How to future proof your fitness
You might already feel it happening….
An activity you once breezed through suddenly requires a full two days of recovery. You hesitate when navigating uneven ground or picking up something heavy. And, jumping?! Er…no.
But how much control do we actually have over this? And, when do we need to just accept it?
In 1974, researchers in Sweden began testing the fitness of 427 sixteen-year-olds. That same group has now been retested at nine points between the age 16 and 63, measuring aerobic capacity, muscular endurance and muscular power.
At 16, fitness levels were relatively clustered, so there wasn’t huge range from person to person. By 63, the spread had become enormous with variances increasing 3 to 5-fold, depending on the measure.
Genetics accounted for less than half of the variance. The rest? Decades of lifestyle choices.
Which means that by older age, two people from the same starting point in their youth can end up with vastly different physical capacities.
In fact, switching from inactive to active at any point in your life can make a significant difference to your health outcome, and the reverse is also true.
So, what can we do to protect the outcome we want?
Watch for the ‘feeling weaker’ = ‘doing less’ spiral
One of the quietest threats to long-term fitness isn't a single injury or health crisis - it's the accumulation of small, sensible-seeming accommodations.
It starts reasonably enough: Climbing stairs leaves you winded, so you take the lift. Bags feel heavier, so you start having groceries delivered. Your knees ache on long walks, so you drive more. You’re not tidying kids toys up as much, so you don’t really get down on the floor.
But the data from this study tells us something important: By older age, the distance between the most and least physically capable people was enormous - and much of that spread was shaped by lifestyle choices made across decades.
The choices stack, in both directions.
This is a place for compassionate curiosity rather than judgement.
Ask yourself what activities you’ve quietly stopped or scaled back, and what is the smallest possible version of getting back to them?
Some accommodations are genuinely necessary and protective - and there's no shame in that - but this study confirms that getting active at any age produces measurable improvements.
And for the parents amongst you: why not show your kids what getting older can look like? In her late forties, my mum began strength training and took a teenage me along with her. Now, my 88-year-old dad still cycles to visit us every week. So, I’ve been following this blueprint for a while.
But I’ve also had clients begin building strength and fitness in their 70s and 80s, some of whom had never focused on it before. It’s never too late to build long lasting independence (and a bit of a swagger!).
Wherever you are now, set the wheels in motion. Start small, and keep the ball rolling. Stay in the game of keeping capable.
Let’s make healthy simple
Ask yourself which activities you’ve quietly stopped or scaled back
Decide which one(s) you’d like to get back into
Choose an easy action to start again
If you’re finding it hard to take the first step, hit reply and I can help you