Proper sleep, diet and exercise. Those three are the foundation of a game plan for being able to use your body late into life.
I recognize this is something that many people in their 30s, 40s and even 50s seldom think about…
—Will I be able to run a mile at age 70?
—Will I be able to walk up and down stairs at age 80?
—When my grandkids need a boost, will I be capable of picking them up?
How you treat your body now will provide the answers to such questions. It’s enormously difficult to make amends after a lifetime of ignoring the Big Three.
I just had a vivid personal reminder. Normally, I exercise intensely at home, measuring how my heart rate compares to the amount of power I can generate on my bike. But after six weeks of working on the road, my numbers have declined dramatically. Even though I ran and exercised much as a “normal” person would, my performance dipped because I did not have the equipment to train as hard as I usually do.
This illustrates that each of the Big Three is relative. Exercising is not the same as exercising HARD. Neither is “sort of” eating right the same as consistently eating right.
We can kid ourselves for now or we can take our future seriously. Your future self will know the difference.
