who’s been consistent longer than I have.
 

P.S. We don’t train to stop aging — we train so aging doesn’t get to make all the decisions. Strength buys you options, confidence, and a whole lot more fun.

So keep showing up. Consistency beats intensity every time. And who knows — maybe one day you’ll be the one beating someone half your age 7–1.

~Scott Michel 

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