It’s Never too Late to Start - How internalised ageism is holding you back from moving

It’s a conscious choice of mine to have this interaction whenever a parent signs their child in for an open session at Fluidity:

 “Are you training too?” 

I am often met with a scoff or laugh as they order coffee:

“Oh no, not me, I can’t do any of what they can”. 

Often, what follows is a heart-dropping statement: 

“I’m too old for that”

Put bluntly, this is complete nonsense. Let’s talk about it.

Why do we, as we age, begin to limit ourselves? This is the war against internalised ageism, which is when we take on the tropes and stereotypes about old people we see in popular media, comedy and comments from others and believe them about ourselves. This can manifest in a multitude of ways:

Self-doubt: Saying "I am too old to learn this new skill" or avoiding new things. This is commonly a direct consequence of how ageism manifests in society. Being a victim of this, such as being underestimated at work because of your age, can make you doubt your ability to do well in other areas of your life. These past experiences don’t define you, and they shouldn’t stop you from giving something a shot. 

The best way to overcome self doubt is to take actions that prove them wrong, building up evidence that you can, in fact, do something new. Every time you show up is a win. Keep building these little wins and you will start to see that you are capable of more than you think. 

Another way to build up self confidence is to make a video record of when you started to look back on a few months down the road. Seeing your progress visually can be a helpful reminder of where you started and how far you have come.

Appearance worry: Feeling ashamed of our bodies and how they move. This can be a huge barrier to starting a new physical activity, worrying about how you may appear less fluid or flexible when comparing your body’s capabilities to younger bodies. 

The truth is, all bodies can become more flexible and move with ease the more movement is practiced. Anybody who starts parkour will overcome the same barriers to movements their bodies have not attempted before - mistakes in form and tech are universal and common. Coaches are well equipped to break them down into graduated stages or in different ways to help you achieve them.  

Beyond that, wearing clothing you feel comfortable and supported in can help you feel good as you move. Think airy and light so you can move freely. Treat yourself to some decent trainers with good grip and you will feel the difference in the trust you have in your foot placement as you jump and land.

Women’s Only Classes are due to happen soon, so if you would feel more comfortable starting out with other women, this could be the perfect option for you. Let us know what times would work best for your schedule by filling in our Google Form.

Quitting early: Stopping hobbies, work goals, or social events because you feel out of place. Representation in sport is so important. Finding others who are a similar age when they started a new hobby can be inspiring and give you hope that you can achieve what they can. Remember that everyone is different and will have strengths and weaknesses in different areas of parkour. Starting a hobby with a friend may be all you need to kickstart your journey and cross the threshold. 

Just take a look at these seniors absolutely smashing it and training parkour outside:

INSERT VIDEO OF SENIOR PARKOUR

Most of the reason why people quit early on is because they feel they are not improving or making progress at the rate they expected. In reality, parkour progression has peaks and troughs, just like any sport. You can unlock moves then forget them if you don’t drill them often enough. This is all part of the process of learning and is something to embrace rather than be frustrated by. There are many factors that can block progress in a session - your mood, energy levels or injury, for example. 

Before you walk away defeated, it is worth talking directly with your coach to gain some perspective on how you are doing. Once your coach understands your individual goals, they can offer some encouragement, advice or accommodations to help you take some steps forward in your next session.

Starting later has its advantages

Think about the life experience you have that you can apply to parkour; other sports or hobbies you have tried over the years can be transferred to a new one. Maybe you look at things analytically or more creatively which can be invaluable when applied to understanding how to put moves together. 

Understanding your body as an adult is much easier than a reckless teen or child who has less sense of danger. This can help you to assess risk better and look after your body as a budding parkour athlete. Knowing your limits is a core aspect of longevity in the sport and looking after your body by not pushing to the absolute limit will ensure you can keep participating for way longer than someone who started younger and obtained more injuries by the time they reach your age. The hidden cost of wearing a body down over years of jumps can take its toll as it matures. You are starting fresh, and this can only mean building up strength and flexibility from there!

As someone who could be seen as “starting late” as an adult rather than a child, I can only advocate for the way it has changed my life, my perception of myself and my capabilities. I receive comments like “I can see how much better (at parkour) you have got recently” and “you look so much healthier”. The latter is what is most important to me personally. Finding exercise that I love has allowed me to set other health goals for myself such as going to the gym regularly and eating better. Having a purpose to look after yourself other than pure obligation can be super motivating. I know that if I want to continue parkour late into my life, I need to build strength and nutrition that supports my body to keep up. 

If that isn’t enough to convince you to give parkour a try, why not sign up for a free trial? Adult Classes run every Monday and Wednesday from 7:30pm. Come along and speak to any of the attendees about why they started and the benefits they have got from it. Classes are absolutely beginner friendly, so bring a friend and give it a try! 

And for the grandparents reading this, senior parkour sessions are in the pipeline, so watch this space to find out how you can gain more control and confidence in your own body with sessions aimed at preventing falls and falling safely. This could unlock a whole new you where you progress to taking up parkour yourself! 

Just imagine a family jam across multiple generations - everyone here at Fluidity Freerun Academy would be so thrilled to see that and we can support all of you to make it happen!

Go send,

Demi