I'll confess I have been obsessed with the Olympics for the past two weeks - from the opening ceremonies to the close last night. I am in awe of so many of the athletes: Gabby Douglas and her teammates, Usain Bolt, Missy Franklin and those amazing beach volleyball stars, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings.
As I watched them, I kept wondering what personal inspiration I could take away from their extraordinary efforts. They spent every waking hour perfecting their physical ability in their run for the gold. That's clearly not a reasonable goal at midlife and it's easy to be discouraged by the sheer perfection of the Olympians. Still, I feel I have learned something by all my hours in front of the TV.
And that something is: don't spend so much time in front of the TV. Get out there and start moving. Keeping physically active seems like more of a choice when you are young, but as you get older, it's a necessity - a real example of "use it or lose it."
I will never claim a gold medal but I can push harder to stay active. And thank you to Gabby, Misty, Kerri and all the rest for an amazing Olympics!
