Stay Young and Capable

Or let it slip away

I’m almost 40. I can do everything I could do at 20, and there are some things I do better now, and some I couldn’t do at all back then.

Before you write that off: yes, I’m a coach. This is my job. But that’s not the advantage you think it is. My advantage isn’t access to a facility or hours in a gym. It’s that I’ve never stopped exposing myself to the stimulus.

Is it age that limits what we can do, or is it a lack of exposure?

I see kids in middle school and high school get hurt doing things that other kids their same age, and plenty of adults three times their age, do easily.

Age certainly is a factor. Recovery slows. Tissue changes. I’m aware of these. But age explains far less of the gap than people assume, and exposure explains far more.

So what is it about getting older that cuts off the exposure?

Part of it is lifestyle. Jobs, family, kids, obligations that didn’t exist at 22. Again, important and valid factors.

But another part of it is behavior. We get comfortable with convenience, and the resistance to convenience builds until one day the thing you used to do without thinking about it is a thing you no longer do at all.

What you do with your time, energy, and money is a function of your priorities. I’ve coached Fortune 500 executives with families, no time, and plenty of money who prioritize their fitness. I’ve coached small business owners with families, no time, and no money to spare who prioritize it too. Different constraints, same decision.

Here’s a common misconception.

Fitness marketing makes it look like staying capable requires five days a week in a large gym full of expensive equipment. It doesn’t. If you want to stay healthy, functional, and capable, here’s roughly what it takes:

• Two 20-30 minute high-intensity resistance sessions per week

• Two 20-30 minute high-intensity interval sessions per week

• A couple of 30-45 minute zone 1-2 sessions — bike, walk, run, whatever you’ll actually do

• Seven hours of sleep per night

• Three whole-food meals a day, prioritizing protein and fiber

That’s three to four hours a week of fitness. You can do that inside a busy life. Most people can find it if they look honestly.

If you want to prove it to yourself, take a very detailed audit of your schedule. What are you spending your time doing every moment of the day?

Phone/Social media scrolling?
On the recliner watching TV?
Making up time for being underprepared and lack of planning?
Procrastinating?

The list goes on.

For most people, this isn’t a time problem. It’s a priority problem. And a priority is a choice you’re allowed to make differently starting today.

— Coach Keith | Culture Athletics