Your Wheelchair

A wheelchair A wheelchair

Here you go: go ahead and take a look. If you’re lucky enough, you will live long enough to need one of these. Have you thought about which kind you’d like? What features are important to you? Do you have a color preference? Leather seat or vinyl?

I get it. You probably haven’t given this much thought, and you may find this conversation a bit morbid and unsettling.

Instead of pretending this future doesn’t exist, ask yourself “how can I change it?” You may not be able to avoid it entirely, but you can nuance the details. For example, every day you train your mind and body, you push the day you inevitably need a wheelchair further into the future. This can be part of your “why” when you ask yourself “why am I going to the gym today?”

This concept continues a theme we’ve been exploring the last few days: the visual component of fitness may well be the least significant of all the reasons to be physically fit. For most of us, though, it’s the first (and sometimes only) thing we think of. The work you put into your body today lays the foundation for your fitness in the future. Your body is the ultimate retirement account. It’s the only place you have to live. You can’t start putting money into a 401k at 62 and hope to retire comfortably by 65. Investing for retirement works best when done in small, consistent increments throughout your life. Investing in your body works the same way.

If you’re lucky, you’ll live to a ripe old age. Aches and pains will increase, and mobility will decline each year. You need to hit them with as much momentum as possible to make the most of those years. The decline in fitness in your older years is going to happen regardless. Where you start the decline is entirely up to you.

Today’s Tasks

Don’t forget to complete today’s tasks for the challenge.

  • Drink 1 gallon of water
  • Workout for 45 minutes
  • Read ten pages from your book
  • Stick to your meal plan

Once completed, head to the tracking site and mark them as completed to track your progress for the challenge. Tomorrow, I’ve got a bonus challenge in store for you!