The Secret for Living a Better Life as You Age

If aches and pains and declining race performance creep into your conversations, reading Becca Levy’s “Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live” might jolt you out of this negative perspective and toward a more revitalizing one.

Levy’s book includes research studies that show that people with negative age beliefs decline faster and die younger. Thomas Perls, the founder of the world’s largest study of centenarians and their families—the New England Centenarian Study—found that 90% of centenarians were functionally independent in their 90s. Many remained employed, sexually active, and participated in outdoor activities and the arts.

“Breaking the Age Code” also illuminates how individuals with negative age perspectives tend to shun healthy behavior—such as healthy diet and minimal alcohol consumption—believing they’re fated to go downhill anyway, and it doesn’t matter.

USMS members and medical professionals Cheryl Wicker, Jim Miller, and Arlette Godges encourage a positive outlook and have some advice on aging up and on contributions made by older swimmers and older members of society in general.

Cheryl Wicker, Certified Nurse Practitioner

Cheryl Wicker is a 61-year-old family nurse practitioner and an assistant professor for aspiring advanced practice nurses.

After developing a stress fracture and hip pain that required replacement surgery, she ditched running and dove into the pool. “Swimming has helped me maintain my love for movement. The exercise helps keep me young,” she says.

Swimming makes Wicker “less conscious of age-related changes. I feel energetic all the time and work about three jobs. I think if I experienced ‘normal’ aging, I would be more conscious of age-related changes.”

At Masters practices, she requires more rest than her younger teammates. Instead of harder training, Wicker focuses on smart training. “If we adapt to the more cerebral goal of how to swim more efficiently, it will help us feel like we are making progress.”

At some point, all swimmers experience age-related slowdowns. “Rather than complain about ‘adding time,’ we should celebrate that we can keep participating in our sport. Very few are able and willing to participate in swim events and already, we are elite.”

One way to avoid age bias is to live and act young. “I don’t move like many my age. I walk faster and more energetically. I think showing up to swim with others of varying ages helps develop camaraderie and lets younger folks know how capable older folks can be. I never feel negative attitudes from my younger teammates, only respect that we ‘show up.’ This type of inter-generational activity is valuable.”

“Showing up, but giving ourselves grace when we are not at our best that day” is a mindset technique Wicker recommends. “This allows us to recover so we can keep at it.” She believes we need to grant ourselves time off to recover from injuries and “be kind to ourselves when that happens. Caring for our bodies as an aging athlete takes patience and self-kindness. Just because we need to swim a limited practice doesn't mean we are less of an athlete.”

Jim Miller, M.D.

Jim Miller was inducted into the Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in 2019. He has served as Chair of the USMS Sports Medicine and Science Committee and team physician for USA Swimming at the Olympics, World Championships, and many open water events. He’s been a member of the FINA Medical Committee since 2001 and lectures worldwide for FINA and the International Olympic Committee on shoulder injuries, nutrition, and the benefits of swimming. He also teaches the IOC course the Aging Athlete.

Miller believes negative attitudes swimmers have about aging and declining performance are often connected to improper training. Embarking on a well-constructed program is imperative, he said. “There is a tendency to have a decline in fast twitch muscle fibers with aging. That contributes to poor balance and slower spring times in the pool. Not surprisingly, in order to maintain fast twitch or even rebuild fast twitch muscles, you have to train them.”

He cites how many swimmers do sets such as 10 x 100s on a certain interval year after year without adjusting rest intervals based on age or the events they’re training for. “Guess what, your training will result in you being able to do that speed [swum in the workout] only. You must mix in sprints with longer rest to maintain or rebuild fast twitch fibers.” He also encourages older swimmers to take more recovery days.

Miller believes that swimmers who live and train smart will feel more optimistic and have better race experiences. “Eat smart and have a nutrition plan, control weight, work on strength training, work hydration, and get sleep (8ish hours is ideal). Sleep is the time when your body is rebuilding and recovering so it is critical to success.” He also recommends that swimmers avoid sleep enhancing drugs whenever possible and keep computers and phones out of the bedroom.

Arlette Godges, Physical Therapist

A physical therapist for more than 35 years, Arlette Godges has achieved more than 100 USMS Top 10 times and is a Level 2 USMS coach. In 2021, she acquired a neuroplasticity certification from MIT. Her professional focus is optimizing performance for competitive athletes and preventing impairments and pain.

There is controversy in the literature as to whether competing in athletics as an older adult is beneficial or detrimental to mental health, says Godges. “Some studies suggest that older athletes have higher self-esteem, better cognitive function, less anxiety, and less depression. Other literature describes a different picture of more anxiety and depression because of a decrease in performance and the negative approach to aging.”

She believes an individual’s attitude about aging earlier in life affect perceptions of age-related challenges that happen later. “If context is negative, they will see everything in a negative light and blame age on all undesirable performances.” Individuals educated about what is required to optimize performance and experience wellness later in life “can appropriately change training to combat many age-related performance and injury situations.”

The most profound changes occur for older adults after menopause for women and after 60 in men, she said. “It is important to be aware of the physical implications and adjust,” says Godges. “Aging up well does not equate to best times in the new age group (typically).” A Masters swimmer aging up well will be able to acquire similar placings at major meets (or rankings in top 10) with advancing years, she says. For example, a swimmer ranked third in the top 10 for the 50-yard breaststroke at age 50 would still be ranked third in that event at age 70.

“Our society is afraid of aging,” says Godges. “We value young and vibrant.” Older adults can be “vibrant, fun, adventurous and much wiser. We (as a society) dismiss the elderly and tend to not value their opinions. We are overbooked and always in a rush, with no time to sit and listen to an elderly person.”

“We value new and faster technology over a long conversation with an elderly person about experiences in their lives. The dismissing of elderly people in jobs, is also rooted in the fact that preventative health care is not covered, and many people have chronic illness and co-morbidities when in their 50s. This makes an older hire a risky hire and an expensive hire.”

Swimmers are in the driver’s seat so-to-speak when it comes to their outlook and behavior. “I am a firm believer of choosing a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, one that is balanced and prioritizes healthy relationships. We are the collective result of our choices made day to day, month to month and year over year.”

Research shows that older athletes are more likely to continue competing if they train with a team, socialize with like-minded friends, and place more importance on cognitive benefits over actual performance. Godges believes each USMS member and coach has a responsibility “to encourage the elderly to participate, to help them get to meets and practices, to encourage them to be a part of our communities. As a society, we are only as strong and vibrant as our oldest members.”