Sports Today:

From time immemorial to the present day, the way people train in sports has been based on the pursuit of external goals—whether to gain recognition, win medals, or maintain the image of eternal youth.

Perhaps in the past, it made sense to “give it your all” in one’s youth, since life expectancy was much shorter and old age lasted only a few years. There was no such thing as the “third age,” let alone the “fourth age” that is emerging today—and soon we’ll be talking about the “fifth.” 

In the old past, people moved from the first stage of life to the second, which was also the last (death).

Today, life expectancy has increased considerably.

Due to existential stress suffered by people in our societies—who live conditioned and enslaved by a system that charges us even for the simple act of breathing—and as they witness nature suffering because of human selfishness, every day, more and more millions of people around the world are letting off steam by engaging in high-intensity sports to escape a discordant present and a bleak future.

It’s important to remember that during high-intensity workouts—which are so popular these days—the body releases powerful endogenous substances (produced by the body itself): dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, norepinephrine… We can therefore speak of a serious addiction to sports.

People exercise primarily to feel good thanks to the “high” provided by endogenous substances that allow them to forget suffering and existential unease.

This fitness frenzy greatly increases wear and tear on the joints, muscles, tendons, and the heart itself, which is forced to work intensely so that the mind can feel good for a few moments. And if we add to this a diet rich in questionable dietary supplements and excessive protein consumption, we also put a heavy strain on the internal organs. For more information, see books I and II⁽¹⁾.

Clinging to youth is not the right goal, because there is no point in fighting against the passage of time. It is a waste of time and energy to want to remain eternally young.

The fundamental goal is that, during our youth, we prepare ourselves for the third, fourth, and fifth stages of life, enjoying every moment, whether in action or inaction.

Governments are already raising the retirement age, as global economies can no longer support the growing number of retirees, with life expectancy continuing to rise and the birth rate steadily declining.

We must prepare ourselves to remain active, happy, and healthy throughout our lives, right up until the day we pass away. That way, people won’t let themselves get stressed out by superficial and unhealthy concerns. Professional obligations should be scaled back over the years, but we must always remain active and creative.

As I explain in my first book, *Psycho-Fitness Holistic*, modern sports training relies on “willpower” to push past limits and achieve external goals—trophies, medals, and social recognition.

Training hard to achieve external goals encourages a struggle against oneself, which leads to great frustration when goals are not met and paves the way for injuries of varying severity that may be irreversible.

The willpower required to achieve these self-imposed goals is so great that it can only be sustained in youth, thereby ruining one’s mature years due to so many injuries and frustrations.

The AtelTrainer “anti-method”—Fitness Zen—replaces the 42 km of a marathon with the 42 years of the existential marathon, uniting the body, the mind, and the Essence to live in a state of growing and lasting fulfillment.

There is no greater achievement in life than reaching an advanced age in good physical condition—one that is, of course, appropriate for your age.

As I always say, don’t just engage in activities that you won’t be able to do when you’re older.