Casual Training Into My 40s

I've never been the most athletic person. I mostly played video games and watched TV during my childhood. During high school I was a chubby teenager. In my early 20s I finally discovered bboying (breakdancing). That was what got me to train my body to become stronger. It wasn't until I got into my 30s that I started to train smarter. Of course, I hit obstacles throughout the different stages in my life and as my body evolved.

First I have to say I somewhat wasted my potential in my youth. I was lazy but content. Not a lot has changed. I am still lazy and content but I push myself to be a little more nowadays. Close to my last years of high school, I got a more physically demanding job. I lost a ton of weight and started to become more active. University is where I became even more active. My friends constantly wanted to go out. I'd be biking, dancing, and playing more sports. It helps when you're not totally out of shape. I found that if you do things with people at the same level as you, fitness doesn't quite feel like fitness anymore. There were always the people that were superfit that intimidated me from trying certain things like weight lifting and certain sports. In my university years, everyone was an amateur at everything. Breakdancing had a bit of a resurgence at the time so none of us knew what we were doing.

Breakdancing was fun because all of the moves transitioned into one another so it was like playing a puzzle with your body. At that time everything was brand new, so every session I'd get a new piece to play with. It was fun and didn't feel like exercise. As an added bonus, I was making new friends along the way. My training was always casual. The popularity of the dance had its ups and downs. I'd see people come and go. Before long, I started to lose interest because as casual as I was, newcomers were even more casual. Some seemed more like tourists that came to watch. Old break friends would constantly make false promises to get back into the dance scene. I kept on pushing through.

Years went by, I graduated university, and I got a job and potential career. Girlfriends, family, and friends needed more of my time. Breaking took a bit of a break. I went on trips and got busy with the extra money I had. I was still breaking but I would do it maybe once or twice a week. I knew I wasn't getting better. It was basically so I wouldn't forget how to do it. I still don't regret what I did because I had great experiences that I'll remember forever.

My late 20s quickly approached and my older sister was diagnosed with cancer. It was a rough time and I started getting back into breaking. My mom soon was diagnosed with cancer for a second time. And then my grandfather was diagnosed with it as well. Breaking was a great release for me. I highly suggest people who are going through rough times to get active to preoccupy your mind. My mind wasn't in a good state but breaking helped. I'd see old faces again at practices and that was a plus. It was like old times again but we were much older.

Then in my early 30s, a new generation of young breakdancers came. They seemed more dedicated and they really helped me get motivated to keep going. They eclipsed my level of bboying in no time but it was fun. They learned new things that they in turn taught me. My training was improved with new techniques and schedule. I didn't always have to organize practice anymore and that was a relief. Stepping back from the organizing and just training felt better because it didn't feel like work anymore. I was getting stronger and because of my newfound strength, more moves were possible. I couldn't believe I was learning this stuff in my 30s. It was as if I was reborn.

I continued into my late 30s. That generation of dancers still break today but have moved on to bigger and better things. I continued to practice. New dancers continually come in. I help them out hoping that there will be another eager generation of breakdancers. I'm still learning new things but now that I'm older, I seem to be more prone to injuries. They come in often and take longer to recover. Experimenting like I did in my 20s is scary because I don't know if I'll injure myself and I'm worried the recovery will take forever. I still do take some risks because life would be boring if I didn't. I also have to eat differently. Food has a major impact on how I feel during the day. My goal is to eat more vegetables and less sugar. I have to take baby steps, I guess.

Going into my 40s, I hope I can keep the momentum going. Although I feel like I'm the strongest I've ever been, I'm also getting the most injuries. I attribute these injuries to cockiness and old age. I'm sure I can keep this up for another 20 years.