Want to recapture some of the vigor of your youth? Would you like to look and feel years younger? A lot of magazine ads and late night infomercials would have you believe it's as easy as pulling out your credit card for the latest miracle product. You can buy that stuff if you want to, but I am about to pitch a way to make you look and feel younger -- and you don't have to "rush your check or money order" anywhere. My advice? Get in the game!

If there's a sport that you love, but you've given up playing it because you think you're too old, get out there and compete again. If you're out of shape, and struggling to find motivation to get moving, perhaps training to play again will do the trick.

For those of us over 35, this idea sounds a little crazy at first, but I'm not talking about competing with athletes still in their prime. This is all about competing with other people in your age group. I'm blogging about this, because I've recently gotten into competitive track and field, and it has been an extremely invigorating experience.

Like most people of my generation, I hung up the track spikes when I graduated from school 20 years ago. Then in 2002, my doctor suggested I start running short sprints as part of a rehab program to overcome lower back pain. It turns out he is a competitive sprinter in Masters Track and Field (35 years and older) and ultimately he inspired me to give it a try.

In June, I signed up for my first masters track meet at Southern Connecticut State University, and I have to admit racing down that track made me feel younger than I have in a long time. I didn't win the race, but was happy to come in second place in my 40 - 45 year old age group.

The process of training to race has made me leaner, stronger, more flexible, and has done wonders for my mental health. So why blog about this? Because I have seen and felt the difference that competitive sports training can make, and I want to inspire other geezers to get into the game.

It is in that spirit, that we are putting together a story for News Channel 8, as I train to compete in the Nutmeg State Games. One of the area's foremost sprint experts, Yale Univeristy's speed coach Marc Davis, is working with us. It is our hope that other middle age and senior athletes will see that age alone is no reason to sit on the sidelines.

Just in case you have any doubts, I am posting a link to a video of the 2009 masters track and field indoor championships. This video shows the men's 70+ (yes, 70 years and older) 60 meter dash.

I'll post updates, as the training continues!

http://www.aidemsolutions.com/2009masters/60/m70