Today’s post is going to be a shorter one. Hopefully leaving you more time to go and practice what I’m about to preach.
I pay a lot of lip service to training goals, but anyone who knows me knows that no matter who I am working with and where they are starting out on the exercise/fitness spectrum, one of my consultation questions is, “what do you want to be able to do at 70 years old?” It’s my version of the classic, “where do you see yourself in 10 years?” We all have immediate goals, reasons to exercise right now. But unlike other areas of our lives, most of us aren’t thinking long term.
No matter where you are starting, my guess is you are planning on being around for a good long while. And if that’s they case you are going to need your physical body to hold up for you. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, nobody gets a prize for being the best looking corpse. While sure, looking more fit/toned//cut/strong/insert your adjective of choice here will absolutely boost self-confidence and bring a cascade of mood enhancing benefits, it doesn’t necessarily provide us with a good foundation for long term health.
Good long term physical health starts with moving. Most days of the week. For the forseeable future. And owning that it takes planning and motivation to make that happen. When you have an immediate goal of losing 10 pounds or reducing your cholesterol, there is an objective measurement that you are trying to achieve. But when you have to look at the long term, it can be difficult to stay the course.
I have known runners who have had to work through major injuries to keep training, athletes who have gone on to earn degrees in exercise and nutrition just to stay connected to sport, women (including myself) who have done more than recommended exercise during pregnancy to benefit both themselves and their babies. The point is, all of these people have one thing in common. It doesn’t matter what life throws at them, their one constant is lacing up their sneakers or going to the gym. And funnily enough, all those little adjustments and course corrections actually allow you to stay the course for long term health.
There are times where life just gets in the way. Whether it’s an actual injury or circumstances and big life changes. But choosing to keep after it, altering goals when you need to and continuing to move your body as it was meant to be, that’s what allows us to have better physical health and function as we age.
