Library : Year 2 | Session 10: Competition -- the Aging Factor
Thomas Tutko, Ph.D.
There can be little doubt about the value of exercise. Reams of literature are available about its benefits and yet it seems difficult to convince many people to begin an exercise program or even more difficult to maintain one. There are a number of reasons given for NOT participating including time, pain, inconvenience, etc. One of the most subtle and mostly ignored one is that of competition.
Most individuals would agree that being fit and competing are mutually exclusive and yet to the novice they often seem linked. It is as if being fit means you compete.
Most experts would agree that each person who exercises needs a personal program based on their present health and their capacity to sustain continued activity. There is a very thin line between getting into physical shape and participating in a competitive physical activity.
Some individuals are perfectly clear about exercise and training. They must exercise to train for various running events. What has become very common, however, is to fuse fitness and competitive training. To be training for a race is far different from working toward being physically fit. It is unfortunate that many individuals get trapped in this confusion. Books, magazines and periodicals describe 5K, 10K and marathon races, the implication being that if you are REALLY fit you participate in these events. Special shoes, wearing apparel, and eating material are advertised for race participants in a number of competitive events. Fit individuals are often viewed as young, virile and competitive. It is as if fitness belongs only to the young and capable.
This image is particularly difficult for those who have become a little older and who have not been physically active. Those individuals who have had physical activity as part of their background are apt to "buy in" to the fitness and competition model. We have all heard about the "60 year old body, but a 16 year old mind" syndrome, where someone who is a little more creative rushes into a program of exercise only to find that their body does not respond as it has in the past. It is easy to quit when you realize you cannot do the same things physically as you have in the past. For those who have not had physical activity (especially competitive physical activity) it is foolish to begin. They feel there is no reason to undertake activity that can only lead to pain, failure and disappointment.
It is clear that exercise for fitness and exercise as training for competitiveness need to be separated and differentiated. Although some events make it clear that there is room for both, the majority of emphasis is on the competitive.
It is extremely important that the Fifty-Plus group keep separate these areas of activity. It is very commendable that individuals over fifty still train to compete. For those individuals who wish to center around fitness only it will help to keep these considerations in mind:
1. Be aware of your present state of physical fitness. Having a complete physical check up and keeping personal records are extremely valuable.
2. Have a set series of goals. Not only are you aware of what you are capable of accomplishing at present, but where you are headed (and how well you know when you get there).
3. Be aware of when you begin to feel you are not keeping up with outside pressures as opposed to your own personal schedules. It is easy to slip into a competitive mode.
4. Above all, there should be a sense of self-satisfaction. For all who exercise there are ups and downs of performance, but ultimately they feel like winners because they are taking care of themselves.
Thomas Tutko, Ph.D., is the founder of the Institute of Athletic Motivation. Professor of Psychology as San Jose State University and author of "Sports Psyching" and other books on mental preparation for competitive athletes and exercisers.
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