Michael's Blog: September
Better Than Your Prime?
Do you remember July 15, 2017?
To be honest, I had to look up the date. What I remembered was the moment and the comment from the play-by-play announcer:
“When did he get an arm like that?! That was over a 50-yard throw—he couldn't do that in his prime!”
It got me thinking: Are you doing something better now than you did in your prime—or at least working toward it?
I'm hearing more and more stories that inspire me.
The aforementioned “arm” belonged to Travis Lulay, who was inducted into the BC Lions Wall of Honour on Saturday night. Back in 2017, Travis had lost his starting quarterback job to a younger player, Jonathan Jennings. But in the fourth game of the season, Jennings was injured, and Travis entered the game in relief.
And what a relief appearance it was. Travis went on to throw for 436 yards—a career high—and helped the Lions to a 41–26 victory. In the process, he set a CFL record for the most passing yards by a quarterback coming off the bench.
But there is a little backstory. A few weeks earlier, Dr. Navin Prasad had invited me to play golf with Travis and Marco Iannuzzi, another BC Lions veteran. During the round, we had a chance to talk about SierraSil®, and both players decided to give SierraSil a try.
A few days before that memorable game, Travis called me to say how good he was feeling, and that SierraSil Joint Formula14™ was part of his routine.
So when Travis—coincidentally wearing number 14—came into the game and played so brilliantly, I was pretty proud. When the play-by-play announcer marvelled that Travis had made a throw that he “couldn't have made in his prime,” I quietly told my television: “I know Travis's secret!”
To be fair, Travis was a veteran and an exceptionally smart athlete. He knew how to train, prepare and take care of himself. That may well have been the biggest factor. Still, I'd like to think SierraSil helped!
A couple of weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend from my undergraduate days at UBC. I learned that Gradyn had taken up triathlons in his 40s and discovered a particular talent for the cycling component. That eventually led him into competitive masters cycling, where he reached a ranking of number one in his age category in Texas. I think that's pretty impressive. Gradyn achieved this without our minerals, although he’s using them now to reduce soreness in his knees.
Then there's Faith Wells, SierraSil's VP and CFO. At age 59, Faith decided to take up marathon running and set herself the ambitious goal of completing the world's top marathons. She is still at it, with seven completed and one more to go—the Boston Marathon.
Now in her late 70s, Faith somehow manages a full-time job, marathon training and caring for grandchildren. That, too, is pretty impressive. And yes, Faith uses Joint Formula14 and our Pain Relief Topical Spray.
We have now entered a new season—and, for many families, a new academic year. Perhaps it is also an opportunity to begin a new season for yourself. Maybe being better than your prime isn't realistic. But perhaps being better than you were last year—or even 10 years ago—is.
Set your sights on something.
Walk farther. Ride faster. Take up a new sport. Return to an old one. Train for an event. Set a goal that feels just a little beyond your current comfort zone.
If your goal involves strenuous physical activity, of course, approach it sensibly and safely. Train progressively, listen to your body, and make the necessary adjustments along the way.
And, naturally, I hope you'll consider SierraSil as part of your routine. Our research, including double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover research conducted through UBC Sport Medicine, has shown improvements in peak power and reductions in delayed onset muscle soreness.
But more importantly, go out and become someone's inspiration story.
You may be surprised at what you're still capable of. And who knows? Maybe one day someone will be watching you and saying:
“He/She couldn't do that in his/her prime!”