What I learned about fitness from my Grandpa

Hi Athletes,

I wanted to take the opportunity here to wish my Grandpa a happy 85th birthday and tell you a bit about him and how he influences my love for sport and fitness and my approach to it.

First off, I want to tell you about the calls I occasionally get from my mom “grandpa fell again…” (hold for suspense) “off his rollerblades”. Yes, even into his 80s my grandpa is incredibly active. Perhaps more so than a lot of the people I know my age. He bikes, he golfs, and yes… he still rollerblades. It is incredibly inspiring and gives me hope that I can continue to enjoy my favourite activities into my later years in life.

However, it isn’t just about genetics. In fact over the years it seems like it might better be phrased as despite genetics. I won’t get into the details, but like most families, we face our own unique body challenges.

So what is grandpa’s secret? Well, one insight that he’s always shared with me is this:

“I would get home from work, and in that day, it was popular to have a martini to unwind. I thought to myself, I could do that, or I could go run for a mile and do something better for my health”

And that is what he did, pretty much every single day for his entire career.

He is living proof that fitness and health doesn’t have to be complicated, just consistent. Our small habits may not seem like a lot on any given day, but over time, those choices make a huge difference.

I want to close this out with a thought that I heard from another trainer years ago that really changed my perspective and squashed the #1 excuse I hear:

Stop saying that time is a limited resource… because it is not! Your body and your health is. Take care of yourself now and in the long run you will have more time overall and can make the most of that time.

Cheers

-Sarah