It's not the pain, but the longevity you should be concerned about. When we get in a hurry, we tend to make choices that we frame as "Sacrifices", but are in fact irresponsible uses of our resources. An example of this that i see every day is the student who decides that the pain in their shoulder is not going to stop them for pushing to the next level. No, instead I must push through the pain and drive myself to success. With all the options for training healthfully, this approach is just silly. Even if your plan was to transcend your hobbyist flying status to become a professional aerialist, an informed and knowledgeable approach to training would still be less bloody than some of the wounds I see people bragging about.

Let's do something radical. Let's pretend that you actually care what kind of athlete you will be into your 70s and, just for a moment, imagine what differences in approach to your training might occur. If you take an average of your training styles, discarding the lazy potato you are afraid you might be along with the workout police who are knocking down your door, then what is left is probably about right.

You have a long life. Lives are getting longer all the time. you can help that process along by making a ritual of challenging but responsible exercise. One day, flying will be so popular that getting time on a rig will be cheap and readily available. I would like to think that when that day comes, you will still have enough uninjured meat on your bones to enjoy it.

Like raising a child, raising the aerialist within is gonna take at least 15 years. Once that's done, you have an entire career to become a master of your artistic discipline. Imagine yourself as always being beautiful, always being strong, always having something to look forward to learning and always being loved and we'll see you in the sky. In good health. Jonathon