I completely believe that "getting old" is a choice. Sure, you can't change the fact that your age is increasing in years, genetic factors, or sudden illnesses, but you can choose HOW your body ages. There is a reason that my 80 year old, amazing grandmother still loves to hit the tennis court, never misses a day at the gym, and is as healthy today as she was in her 40's. In fact, I'm not sure she's aged at all since I was a child (with the exception of lighter hair and extra wrinkles)! There are 100-year-old marathoners, senior-citizen body builders and figure competitors, and 70-year-olds with 6-packs. I think about these people when I don't feel like training, and then I realize I have no excuse.
I recently went to a fitness business conference and listened to a lecture by an Army veteran who had one of his legs blown off in combat. The man was barely out of the hospital before he attempted to run a 5K with a prosthetic leg. Eventually, he completed a marathon. Talk about inspiring!
My point is that it is so easy to come up with excuses to not exercise. I commonly hear people say that life is too crazy between work, kids, pets, travel, etc. Personally, I feel that getting to the gym is the hardest part. You have to drive there, change clothing, then drive home. It takes valuable time. What's my solution for those days? I exercise at home. All you need is space in your living room or backyard to give yourself the life-long benefits of exercise.
Precision Nutrition recommends 5 hours of exercise per week combined with proper nutrition for optimum health, body composition, and performace. When you are busy, 5 hours can sound like a lot, and I believe you can receive incredible benefits from even less. Challenge yourself to 15-20 minutes of high-intensity exercise 5-6 days per week...that's less than 2 hours a week! If you can't find that amount of time in your schedule, email me with your daily schedule, and I will find it for you!
No amount of magazine reading, fitness video watching, or wanting to be fit will actually make you fit! The drive and motivation has to come from within. When you are 80 years old would you rather be active with your great-grandchildren or confined to a chair? You can't prevent every medical condition that may arise, especially if it is genetic, but you can fight lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease NOW. If there was a vaccine against those diseases would you take it? I certainly would! But there isn't, and it is up to you to live your best life and be the best version of yourself.
I shared my excuse (which ultimately just means that sometimes I am lazy! I admit it!). Please share yours. You will see that you are in the same boat as so many other people. Seriously take a step back and assess the benefits of taking a little bit of extra time out of your busy day to give yourself the ultimate gift of health.
