What’s the difference in my age?

What’s the difference? Mentally nowt. I’m 14 in my head. Physically? Well. There are days I feel young, vibrant, able to do anything. I pay for those days with days of waking up thinking a bus has hit me. My younger self would or could have gone straight back out and done it all again. Sound familiar? Other days it’s like trudging through treacle. The answer is acceptance.

You see when your battling the inevitable, the reality of life, it causes an unease, an unhappiness. Thoughts of it not being fair, true or real keep you in a constant battle with your ego and or reality. Once we accept that OK I’m 45 (or whatever wonderful age you are) and that my knee hurts, I’m diabetic, high blood pressure or whatever ailments you may have then we can become at ease with ourselves. It’s not giving up. Oh no. It’s accepting that our pace may have to lower. More coffee breaks may be needed. We may even have to push on the steepest of climbs. It’s accepting that this is OK. Remember a slow cycle is a cycle. It beats hands down not cycling. Sitting on the couch watching Eastenders or whatever particular garbish is on at the time. We are still benefiting mentally and physically from whatever cycling we are doing. That’s before we even consider vitamin D we are obtaining naturally. Endorphins, the feel good factor and the sense of achievement of getting to places under our own enviromentally friendly steam. Finding pastures new or getting our shopping. The love of cycling is in its simplicity. Accepting our limitations isn’t defeat, it’s embracing the glorious cycle of life and being happy and thankful for this moment.

Let me know what you think. What is your experience of cycling past 40 and beyond? What differences do you notice? What adaptations have you made?