This is What Actually Matters
At the end of the day, at the end of your life, no one is going to remember what you weighed or what size you wore or how much you could lift or which diets you tried.
Those are often the things that consume many of my friends and clients and dominate conversations, yet none of it matters.
In the 22 years since the terror attacks, much has been written about those who lost their lives that day. We've heard many stories of dedicated parents and loving spouses and brave first responders, real-life heroes who put themselves in harm's way to save others.
What no one ever, ever mentions is how many times any of them did Weight Watchers or went to the gym or how many visible abs they had, because that's not what anyone cares about when a loved one is gone. That's not what's really important.
What's important are the memories they leave behind. The everyday interactions that are always taken for granted, like sharing coffee in the morning or singing along with the radio during the daily carpool, and the big milestones, like anniversaries, birthdays, and vacations, that will never quite be the same.
I'm not saying that's a reason to say "YOLO" and only eat cheesesteaks and pizza and never exercise again.
What I'm saying — as a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and person who used to be way too obsessed with food and exercise — is many of us would benefit from focusing less on dieting and reaching a certain size and concentrating more on doing the things that help us make memories that will outlive us.
Building stamina to improve our cardiovascular health and make us better able to keep up with our partners, pets, kids, and grandkids.
Building strength so we can be active and live independently for a long time.
Improving joint health and mobility to prevent debilitating injuries and chronic pain that would keep us from doing activities we enjoy.
Eating nutritious foods to support our internal health so we can hopefully live long, full lives.
No matter who we are, one thing we all have in common is that we only get a limited amount of time to spend on this planet.
Many people are spending that time either hyper-focused on calories and macros and workouts, or are inadvertently shortening their precious time by not taking care of their physical and mental well-being.
I do what I do NOT to help people lose weight or be able to do pushups or fit into a certain size, but because I want people to have the ability to experience life to the fullest, whatever that looks like for them. I do what I do so my clients can keep doing (or get back to) the things they love, whether that's traveling or playing sports or just going about their days pain-free.
At each client consult, my clients and I talk about why certain goals are meaningful to them.
This week, I encourage you to think hard about your own goals and why you want to achieve them. If the answer isn't because it adds value or joy or years to your life, maybe reevaluate.
I don't want you to spend your limited time chasing the same 5-pound weight loss, waiting until you lose weight to check things off your bucket list, or thinking about the things you "can't" do anymore.
What's going to help you live your best, fullest, healthiest life today?
Start there. And ask yourself that every day for the rest of the time you're given.
