I got off a 14-hour flight last month and felt like I'd been hit by a bus. Twenty years ago, I would've bounced right back. Now? I needed a day.
So when I saw Helen Dennis' latest "Successful Aging" column in the Monterey Herald talking about exactly this—less energy, more fatigue being a natural part of getting older—I leaned in. Because here's the question that actually matters: natural doesn't mean permanent. So what do you do about it?
The Part Nobody Warns You About
Nobody hands you a manual when you turn 60. Nobody sits you down and says, "Hey, your energy is going to shift, your body's going to recover slower, and that's just how this works." You find out the hard way, usually in the middle of something you used to do without thinking.
Dennis' column points to something a lot of us feel but don't always say out loud: fatigue creeps in as part of aging. It's biology. Muscle mass changes. Sleep patterns shift. Recovery takes longer. That's real, and pretending otherwise doesn't help anyone.
But here's where it gets interesting. "Natural" and "fixed" are two very different words. A lot of people hear "this happens as you age" and translate it in their head to "there's nothing I can do." That's the trap.
What I've Learned Hauling a Suitcase Around the World
I've been living full-time on the road since 2017. That means airports at 5 a.m., overnight buses, climbing stairs in old European buildings with no elevators, walking cities for eight hours because that's the only way to really see them.
I'm closing in on 70. My energy today is not the energy I had at 50. I used to think that was something to fight against, like if I just pushed hard enough I could out-stubborn my own biology.
Turns out that's not how it works. What actually works is managing it.
I sleep more than I used to, and I stopped feeling guilty about it. I build in slower days between the big push days—one day exploring a new city hard, the next day sitting in a café watching the world go by. I move almost every day, even if it's just a walk, because the research backs up what I feel in my own body: staying active is one of the few things that actually pushes back against fatigue instead of feeding it.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Here's the thing people get backwards. They think managing energy means doing less. Slowing down. Maybe giving up the things that used to feel easy.
I think it means the opposite. It means being smarter about how you spend the energy you've got, so you can keep doing the things that matter to you.
Dennis' column is a reminder that fatigue isn't a verdict—it's information. Your body's telling you something. Maybe it's sleep. Maybe it's hydration, nutrition, stress, or just not moving enough during the day. Maybe it's something worth mentioning to a doctor. The point is, you investigate it instead of just accepting it as the new permanent you.
That's the same mindset I bring to travel, to business, to pretty much everything at this stage of life. Something's not working the way it used to? Good. That's interesting. What happens if I try a different approach? What happens if I adjust the schedule, change the pace, experiment with what actually restores me instead of just pushing through?
The Real Takeaway
Getting older changes the equation. It doesn't end the game.
I've met people in their 80s hiking trails that would wind me, and I've met people in their 40s who feel more exhausted than I do. Energy isn't just a number tied to your birth year. It's something you can learn to manage, adjust, and work with.
So if you're feeling more tired than you used to, don't just accept it as a life sentence. Get curious about it. Ask why. Experiment a little. Adjust your pace instead of abandoning your plans.
Adventure has no age limit. But it does require you to actually manage the body you're bringing along for the ride.
Source: Monterey Herald
Before this, we covered: Your Brain Doesn't Care How Many Countries You've Visited — Unless You Take Care Of It
