Every once in awhile, I think it's worth asking ourselves a simple question: What are you training for?
Maybe you're looking for a particular change in your body. Maybe you have a bikini contest coming up, or you're working toward a specific number on the scale. Those goals are perfectly valid, and if they're important to you, they should absolutely be part of the conversation.
But maybe, like me, your reasons are a little different.
I want to be able to do the things I love for as long as possible and to the best of my ability. I want to travel, hike, garden, play sports, paddle, explore new places, and say yes to adventures with my family. I want to be able to do those things without constantly wondering whether my body will cooperate.
It doesn't have to take a lot of soul searching to figure out why you're interested in living a healthier life. Your "why" is often found in the things you already enjoy or the things you hope to keep doing as you get older.
Maybe you want to travel extensively in retirement. Maybe you want to play pickleball or golf for as long as your body allows. Maybe you want to keep gardening, mountain biking, skiing, or swimming. Maybe you simply want to live independently and be able to take care of yourself for as many years as possible.
Your goals matter because they help determine how you spend your time today.
For example, if you want to participate in competitive races, cardiorespiratory stamina and muscular endurance are going to be important. Those same qualities will serve you well if you want to spend your vacations or retirement traveling, exploring new cities, or hiking through national parks.
Muscular strength is equally important. We need it for countless activities throughout our lives, from carrying groceries and lifting a suitcase to moving furniture, working in the yard, or picking up a child. Balance and mobility support all of those things and become increasingly valuable as we age.
This is why I don't believe there is one perfect workout or one ideal fitness routine for everyone. What you need to work on depends, at least in part, on where you want to go.
If you know you want to hike mountains, your training should look a bit different than someone preparing for their first 5K. If your goal is to remain independent and active as you age, you may need to put more emphasis on strength, balance, mobility, and functional movement. If you want to travel the world, you'll probably want enough cardiovascular endurance to walk through airports, explore new cities, and climb a few stairs without having to stop every five minutes.
So ask yourself: What is important to me, and where do I see myself in the future?
Once you have a clearer picture of where you want to go, it's much easier to figure out how to get there.
That's where I can help.
Whether you're trying to improve your strength, recover from an injury, move with less pain, prepare for a specific activity, or simply build a body that will carry you well into the future, your training should have a purpose. We can take where you are now, look at where you want to go, and create a plan that helps bridge that gap.
You don't have to know exactly what that plan looks like. You just need to know what matters to you.
The rest can be figured out along the way.