I mentioned on Monday how there's been long held thoughts around fitness being all about how hard we push. How much we sweat. What the numbers say. But in reality, life doesn’t care how many reps you can do in a gym. Life asks different things of our bodies.
It asks us to get up off the floor. To carry shopping bags. To feel steady on our feet. To have the confidence to move without fear. To keep doing the things we love as we get older.
That’s the kind of fitness I care about - even more so now living with MND. I'm training for LIFE!! That means building strength that supports everyday movement. It means working on balance, mobility and posture. It means choosing exercise that helps my nervous system feel safe and supported, not constantly stressed or depleted.
As our bodies change, especially through different stages of life, what we need from exercise changes too. That doesn’t mean we’re doing less. It means we’re training smarter.
For me, movement is about staying independent, connected and capable for as long as possible. It’s about supporting my body so it can support my life.
So I’m curious… when you think about fitness, what are you really preparing your body for? What do you want your body to help you do, now and into the future?
There’s no right answer. Just awareness. Let me know in the comments.