Written by: Rick Franco
Yesterday I was in the gym after a few days off. Huffing and puffing and thinking to myself “Self, this shit isn’t getting any easier, why am I doing this again”? Before I answer that all important question, let me back up and give some context. I am 45 years old, a former Marine Infantry Officer and for the past decade have been contracting overseas in high threat environments where my physical capabilities have a direct impact on my ability to stay alive and keep my team mates alive. Under that premise I have tried both over the counter GNC style physical enhancers promising to release testosterone, or improve the bodies Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production. I have also tried the ‘under the counter” stuff that made me strong, big and unfortunately slow. The point being is that I have tried as most men who are concerned about their health and ability to keep up with the younger generation different options to stay “young”.
But now I am stateside and have made a conscious decision to give up the guns as they say. So, why keep at it? Why not relax for a bit and take it easy? Those are good questions and not easy ones to answer. We all will have our own versions that we will tell ourselves, or our own motives. I can’t speak for you, but I know why I am desperately making a conscious effort to fight father time. For as long as I have been a working adult I have been in the warrior culture, fight, stay strong, be virulent, take no quarter from the outside or from within. My mind has been hardwired and now at 45, there is no rewiring, unless electrotherapy is to come back and I am not a fan of that particular type of self-improvement. Besides, I like being a warrior and the world is growing shorter everyday, even with all our vets, we are a shrinking class overall. Back on point, I am always looking for ways to keep up, stay sharp, feel like the 25-year-old superman I thought I was, on the field or between the sheets.
I have been particularly blessed to have a fast metabolism…until now. Time has caught up and I don’t like it. I am now fighting and clawing my way back to the shape I want to be in. To have that body, although a little more aged with a lot more miles and wear and tear on it, but to have it look like the grizzled old warrior who puts the young ones to shame when he takes off his shirt and makes women swoon. Yes, romantic, or vain, but that is what I am after. This comes at a cost, both physically and financially. However, to be able to run with my boys, sweep my wife up and carry to bed and even possibly save a comrade then it is all worth it. We all want to stay young, we all want to find the fountain of youth that Ponce De Leon so desperately searched for. Will we get there with science? Perhaps. But for now my fountain can be found with in my mind, followed by smart training, and smart supplementation.
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