Every competitor will encounter a time when they are forced to face the reality of their condition.While the common naysayer searches for the obvious vulnerability to poke at, the man or woman in the arena actively seeks for a means to endure and for a method to reemerge in significant fashion.
After winning a heavyweight title and then suffering two back to back losses at the age of thirty-nine years old, Randy Couture decided to retire from fighting as a mixed martial artist. Following a brief time on the sideline, he returned to compete in the light heavyweight division and his reemergence began to raise eyebrows. His body was chiseled and lean, he moved better and every bit of sluggishness that he may have displayed in previous fights appeared to be replaced by exuberance and strength.
Looking on one could not help but to think, “how is this happening?”, “what life changes has this man made to allow himself to rise again and appear better with age?”. After admitting the application of a revised strength and conditioning program, Couture would prove the words of the late American writer Betty Friedan to be true when she proclaimed that “aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength”.
As he spoke about the recent changes in his nutritional design, Couture quoted, “changing your lifestyle is about finding the right diet. The right diet isn’t even a diet. It’s a lifestyle change that isn’t about restriction but loving to eat greens and healthy things.”Surely his words proved to display truth when “The Natural” went on to dominate the light heavyweight division and defeat a handful of aspiring UFC hall of famers along the course of the eight years that followed.Retiring at age forty-seven, Couture proved that it is possible to become better with age if one is willing to properly commit to such an endeavor.
Self-satisfaction, contentment, and pride are rooted within one’s devotion to squeeze the metaphorical juices out of all that we are in effort to fulfill our true potential.The benefits associated with a focused and knowledge-based approach toward health and fitness have been unveiled.Echoes of the name Couture remind us that in order to endure and flourish over time, we must make health and fitness a priority.