Up until about 3 months ago I played soccer (football) 3 times a week. Normally, that wouldn’t be a compelling statement but factor in that I’m also in my late 50’s and well, it’s a bit more compelling. My secret? I never stopped. I’ve played some competitive sport that has required lateral movement etc. since I was out of diapers – baseball, tennis, ice hockey, basketball and of course football – I have played regularly for some significant interval my entire life. My friends ALL think I’m crazy and warn me that I will eventually be a cripple if I keep it up. I vowed to keep playing until they carried me off the pitch.
I had already begun thinking about my own football mortality, realizing that even though I knew my buddies were full of it, I’d likely not be playing in my 70’s and needed to diversify my fitness regimen. Recently, as in 8 years ago, which is recently when you get to this age, I began cycling in earnest – Mostly because almost every friend (and colleague) I have in San Francisco is an avid cyclist and it was thrust upon me. I soon grew to love it as well and besides the domestic day rides I take regularly and Peloton classes, I’ve done many cycling tours of Europe as well. 2 years ago I added weightlifting at my local gym. I didn’t know when that big day would come when I would be forced to stop playing, but I was prepared for it both mentally, emotionally and now physically.
Well, that moment finally did come, you guessed it, 3 months ago. During a match I got my foot stomped on by some reckless 20 something with super sharp cleats and it hurt badly. I did my usual and continued to play not just that day but for weeks after with the help of a healthy dose of ibuprofen and a superhuman pain threshold. The difference this time is that it didn’t just go away like it typically does and persisted which prompted me to visit my podiatrist. He summarily informed me after looking at my MRI, that I had torn my plantar plate and that If I kept playing it would just get worse AND that if I did ever want to play again I would need surgery which I will be getting in November. I WILL play again once I’m healed up in about 6 weeks.
The bottom line is this – I am staying fit even without my beloved football because I have developed a robust cycling and weightlifting practice to counterbalance my nearly total reliance on football. Sound familiar? The takeaway here, whether we’re talking about our bodies or our portfolios, is pretty much the same: don’t wait until something breaks to diversify. Build resilience while things are going well, so when the inevitable injury or bear market comes along, you can keep moving forward.
