Are We Becoming Less Adventurous as We Get Older?

I was thinking about this the other day…

Do we become less adventurous as we get older?

And I don’t mean throwing ourselves out of a helicopter or suddenly booking a one-way ticket to Thailand. 😂

I mean the really little things.

Trying a food we’ve never eaten before. Going somewhere new. Walking a different route. Learning something completely random. Joining a class where we don’t know anyone. Trying an exercise that looks a bit scary.

Even putting something on and thinking…

“Am I too old to wear this?”

(I really hope the answer to that one is usually NO, by the way! 😂)

When did life become so familiar?

When we’re younger, new experiences seem to happen all the time without us even trying.

New jobs. New places. New people. Learning to drive. Travelling. Relationships. Raising families. Making plenty of mistakes and generally making it up as we go along!

Then somewhere along the way, life can become a little more… familiar.

We know what we like.

We know where we like going.

We know what we’re good at.

And actually, I quite like that bit of getting older. There’s something rather lovely about knowing yourself better, caring a little less about what everyone else thinks and not feeling the need to prove quite so much.

BUT…

I do wonder whether we need to be careful that comfortable doesn’t quietly turn into limiting.

Our brains like new stuff too

We talk a lot about challenging our bodies as we get older, but our brains need challenging too.

When we try something unfamiliar, our brain has to pay attention.

We have to think. Concentrate. Problem-solve. Learn. Adapt.

Sometimes we have to be a beginner again and perhaps feel slightly ridiculous while we’re doing it!

And that’s not a bad thing.

Our brains retain the ability to change and adapt throughout our lives, something known as neuroplasticity. New experiences and learning new skills give our brains something different to work with rather than simply running through the same familiar patterns day after day.

It doesn't mean we all need to start learning Mandarin or take up the violin at 70 (although my partner really wants to learn how to play the saxaphone and I'm really encouraging him to do it) .

Novelty can come from surprisingly small changes.

But I think there's another part of this that's just as important.

What happens to our confidence?

Have you noticed how the longer you don’t do something, the harder it can feel to start doing it again?

You stop walking up big hills because you're worried you'll struggle.

You stop getting down on the floor because you're not entirely sure how elegantly you're going to get back up again. Or even get up at all! 😂

You stop travelling somewhere on your own because you haven't done it for years and lack the confidence.

You stop wearing certain clothes.

You turn down invitations because they're outside your usual routine.

Or you see something you'd quite like to try and immediately think:

“Oh, I couldn't do that now.”

But…

Could you?

Sometimes, of course, we DO need to adapt things as we get older.

Bodies change. Life changes. Our circumstances change. And I'm a huge believer in listening to what our bodies are telling us rather than just pushing through.

But sometimes I wonder whether we haven't actually lost the ability to do something at all.

We've just stopped trying.

And there's quite a big difference.

Getting older doesn't mean making your world smaller

This is perhaps the bit I feel most strongly about.

We see it happening to our elderly relatives don't we!

I don't think healthy ageing is simply about living for as many years as possible.

I want those years to be full of life.

I want to be able to go places. Try things. Learn things. Laugh at myself. Move my body. Meet people. Travel. Say yes to opportunities and occasionally do something that makes me think:

“What on earth am I doing?” 😂

Because once we start avoiding things, our world can gradually become smaller without us even noticing it happening.

And I don't think that's inevitable just because another birthday rolls around.

You don't need to start abseiling!

The good news is, I'm absolutely NOT suggesting we all need to start abseiling at the weekend. 😂

Being a little more adventurous can be tiny.

Take a different route on your walk.

Try a new recipe.

Go somewhere you've never been.

Learn something you've always fancied learning.

Talk to someone new.

Join a class where you don't know anybody.

Try a different type of exercise.

Put some music on and attempt one of those silly TikTok dances the youngsters make look SO easy (see my Tik Tok account if you want to see my retreat girls and I doing just that!😂)

Wear the thing you thought you were “too old” to wear.

Or simply say YES to something you'd normally automatically say no to.

Because every time we step slightly outside our usual little bubble, we're reminding ourselves:

I can still learn.

I can still adapt.

I can still do new things.

And I think that's a pretty important message to keep giving ourselves as we get older.

So here's my challenge to you…

Sometime this week, do ONE thing you've never done before.

Nothing dramatic.

Nobody else even needs to know about it.

Just something that wakes your brain up a little and gives you that tiny flutter of…

“Oooh… I'm not sure about this.”

Because perhaps healthy ageing isn't just about eating well, exercising, sleeping enough and looking after our bodies.

Perhaps it's also about continuing to be curious about what we can do, rather than gradually creating a list of things we think we can't.

We spend an awful lot of time worrying about keeping our bodies young…

Maybe we should be just as interested in keeping our curiosity young. ❤️

Big love, Alison x

Fitness & Pilates Teacher