There are days when I want to quit.

Days when I want to skip the workout, eat whatever I want, sit on the couch, and tell myself I’ll get back to it tomorrow.

On those days, I’ve started thinking about someone else.

My future self.

I Can’t Change the Last 40 Years

For a long time, I didn’t take care of myself the way I should have.

I can’t go back and change that.

I can’t undo 40 years overnight, and beating myself up over the past isn’t going to make me any healthier today.

What I can control is what I do next.

When I’m struggling to find motivation, I think about the things that could become harder as I get older.

I think about climbing a flight of stairs without struggling.

Carrying groceries into the house.

Getting up off the floor.

Having strong bones and muscles so that if I fall someday, my body has a better chance of handling it.

I think about my heart and lungs.

I think about conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

And most importantly, I think about being there someday to watch my grandkids grow up.

I know I can’t control everything.

I could do everything “right” and still get sick. Life doesn’t hand out guarantees just because you exercised and ate your vegetables.

But I’m definitely not going to sit around and wait to see what happens.

I Don’t Just Want to Grow Old

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this lately, and I keep coming back to one sentence:

I want to grow old strong.

I don’t want my goal simply to be living longer.

I want to be able to live during those years.

I want to move.

I want to travel.

I want to hike.

I want to carry my own groceries.

I want to play with future grandkids.

I want my muscles, heart, lungs, and the rest of my body to be as capable as I can reasonably make them.

That’s become a much bigger motivation for me than any number on a scale.

This Isn’t About Being Skinny

When people start exercising or changing the way they eat, weight loss tends to get all the attention.

How many pounds did you lose?

What size are you now?

What does the scale say?

Those things can be goals, but I’ve realized that this is about so much more than losing weight for me.

I’m building a stronger body.

Every walk matters.

Every run matters.

Every strength workout matters.

Every healthy decision matters.

Not because I’m trying to create some perfect body.

I’m investing in the body I’m going to need 10, 20, 30, and hopefully 40 years from now.

That’s a very different goal.

Do One Thing Today

If you’re reading this and thinking you need to completely change your life tomorrow, don’t.

That’s overwhelming as hell.

Start with one thing.

Go for a short walk.

Drink some water instead of another soda.

Take the stairs.

Cook dinner instead of grabbing fast food.

Pick up some weights.

Spend ten minutes moving instead of scrolling on your phone.

Whatever your one thing is, do something today that your future self might thank you for.

It doesn’t have to be impressive.

It doesn’t have to make a good Facebook post.

And it definitely doesn’t have to look like what someone else is doing.

Change doesn’t happen overnight.

Maybe today you can only do a little.

That’s okay.

Maybe tomorrow you do a little more.

Then one day you look back and realize all those little things weren’t so little after all.

For Future Me

I’m sure there will still be plenty of days when I don’t want to work out.

I’ll still have days when I slack off.

I’ll still make choices that aren’t perfect because I’m a human being, not a fitness robot.

But when I need a reason to keep going, I’m going to think about her.

The 50-year-old me.

The 60-year-old me.

The 70-year-old me.

And hopefully, someday, the much older woman who can still get herself up, move her body, carry her groceries, explore the world, and chase her grandkids around.

That’s who I’m doing this for.

The scale can’t measure that.

I don’t just want to grow old.

I want to grow old strong. 💪🩷

Real miles. Real mom. No filter.

– Shannon